Birth Story

My birth experience as a first-time mom was amazing. It has been a few months since my delivery, but I’ll recount it as best as I can. I’m going to be giving a lot of details here, so if you’re at all worried about childbirth, please do not read any further.

On June 11th, I was scheduled to be induced at 38 weeks pregnant due to gestational diabetes. First thing in the morning, I called the hospital to confirm that I could still come in. Once they confirmed, we packed up and headed out. After registering at the front desk, I went into Labour and Delivery, where my doctor inserted something called Cervidil around 9 a.m.

Cervidil is a small string-like insert placed into the cervix to release medication that softens and prepares it for labor. For me, this method worked quite well—it started working within about 30 minutes, and I began feeling contractions that felt more like period cramps. The nurses said they would monitor me for an hour before sending me home, but that didn’t end up happening. My baby’s heart rate dropped, so they decided it was best for me to stay for the duration of labor.

For the first few hours, the pain was manageable. I was able to walk around the hospital and chat with my husband and my mom with no issues. As time went on, things started to get more intense, so I asked if I could get an epidural. When they checked me, I was only about 3 cm dilated and was told it was too soon.

Over the next few hours, I tried having a hot shower—which helped for a bit—or stayed in bed as my contractions grew stronger. With the Cervidil, there didn’t seem to be any break between contractions; the pain just felt constant. By 7 p.m., I asked about the epidural again, so my doctor came to check me. I was now 7 cm dilated, which surprised the nurse (not cool!).

At that point, they broke my water, and let me tell you, that was not comfortable—especially while contracting. The gush of fluid was definitely a weird sensation. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist had been sent home for the night since they didn’t think I’d need the epidural so soon, so they had to call her back in. I had to wait another two hours before she arrived, and by then, I was not feeling good at all. I didn’t want to be touched by anyone and had already told off both my mom and husband (Brandon) at that point (sorry, Mom and Hubby!).

When the anesthesiologist began inserting the needle, my contractions were so intense that I was puking, which concerned her. It took three tries to get the needle in because my back muscles were so tense from the contractions. Once everything was in place and the epidural was administered, the relief was almost instant. It worked very well on my right side, but my left side was a bit slower to respond, so the nurses put a pillow under my right side to help the medication flow. All I can say is—the epidural was amazing! I was finally able to sleep for a few hours.

Around midnight, on June 12th, my baby’s heart rate started to decrease, and the nurses became concerned. They called my doctor back in and told me that an emergency C-section might be necessary if things didn’t improve. When my doctor arrived, she checked me and found that I was fully dilated—10 cm—and ready to push. She told me that if I pushed really hard and got the baby out quickly, we could avoid a C-section. So that’s exactly what I did. I pushed as hard as I could when they told me to, and after just four pushes—under ten minutes—my baby was born at 1:43am.

As soon as they placed him on my chest, the first thing I said was, “Is it a boy or a girl?” I was told, “It’s a boy!” I looked at Brandon and said, “I knew it! Look at all his hair!” He was perfect, with a full head of blonde hair. It was the best experience of my life, and in that moment, I finally understood what people meant when they said you love them instantly. Nothing compares to that unconditional love you feel.

Right away, we knew we wanted to name him George. George was born weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am so grateful to be his mom.