.jpg)
Leading up to Zion's birth, we were both convinced he would be a late baby. James was 2 weeks late when he was born and I only came a day early. Plus, it seems pretty common that the first born child takes a little extra longer to arrive.
However, when we went in for our 38 week checkup, I was surprised to find that I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced! I had been feeling a ton of pressure and always jokingly told James that I must be dilating because ... could it feel any MORE stretched?! Turns out, I was right! Our doctor went ahead to schedule our 40 week follow-up in case we needed to schedule an induction but "would be surprised if we even made it to the appointment".
Well, turns out Z wasn't ready to move out into the world yet and wanted a few more days in mommy. We made it to our 40 week appointment where we found out I was 3 cm dilated and even more effaced. Again, the doctor scheduled our induction but was convinced that we probably won't need it (word of caution: take what doctors predict with a grain of salt!).
At this point, my already heightened anxiety about labor increased every day - waking up wondering if today was going to be the day, going to sleep wondering if certain discomforts were contractions, the list goes on... I also REALLY did not want to get medically induced after listening to many podcasts that convinced me what an ideal birth should look like. We tried everything - spicy foods, birthing ball exercises, yoga, SO many hikes and walks. Z was just not convinced to come out!
Our due date of June 27 came and went. We hit July (!!) and the days just kept counting down until the very last possible induction date of July 8. Around June 30, I started noticing some fluid discharge when I would use the restroom. The discharge continued for a few days and seemed a little out of the norm to me so we went into L&D for a consult on July 2. Upon observation, it did not seem like my water broke yet but the doctor noticed very low levels of amnionic fluid and suggested that I be admitted and induced that day due to potential risks of the water levels dropped lower. The news came as a shock and I was completely caught off guard, much less ready to give birth that day!
There were a few other comments the doctor made that made me feel 1.) pressured to be admitted 2.) uncomfortable with him as my delivery doctor. James and I deliberated for what felt like forever and we called our doulas just for validation on our decision before we walked out of the hospital. In that moment, I felt my first feelings of "mom guilt" - wondering and second guessing if I made the best decision for Z. It was equal parts liberating and terrifying to take a stand based on my convictions despite other opinions. We decided that we would give Z one more day to make some progress (contractions or water breaking) before going back to the hospital.
Saturday, July 4
4:00 PM -----
After talking to James' cousin and not feeling and progress, we went back to L&D the following day on Saturday, July 3 around 4pm to be admitted for induction. We had heard that the L&D floor had been consistently full for weeks and we completely lucked out with the last available room that had just been cleaned. After checking in and getting settled, I was mentally preparing myself for the long haul - it was probably going to be a 24hr+ birthing process right?!
James and I had heard many unsettling stories of subpar birth experiences at Kaiser Santa Clara from friends so we had low expectations and were planning to lean on our doula. However, much to our surprise, the nurses that came into our room were so great! We connected with our main nurse instantly and she explained our induction options, what to expect, and what she was going to do before she did it. She asked what our birth plan wishes were and pointed out considerations "just in case" putting me at ease.
I had told her I wanted a natural birth without any pain medication if possible to which she laughed and said "okay, we'll see"... :) At admit, I was 4cm dilated, around 60-70% effaced with my water still in tact. I still did not believe I had any contractions until this point.
5:30 PM -----
The Pitocin started in small doses to see how my body would react. Within 30 minutes, I started to feel some mild cramping (still thinking these were not contractions). The cramping was more similar to constipation than menstural cramps in my opinion but nothing unbearable and it certainly didn't take my breath away yet. James and I took our Monopoly Deal, snacks, and changed to prepare for the long haul.
Vitals looked great but my blood pressure seemed a little higher than normal.
6:30 PM -----
Apparently those were contractions all along! The nurse told me that the cramping were labor contractions and that she would start increasing my Pitocin but that things were progressing well.
At this point, my nerves started to ease. If these were labor contractions, even if they intensified 3x, I was convinced I could endure the brunt of it. James and I continued just entertaining ourselves - taking pictures, chatting, bouncing on the birthing ball, figuring out how to use the restroom hooked up to an IV ;)
The nurse noticed that my blood pressure was starting to increase and she was going to keep a closer eye on it.
7:30 PM -----
Contractions were starting to increase and I started breathing through them. I quickly ate some dinner just in case I wouldn't be in the mood later.
My blood pressure was still increasing and with the systolic pressure hovering around the 150s. If I crossed the 160 threshold, I would need to put on additional medication and there would be risk for further complications. At this point, the nurse re-introduced the idea of pain medication to get my heart rate down since it was starting to alarm the doctor. I insisted on holding off.
We still didn't ask our doula to join us in person yet because things were still manageable.
8:30 PM -----
Things were still progressing smoothly. My body was definitely starting to take over and they told me that they would break my water soon.
I told my nurse my pain was roughly 7/10 to which she was surprisingly pleased. I was still breathing through the contractions but my blood pressure was not dropping.
10:00 PM -----
The doctor broke my water since we were 5.5cm dilated and our doula warned us that things may accelerate quickly at this point. Thank goodness she warned us because things went from 0 to 100 in an instant. The contractions were coming in strong and heavy within 15 minutes.
My whole body would clench when the contractions hit and they were hitting every few minutes (I had not timed anything this entire time). Our nurse finally noticed that the Pitocin was still going and weaned us off of it as my body took over.
10:30 PM -----
Pain level jumped to 10/10.
The contractions were so extreme and peaked so suddenly that my body couldn't take it. Blood pressure was barely hanging on. Between the risk of more medication to address the hypertension or pain medication, I caved and asked for the epidural. We called our doula and asked her to come.
11:00 PM -----
The anesthesiologist showed up and gave the epidural which was painless in comparison to the contractions (I don't think I felt anything). Our doula showed up just as they finished and she asked them to check how far along I was. To our surprise, I was already 10 cm and it was only a matter of time before we start pushing!
I had gone from 5.5 to 10 cm within an hour (hence the intense contractions and sudden shock). The contractions were still coming in hot and I kept asking when the epidural would kick in since I was feeling everything.
11:30 PM -----
I still did not feel the effects of the epidural yet but it didn't matter because it was go time! The nurse tested to see how the effects of the epidural were coming along by putting ice cubes on my thighs and pelvic region to see what I can feel and I felt everything. Regardless, Z was ready to come and we were ready for him!
The nurse started prepping me with practice pushes which then transitioned to the actual pushes. Leading up to labor, I thought pushing usually only lasted 15 minutes or so... After pushing several rounds, I quickly realized that this was going to be a lot longer. Each push was a series of 3 pushes and all I could do was close my eyes and channel every ounce of energy to getting Z out because the last thing I wanted was to have a stuck baby and transition to a C section.
12:00 PM -----
Still pushing. The head was starting to peak out!
12:30 PM -----
Still pushing and suddenly I hear James say "he has hair!" to which I cracked a big smile :) I was hoping he would be born with a full head of luscious locks ;)
At this point, the nurse asked if I wanted to see or feel his head. It was such a surreal moment to see life literally coming out of me. Seeing his head peep out gave me the extra boost I needed. The team in the room started placing bets on when he would arrive. At this point, he was already locked in as a July 4th baby :) My guess was the most optimistic at 1:10 AM.
1:05 PM ----
Z made his entrance into the world! Gooey, crying, and precious - all 8lb 8oz and 20in of him :)
In that moment, everything stood still. I held him skin to skin for the first time and I couldn't believe I was finally meeting my sweet little boy. We cried and stared at him in disbelief.
The final steps of labor progressed with the placenta delivery. I was hemorrhaging pretty heavily and I overhead the resident tell the attending it was hard to stop the bleed. In total I lost about a liter of blood and it took an hour to stitch up my second degree tears. The silver lining is that I held him and was able to breastfeed a little longer as they finished up before they took him for exams.
After 2 hours post delivery in L&D, they packed us up and moved us to the mother/baby rooms to settle in for the night. Over the next 3 days, we started to get to know our little man. The breastfeeding journey began and so did the healing process. We decided to maximize our stay in the hospital thinking we would need the reassurance and help and while the nurses were incredibly helpful with questions, it was the most sleepless state we've had since having Z due to the constant check ins.
Three days later, we were ready to take Z home! :) Then the real fun began!
Looking back, we were so incredibly blessed and fortunate to have an amazing healthcare team. Every nurse and doctor provided quality care (some even going above and beyond) to ensure we had the best experience. I would never have imagined only an 8 hour labor for our first. Z had been ready to join us but just needed a little encouragement to get going.
They say that labor never goes down as planned and while that was completely true in my experience, I also wouldn't have changed a thing. They also say moms tend to forget labor pains which is why they sign up to do it again and again ;)