I was 37 weeks pregnant with my second child, a girl, when I started having contractions the afternoon of Wednesday, August 12th. It was hot and muggy and I was miserable, so I went and took a swim with my 3 year old son. After doing some laps, my contractions started getting closer together, but then when I stopped they would stop too. I figured it was just a false alarm, and disappointed, I went about the rest of my evening.

That night in bed I started having contractions again, and I tried to get as much sleep as I could. By the time the sun was coming up they were too strong to sleep through. I made breakfast, cleaned the house up, and packed my bags. I called my mother and put her on stand by because she had to drive 2 hours to be there for the birth. I called my doula and she told me to call her when we were headed to the hospital. I called my OB and she told me to get there as soon as possible, because I’d tested positive for Group B Strep and I would need IV antibiotics.

I wasn’t ready to go into the hospital yet. I honestly did not want to have the baby in a hospital at all. However, several things prevented us from having a home birth. So, I was trying to be as positive about going to the hospital as I could be. When the time came though, I did NOT want to go. I was thinking of anything I could think of to put off leaving for the hospital. My OB began calling and asking where I was.

So finally, around 2 pm we headed to the hospital. It was frustrating when I got to the hospital, because the nurses did not believe that I was actually in labor. They wanted to “check” before deciding to keep me or not. So they checked, and I was at a 4. But Id already been dilated for weeks, and my contractions weren’t being picked up by the monitors. So they were skeptical, even though I’d said I was sure I was in labor. I’m sure they hear that all the time though.

My doula arrived, and she asked them to check me again, because even thought the monitor was not picking up contractions, she was timing them and we knew I was having them. So they checked me again and I was at a 6. Two cms in an hour, definitely in labor! I wanted intermittent monitoring, so I was unhooked from everything, and went and sat in a rocking chair while I received the IV antibiotics.

After the antibiotics, I sat on the birthing ball for awhile and called some friends and let them know I was in labor. I hung out and ate some fruit with my son. Chatted with my husband, mom, step dad, and doula. An EMT student came in and asked if he could observe the delivery for his training, which I agreed to.

Things were going pretty well. And then all of a sudden things got way more intense. I told the nurse I wanted to use the labor tub. And she informed me that the only one I could use was at the other end of the hallway from where I was, and they didnt want me to use it because my labor was progressing so quickly. This was upsetting b/c Id asked for a room with a tub, and they said they would have it ready when I arrived at the hospital.

Then another glitch in the plan. My OB was in emergency surgery and would not be attending. The OB who arrived I’d never met, and she was not very pleasant. She wanted to break my water (AROM) and “get things going”. I said no, she told me to think about it and left. About this time I was getting very upset so I had my step dad take my son out of the room. I talked with the doula about what she thought I should do, and she said she thought breaking my water would speed things up and it wasn’t a bad idea. So the OB came back in a broke my water. I was 8-9 cms dilated at the time.

Looking back, I wish I would have stuck to my decision and not had the AROM. I immediately regretted it. I went straight into what felt like transition. I did not want to be around anyone anymore, and I was stick of nurses trying to “check” me every few minutes, so I went to the bathroom and got into the shower. I had my husband spray water on my back while I knelt in the shower, leaning on the shower seat. He actually broke the removable shower head trying to get it in the right position!

The contractions were coming one after another. And without the cushioning of the bag of waters, they were ten times more intense than before. I tried to focus on my breathing. About an hour later I felt the baby drop significantly during a contraction, reached down, and felt her crowning. My husband yelled for the doula, and the doula went out in the hallway and yelled for the doctor. I hobbled back to the bed. Fighting the urge to push for those 10 minutes or so was the hardest part!

I tried to use a couple different pushing positions as the Dr and my massive audience got settled and set up. I found I was most comfortable semi inclined on my back though. Right then I got a surprise! My sister walked in the room, after driving as fast as she could for 2 hours to get there! She’d been there for the birth of my son, so I was glad she got to be there for my daughter’s birth as well.

The OB told me to give a little “practice push”. I breathed in deep and pushed hard for a few seconds and she said “Okay stop stop!” Her head was out! She said “one more big push” and Aurora was born!  She was born at 7:30 on Thursday, August 13th. She weighed 5 lbs and 8 oz and was 17 inches long. She had a head full of fuzzy dark brown hair, and blue eyes. About 3 hours of hard labor and 2 pushes!

They placed her on my chest and she looked up at me and she was silent and wide awake! She had a very confused look on her face though, which hasn’t gone away 4 months later. I was too weak to hold her right then, so they took her and did all the newborn assessments while I birthed the placenta. A few minutes later I got her back and breastfed her for the first time it was amazing. She latched on right away and nursed like a champ. After a snack, everyone took turns holding her.

I felt great after this birth. I could get up right away, showered, and move to the post postpartum room. I wasn’t tired or sore or groggy at all. I didn’t feel like Id just given birth at all. And it was amazing how awake and alert the baby was. Besides a few minor complaints about the hospital, I really enjoyed this labor and birth. It wasn’t very painful until transition, and the birth was quick and easy. My doula, mother, and especially my husband were all a great support team. Rory is now beautiful, healthy 4 month old baby girl. If we decide to have another, I definitely want to try a home birth.

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Sarah
Mother of 2, natural childbirth advocate and CBE (childbirth educator) in training.