She's here! Ava Ann arrived April 20th at 8:53pm weighing 7lbs 1oz 20.5 inches long...

I've been lurking around HB since I had her but hadn't been on my actual computer to sign up and get over here with my birth story. Today I discovered that unlike WB I can post from my phone! Yipee! So here's a quick recap of the events of that day.

I awoke that Friday feeling like poop. I had a doctors appointment at 10:15 and I just felt different. At this point I was 38+6 and I had been dilated at 3cm and 50% effaced for a month. Even though I felt yucky that day I was excited to be going to the doctor to see if I had made any progress.

On a side note: DH was about 90% sure we would be having a baby that day because 6 weeks prior he had ordered 2 new queen bees for our beehives and when he placed the order he 'just knew' she would decide to come on out the day they were scheduled to arrive... Well the day was upon us.

So we get to my appointment and the doctor comes in. I asked her if she would strip my membranes when she checked me and she said absolutely So she checked me and told me I was 4cm 90% effaced. I was so happy at this point to be making some change & then she stripped my membranes. Now that was pretty uncomfortable. I don't know if they normally stretch your cervix when you have that done, but when she was finished she said I was 5cm and my bag was bulging... That she was surprised it hadn't broken yet. She then said she thought it was time to go to the hospital. DH is freaking out happy ready to jump up and down like a kid in a candy store at this point lol. I was happy too but hesitant. This wasn't how I had imagined things going down. My plan was to have a natural childbirth and avoid an epidural and pitocin... Now I was going to be sent to the hospital, my doc was going to break my water, and I was going to be hooked up to pitocin... Sheesh. The fact that I live an hour away from the nearest hospital and the uncertainty of how fast my labor would progress once I was in active labor won out over my initial wants though and we were on our way to the hospital. Well after a quick detour to Target lol.

I got to the hospital around noon and it was about 130ish when everything started doing for me. Apparently the reason I felt like pop earlier that day was bc I was in early labor but my contractions weren't regular. My doctor had assured me that once the pitocin got my contractions rolling we could back off of it and see if my body would take over. I kind of hsad a feeling this wouldn't actually happen, but I went with it. She broke my water and off we went.

It didn't take long at all for contractions to kick in and they were pretty strong from the get go. I walked with my wireless telemetry monitor and IV pole (total pain in the ass esp. Later in labor) and when a contraction hit I would lean against the wall and breathe through them rocking my hips back and forth. I was upright and active during my entire labor experience. I read the book 'Active Labor' duriing to prepare and summoned all the info I could think of to get through the pain. At one point I was sitting on the birthing ball when a man walked in and introduced himself as someone from anesthesia. For just a minute I thought I would kill him since I didn't even want to be offered pain meds ( told the nurse this upon arrival) but he was a super nice guy so I let him do his thing and tell me about the epi even though I knew I didn't want it. He said that just in case I change my mind it'd be nice to have this part over with. Blah blah blah.

So a little while later I changed my mind. I looked at my husband and said 'I can't do this tell her I want the epidural'. He tried to reason with me, but I mean at that point reason is out the window. My nurse Lisa came in and explained she had to get 2 bags of fluids in me which would take about 30 minutes and then I could have the epi. DH has since told me he was pretty sure she wasn't going to let me get it anyways bc she knew I would make it. Then she asked if I wanted to get in the shower and that saved my life. I can't express what that shower did for me. Before I got in she checked me and I was 8cm. I guess I failed to mention that I was having horrible back labor. So I would have a contraction and it'd back off, but that horrible back pain stuck with me the entire time so I felt like I wasn't getting a break at all. once in the shower my fluids were finished and she asked me if I still wanted the epi. At that point there was no question. Even though I was in transition I suddenly felt empowered and I knew I didn't need the epidural. Not long after that I started feeling pressure and couldn't help but bear down with contractions.

This was at about 630 and I was excited that it was time to push. I tried pushing lots of different ways. All fours, squatting bar, standing, but for me I was most effective in the half reclined holding my legs position. I pushed and pushed and pushed. 2.5 hours of pushing. The doctor checked me and discovered baby had her head looking toward one of my hips instead of down at my spine and she just wasn't fitting through my pelvis that way. This also explained my back labor. I was exhausted and it was decided that the vacuum was needed to get her out. From there everything happened so fast. I was pushing and yelling and then suddenly there she was on my belly looking up at me. It was amazing... She is perfect and DH and I are so in love.

So in the end things didnt go the way I thought they would, but I still got a healthy baby girl out of the experience and that's all that matters. I avoided pain medication and an epidural and for that I am very proud. There's nothing like the feeling of setting your mind to something and coming out on top it was a very empowering experience

Sorry this is 3 years long Haha! I tried to condense it down ...