My Birth Story
The Happiest and Scariest Day
Three months have flown by in the blink of any eye. Sometimes I still can’t believe I am a MOM! It’s such a surreal feeling that I don’t think I will ever get over. My pregnancy with Jaden went pretty smoothly with no major complications (thank God). Towards the end though, I was over it. The days felt dragged, and I was beyond ready to have my baby in my arms. When my due date rolled around, I felt very anxious. I was so uncomfortable and would push through daily walks just to see if that would help get him moving. Two days after my due date I woke up feeling the same. Tired, big, and verrrrry uncomfortable. I went about my day, finishing up some work, zooming into a couple of meetings and by lunchtime, things started to feel a little differently. I started feeling what I thought might be contractions, so I took it easy and tried to relax. By 9pm my contractions were becoming closer and closer together, so we ended up grabbing our hospital bags and heading to Woman and Infants. After we were admitted into triage, they told me I wasn’t dilated enough to go up to labor and delivery, and to hang tight for a little while. Well, a little while turned into FIVE HOURS. Meanwhile, my contractions were getting stronger and stronger (OUCH). That was the beginning of the happiest and scariest day of my life.
You Can Do This
Once I was admitted to L&D they quickly administered the epidural (hallelujah) and the pain quickly subsided. Things were progressing slowly but surely. The doctor came in and broke my water in the morning and by noontime I was 10 cm dilated and ready to start pushing. This is when things started to get a bit tricky. After about 45 minutes of pushing with no progress the nurse noticed Jaden’s heartrate dropping and became concerned. Come to find out it was because his umbilical cord was too short, so he was getting pulled back in every time I pushed (who knew that could happen!). The nurse called the OB in, and he quickly made the decision that we needed to get him out and FAST. It was too late for an emergency c-section, so he told us they needed to use forceps to get him out. FORCEPS!? In that moment, I looked over at my husband with fear in my eyes. He assured me “you can do this”.
Jaden John
The room quickly filled up with nurses and doctors gowning up and getting ready. From that moment on all I remember is the INTENSE pressure I felt from the forceps and the doctors telling me “all we need is a few good pushes!”. So, I pushed with every ounce of strength I had left in my body. And FINALLY, out came my beautiful baby boy. I took a huge sigh of relief and remember saying “he’s perfect.” We did it. I’m ok. He’s ok. It’s over. But shortly after I delivered him things took a turn that we did not expect. Our nurse noticed that Jaden was having a hard time breathing. He was grunting and flaring his nose which was concerning, so she called in the pediatrician who then called in the NICU doctor to check him out. They came to us and said that they needed to admit him to the NICU for further testing. My heart sunk into my stomach and the tears started to flow. I had to let him go and it killed me. I just wanted him snuggled on my chest where he belonged. But I had to be strong for him and for my husband. Once the doctors were done stitching me up, the room quickly emptied and one of the nurses asked me if I wanted something to eat. I couldn’t even think straight never mind eat. My husband was keeping me updated from the NICU and I eventually was wheeled down there to see him. Seeing him hooked up to a million wires with a tube up his nose was gut wrenching. But as the hours went by, he was showing signs of progress. Turns out he had inhaled a lot of fluid into his lungs since he was pulled out so abruptly. I am forever grateful for the team of doctors and nurses at Woman and Infants Hospital that went above and beyond to check every box to make sure my baby was ok. They truly do God’s work.
Worth Every Second
Becoming a mother has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I am truly amazed by the female body and what it is capable of. My birth experience wasn’t the easiest physically or emotionally, but it was worth every second for my perfect baby boy, Jaden John.
