Kyle's Birth Story

My pregnancy was a very easy one. I had morning sickness my first trimester, but nothing extreme. My second trimester was wonderful, but my third trimester was very long. I had gained 39 pounds, and my maternity clothes no longer fit. My back and feet were constantly hurting me, but other than that, everything was great.

Three days before my due date, I was having very painful Braxton Hicks contractions, but that night, I slept like a rock. The next day, the contractions continued, exactly five minutes apart. I didn't tell my husband how close they were though because I knew he would try to take me to the hospital too soon. Two hours later, my contractions were three to five minutes apart and worse. I told my husband that we were going to the hospital.

Half an hour later, I was at the hospital in a very comfortable bed. The doctor said that I was four centimeters dilated, so they took me to a delivery room. I was asked countless times whether or not I wanted an epidural, but I refused. The pain was bad, but it wasn't unbearable.

My labor was progressing pretty quickly, and the doctor estimated that my pushing stage would be short as well. But then my son's heart rate dropped suddenly. They gave me oxygen and had me turn onto my hands and knees, but his heart rate did not go back up. Doctors took me in for an emergency C-section, and I was so scared. They told me I would be put out (because I had no pain medication) and they would deliver my baby. This was not what I had planned. But then the internal heart monitor showed that my son's heart rate had gone back up to normal again, so they took me back to my room. A vaginal delivery was even more welcomed after that incident. I still refused an epidural, but I was very nervous. If my son's heart rate dropped again, I'd be back in for a C-section.

My contractions had decreased in intensity, duration, and frequency, so they gave me Pitocin to bring them back up. But my labor stopped progressing when I was almost nine centimeters, and my baby was facing sideways instead of down. They finally gave me an epidural, thinking that my labor had stopped progressing because I was fighting my contractions. While we waited to see if I progressed, I asked the nurse questions about Cesarean deliveries because I never really believed that a C-section would be a possibility for me, so I didn't do any reading on it. After a half hour or so, I still made no progress, so I had a C-section after all. But this time, it was much nicer. The doctors weren't in a rush, I was awake, and my husband was there with me.

At 6:40 AM, Kyle was born, one day before his due date. I first saw him in my husband's arms and he was round and pink. Three days later, we brought him home. He is a perfect baby boy, and we are so blessed.