Jaden's Birth Story

My husband and I found out we were expecting in December, 2005, and that I was already eight weeks along. We hadn’t really been trying, but knew that if it happened, we would be happy.

My pregnancy went smoothly. I never had swelling or high blood pressure, and only gained 25 pounds, although I felt much bigger. At my 20-week ultrasound, we found out we would be having a little girl, and already had a name picked out: Jaden Marie.

During the last month of my pregnancy, I wasn’t really progressing and stayed at one-to-two centimeters the whole month, with 30 percent effacement. A few days before my due date (July 23), our doctor said if I didn’t go into labor they would induce me on July 28. I spent my due date at a water park with my mom and sisters. On Thursday, the day of my induction, we checked into the hospital and discovered I had been having mild contractions and didn’t even know it! We were very nervous and excited as they inserted my IV and started me on gel to help me dilate and efface. It helped a little, and by 6 AM the next morning, the nurse started the Pitocin. I didn’t feel anything at first, just some mild contractions. The nurse said it would probably be a while before anything happened. She turned up the Pitocin and soon the contractions starting coming one after another. They were very painful and I could hardly breathe through them. My husband watched the monitor and would tell me when one was starting and when it would end. Not knowing what else to do, he held my hand as I was starting to panic.

When I reached four centimeters, I was allowed to get the epidural. It seemed like hours until I received it but when I finally got it, it was wonderful. I could no longer feel pain and could finally rest. That didn’t last long though because the baby started having some distress and her heart rate started dropping. Our family was with us, but they were rushed out and it scared us a little. I was given an oxygen mask and the nurses kept turning me over to try and get my baby’s heart rate back to normal. I was dilated to about five and my doctor said if the baby’s heart rate kept dropping, I would have to have a C-section. I was scared about having a C-section, but just wanted Jaden to be OK so I agreed to whatever the doctor thought was best.

The different positions worked because the next time the nurse checked me, I had jumped to nine centimeters. The doctor had me push during a contraction and yelled for me to stop because our baby was right there. The next few minutes were a blur–my doctor ran out to get ready, and the nurses came in with the delivery cart and warmer for the baby. My mom and husband held my legs and arms, while I began pushing. After pushing for only about 20 minutes, our beautiful baby girl was born. Jaden weighed seven pounds, 10 ounces, and was 21 inches long. My husband cut the cord and then my mom videotaped her while she was cleaned and weighed. I did have an episiotomy, but only had to get a few stitches, and I healed just fine within about a week.

It is true what they say… you forget about all the pain once you hold your child and look into her eyes. That will be a day we will never forget!