Ajani's Birth Story

I woke up on the morning of Friday, May 20, 2005 with a very positive attitude. I was convinced that I had a couple of more days before delivery because it was now my due date and I hadn’t gone into labor yet. I made plans with my eight-year-old son, Josiah, to see Star Wars, Episode III, which I’d been waiting a year to see!

The day was going perfect. I had a craving for burritos, so I was off to grab some lunch, do a little shopping, and then spend the afternoon with my son. I stopped at the bank first and felt a little funny but ignored it because I had things to do. Then, on the way to lunch, I stopped at a gas station because I needed to use the restroom, but decided it was just a little too dirty for me, and I could hold it. I arrive at the restaurant, practically tasting the burrito as I was parking my car. I got a great parking space (another bright moment in my day!), stepped out of my car, and then suddenly I felt a little trickle. My first instinct was that I waited too long and was having an accident. Then I felt a little pop and a gush of water filled my jeans and actually splashed on the ground down my leg! I couldn’t believe it! I stood there trying to decide if my water broke or if I had an accident. With Josiah, I had my water broken after hours of labor so I didn’t know what it was like to spontaneously rupture.

Finally, I decided to just drive to the hospital. I called my boyfriend and told him not to rush over because I wasn’t having any contractions. He agreed to go home, get my bag, and meet me at the hospital. I called some other people to tell them the news, but then doubt set in. I wasn’t in any pain, or even discomfort. There wasn’t any more water leaking out. What if I did just have an accident and would have to explain that to all my friends and family when no baby arrived!

I got to the hospital, and they tested to see if my water had broken. After waiting for results for 45 minutes, the nurse (who was fabulous) told me to get comfortable because my water did break and I was going to be there a while. After a couple of hours of very irregular, very mild contractions the doctor said he might have to put me on Pitocin. I wasn’t thrilled about that because I had Josiah without any drugs and my birthing plan was specific that I didn’t want any this time either. I also knew from research and friends that Pitocin can make contractions so much worse and I was determined to go drug-free.

More hours passed without any action so they administered the Pitocin, which was awful, but I endured it without any drugs for pain. At 11:17 PM, after pushing about three times, I gave birth to my son Ajani, who was seven pounds, six ounces. I was happy to say everything else on my birthing plan went as I had hoped!