It’s taken me 4 months to finally sit down and write out my birth story if that tells you anything about what it’s like to have a newborn. The last 4 months have flown by, and my beautiful baby boy is growing up before my eyes. It’s sad and exciting all at the same time! All my fellow moms understand what I’m saying and all those that aren’t moms yet listen to me when I say: Cherish every moment of motherhood! Those first months when they are so small and squishy go way to fast. 

Like most first time moms I was terrified to give birth. I had no idea what to expect; I knew there was going to be pain but I didn’t know the true extent or how long it would last. Turns out, it lasted for about 24 hours, with the pain peaking during the hour of labor at the end!

I was 6 days past my due date when we went to the hospital for my first induction. At 8am we began with what my doctor called a “gentle nudge”, which consisted of Cytotec (a little pill the Dr. places in your cervix to help it thin and start contractions). It seemed like contractions somewhat started, but even after a second dose of Cytotec at noon the results weren’t what my doctor wanted to see. We all decided it was best to go home and try again Sunday night after – hoping the Cytotec and some extra time would work over the weekend.

That weekend I tried every trick in the book to start labor and, naturally, NOTHING WORKED. Fast forward to Sunday night (8 days past my due date) and we’re starting off with another dose of Cytotec. After a few hours of fitful sleep and minor contractions I get another dose at 11pm. Not enough was happening so my doctor told me to get some sleep and we’d start Pitocin (called Pit for short) sometime after midnight. 

I woke up at 12:16am with contractions! YAY! They actually hurt too so I knew something was happening. By 3am I was 2cm dilated and we started Pitocin. Contractions picked up and they started to really hurt! I walked around as much as possible to keep them coming; and when I got tired I sat in the tub, which helped ease the pain.

At 7am I got a new nurse who had a nursing student shadowing her; that room got crowded fast with myself, Brandon, 2 or 3 nurses at a time, and occasionally the doctor. Luckily my new nurse was older and experienced. She really helped with all the back labor I was having, but she was also really pushing the Epidural. I didn’t want an epidural because I heard you’re much likely to tear, but I also wasn’t against it. I was getting through the contractions that were now 2 to 3 minutes apart really well so I kept telling her no and I’m glad I stood my ground. Even though every hour or so she would bring it up again I kept getting through each contraction and I knew I could make it to the end. By 8am I was 5cm dilated and the doctor broke my water! I had no clue what having your “water broke” all entailed but let’s just say it’s messy.

At this point I’m thinking “I’m half-way there! We’ll have a baby by 5pm.” Wrong! Even though my contractions were every 2 minutes and lasting 30 seconds I had a LONG way to go.

My nurse kept pushing an epidural and even had the anesthesiologist come in and talk to me about the procedure, but I was determined at this point to keep going without it. However, I did let her give me half doses of Fentanyl – a drug they administer through IV; I had to have an IV anyway for the Pit and Penicillin since I tested positive for group B strep. It didn’t make my contractions any less but it did make me groggy enough that I could relax through them! It’s honestly the only way I got through 3pm to 9pm because the contractions were BAD and it was mostly all in my lower back.

Okay so it’s now 9pm and I’m 9cm WooHoo! I was thinking any time now the doctor will tell me I’m 10cm and it’ll be time to push! Considering I had been 9cm since around 7pm. But no luck! I tried everything; I bounced, I walked, and I sat in the tub again! I stayed at 9.5cm until 11. Finally the doctor said it was time for this baby to come out. By this time I was still hoping we could have a “May the 4th be with you” baby, but Cinco de Mayo is good too.

To say what I did for the next hour was the hardest thing I’ve ever done doesn’t seem to do it justice but it’s true enough! So at this point I’ve been awake for just over 36 hours and my earlier nurse had taught me how to push (who knew there was a “right” way to push?). Breath in, breath out, breath in and push! DURING the most painful contractions. I pushed and I pushed from 11pm to 12:17am, and it felt like I was making no progress. I’m alternately pushing, screaming, pushing, screaming. I’m not sure how many times I said “I can’t do it” but the nurses and doctor kept telling me I could and who was I to tell them otherwise? Brandon was standing right next to me the whole time counting to 10 as I pushed and I’ve never wanted him to count faster in my entire life. He said he was pretty worried about me considering my face was turning purple but he stayed calm the entire time which really helped. 

After pushing for what seemed like forever they placed him on my chest and he wailed and wailed! It wasn’t a cry or a scream it was definitely a wail. He still to this day wails and it reminds of the moment he was born. I held him there for the longest time! It’s a feeling I can’t describe. After carrying him for 9 long months he was here, laying on my chest. It was incredible.

What scared me the most about giving birth was having to get stitches. I had what the doctor called “A Very Normal Tear.” You read these awful stories about tears and the healing process and whereas the healing process is not fun getting the actual stitches wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! After going through what I did a couple stitches seemed pretty minor and I didnt even feel them numbing me. I did however feel the last stitch which hurt pretty dang bad. Apparently anesthesia wears off pretty fast on me.

After they weighed Colton (8lb. 7oz) the doctor congratulated us and I apologized to the nurses for screaming at them. 😛 They assured me it was totally normal but I felt like a crazy person. Once we got into our post partum room I tried nursing, but Colton had a hard time latching; we finally ended up using a “Nursing Shield” which helped so much! After he ate we called all the family that had been waiting to hear from us for over 24 hours. Finally, mommy got to sleep!!

Even though the family wasn’t allowed to visit (because of Covid), the next day was a total blur. We spent the day cuddling our sweet boy, taking pictures, making calls, and filling out paperwork. That night Colton and I slept for 7 hours straight which was the most sleep I had gotten in 3 days. We got to go home the next day and the next 4 months have flown by!

Looking back I still can’t believe I did it. I gave birth. It was the hardest, most challenging thing I’ve ever done. My tolerance for pain is low, so for me to be in labor for 24 hours, push for an hour, and get stitches without an epidural is pretty incredible. I was proud of myself but at the same time freaking out that someday I would have to do the same thing all over again if Colton was ever going to have any siblings. But I also knew I’d do it all over again to get my sweet boy into this world.

If you made it to the end of this congratulations! I’m excited to be sharing more about motherhood and how our life has changed since little Colton arrived. Stay tuned as I take on life as a new Mom. 🙂