Brady’s birth story – Part 2
Make sure you read part 1 before diving into this one!
Like I said before we started this tale in part one, any good story has some twists and turns, and when it comes to the birth of the Baby Goes West, Brady Oliver Pitt, it was absolutely not routine or expected, full of making scary decisions and going with my gut. But it was a true miracle.
And here’s a big disclaimer: Even though I’m a fairly modest person, for some reason, I feel the need to just SPILL it with this story, much like I did in my ebook. That means you’re getting all the real-life details that surround child-birth. Proceed with caution, and if this isn’t your thing, come on back in a few days, my friends, because we’ll tone down the rawness very soon.
Here’s the second and final part of the story, and yes, the ending is a good one …
Brady’s birth story – Part 2
So when we left off the story in part 1, I had been in the hospital overnight and had already undergone several interventions to progress my labor, all the while hoping to avoid a c-section surgery — which my doctor thought was still at a 50 percent chance.
Going with my gut and breaking the water
The next option for moving labor along that was left was breaking my water. Once again, something I didn’t want to do and kept delaying each time that they asked me. But at this point, I had been laboring (which basically meant feeling varying levels of cramps, and rolling over from side to side every hour or so to change positions) for nearly 24 hours. I hadn’t slept much, I hadn’t eaten anything, one of my hands was completely immobile from the painful IV debacle the day before, and I was feeling major decision fatigue. I had just made so many scary and tough decisions already — trying to go with my gut. And my gut told me not to do the c-section right off the bat, if a regular delivery was still an option, and suddenly my gut was telling me to get my water broken … like now.
Right away, I told my nurse I was ready to break the water, and she sent in my midwife (this may be confusing, but I go to an ob/gyn medical practice with three doctors and a midwife, so at any point, you can have any of those four overseeing your birth — it just so happens that the midwife was on duty then, when the first doctor had already finished his 24-hour shift and had left at that point). The midwife broke my water, and it was quite painful. I could feel a lot more than I thought I would feel, in spite of my light epidural pain medication, and I also felt the huge gush down my leg once it was done (sooooo weird and gross, I know, but I told you we’re keeping it real here, folks). I kept telling my nurse and doula that I could feel a lot, which concerned me. I could also move my legs totally freely, which isn’t always the case with an epidural.
The increase of contractions and intensity
I continued to push my epidural button for more doses of medicine, but there wasn’t any relief. (And for those of you wondering, because I had pitocin and all sorts of interventions, my labor contractions were beginning to be more painful and faster than naturally occurring contractions would be for unmedicated labor — something I had NOT planned to endure without pain meds.)
Around Friday night, after my water was broken, my contractions started getting WAY worse, and I could feel them a lot. I would breathe through them, counting my long inhales and exhales with Dave and my doula — not being able to speak from the intensity and focusing only on breath. And each contraction started lasting more cycles of breath than the last. I pulled from my yoga practice and fitness practice and inhaled through my nose and exhaled from my mouth, trying to make the exhale longer than the inhale each time to take my mind off of the pain.
The contractions started coming closer and closer. I started to get in so much pain that I was having trouble coping at all. I moved around, I visualized, and eventually I cried — a pathetic sob, which must have just broken Dave’s heart, as he sat next to me as I was writhing in the most pain I’ve ever felt or feared in my life.
As I was breathing through these very long and tough pitocin-induced contractions, my entire mid-section was tightening up and burning in agony. I looked at Dave and said I can’t do this anymore. I need this to stop.
Reaching my pain threshold, well, surpassing it
At this point, the anesthesiologist came back in and said that because my epidural had been placed so long ago in preparation for possible surgery, that there was a chance that it was not effective any more at all, after several attempts of adding medicine to it failed. He said that we could do a second epidural if I wanted. Even though I didn’t want to go through getting a needle in my spine again, I immediately agreed. However, my nurse suggested that she should check my dilation before the epidural. I affirmatively said NO. I need it now.
So everything got set up, and after I finished a long and painful contraction, the anesthesiologist quickly inserted the epidural and got it stationed and secured, as Dave held my hand. (Dave was seated in a chair in front of me, as partners are required to sit during epidurals according to hospital policy, because it’s so common that they pass out when seeing the way the epidural procedure actually looks on their laboring wife/girlfriend/etc. Fun times.)
It was probably about 10:30 p.m. at this time, meaning we had been in the hospital for about 30 hours or so. And within about 20 minutes of getting the second epidural, I started getting a bit of relief on the contractions — which was amazing and a half. Once I knew the pain medicine had kicked in, I let the nurse do my next exam.
She looked me in the eye and said this: “Do you want to guess how much you have dilated?” — Because of the slow process thus far, I said: “Please tell me we are at least at six.” — She said: “10. It’s time to push.” OMG! I couldn’t believe it. What that means is that the real contractions I was feeling completely and so intensely with no pain medication had been part of the “transition” phase of labor — the one that comes when you are dilated from 8 to 10 cms, and it’s the part of labor that is the most painful — usually the breaking point for women who want to do it naturally end up getting an epidural once they can’t take it anymore. And had I not asked my nurse to delay my exam until AFTER I got the second epidural, there’s a chance I would have been too far along in labor to get it before the pushing phase. Once again, another decision I made with my gut, that turned out to be the right one for me.
It was such a scary and strange thing to hear her say it was time to push — it meant I was THAT much closer to having a regular delivery and avoiding surgery. Dave got ready. He put some soothing ocean sounds on Pandora on his phone, as I had requested weeks ago when we talked about labor. My doula prepared the room by turning down the lights and putting on some battery-operated candles, and I asked my nurse to put my hair in a bun on the top of my head (she did a great job handling that mess!). We were all in and ready to go.
And then we pushed
At 11 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2017, we began the pushing process. In spite of every single thing that had happened that last 34 hours, the pushing part was not terrible. I had just enough pain medication to have control of my legs, yet I was not feeling the full-blown process, and even though I felt some discomfort, it was SO much less than the intensity of transitional labor from earlier, that it didn’t seem that bad. Not to mention, I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, finally.
There were five of us total in the room during the pushing phase, including the midwife, my nurse, my doula, Dave and me, and we were truly a birth team. I know that sounds cheesy, but there is no other way to describe it — absolutely NO other way. Every person played a role. Dave held my hand and stayed near my head. My nurse did the counting and supported one of my legs during the rest phase, and my doula talked me through everything with the perfect demeanor and level of motivation — as the midwife stayed pretty quiet and strong, monitoring the whole scene from her seat at the end of my hospital bed.
I pushed for 90 minutes, and toward the end of that time, my midwife’s demeanor changed slightly, especially when she said that she would need to perform a mid-line episiotomy — a procedure that really isn’t very popular these days. (And yes, another intervention, which I didn’t expect or want to get.) She also had the nurse call for a NICU pediatrician, which I knew was not a good sign. She performed the episiotomy, and I continued to push on my own timeline, as I felt a contraction coming, I would bear down, then take a break — letting the team know when it was time to start again.
And for those of you who are all into birthing stories, my position in the bed was definitely not traditional, as my midwife allowed me to hold my own legs in the air in a feet-touching circular position — one that takes a lot of flexibility and mobility, so I’m glad I could do it. Had one of the other doctors in my practice been on rotation, there’s a good chance they would have wanted me in a more traditional laboring position.
Back to the pushing: All of a sudden, my midwife began telling me when to push instead of letting me guide the timing — a big switch in tone from before. And all the while, the doula and nurse kept giving me positive affirmations. They told me to give it my all (which is tough, because pushing is VERY physical, requiring a lot of endurance, breath and effort), and finally, they said I had one more push.
Baby Brady enters the world
At 12:35 a.m. Brady Oliver Pitt came into the world. My midwife immediately rolled him in a somersault position to unwind the umbilical cord, which had apparently become wrapped around his neck. They told me shortly thereafter that his heart-rate had dipped dangerously low toward the end of pushing, which is why she did the episiotomy and began hurrying along the pushing, in order to save him. Dave and I couldn’t believe all that had been taking place, because they didn’t tell us the seriousness of the situation in the moment and played it pretty calm to keep us focused.
After the cord was off his neck, my midwife placed him on my chest for a brief two minutes, then Dave cut the cord (a process he said was way less gross or scary than he had anticipated). However, Baby Brady was totally purple and he wasn’t making much noise, but when I held him in my arms, I just started bawling. It was surreal. He was then quickly whisked off by the visiting pediatrician and an additional nurse and they took him to the heated baby care station in the corner of the room (which my nurse had originally told me we wouldn’t need to worry about him going to, because it was only a place where babies who are in need end up … of course, ours ended up there). I asked the doctor from across the room if Brady was okay, and then we heard a cry. Thank goodness. He began to get some color back, and then they did a full check-up on him and said he was fine. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 3 ounces and was just as little as can be.
The fun wasn’t over though. During the time that he was getting checked out and examined, my midwife began the very long process of doing my stitches, and Dave and I looked at each other in complete shock, surprise and elation from what had just taken place the last 36 hours. Finally, tiny Brady was delivered back to my chest, where he remained for one full hour for us to love on him.
Finally, time to bond with baby Brady
I cried, I kissed him, and we just stared at this little baby, who we had been waiting to meet for so long. And strangely enough, while I was holding him, my body started convulsing in the biggest shivers I’ve ever felt. I’ve been told this is a somewhat normal occurrence after delivery due to the change in hormones, but it was so darn intense. My jaw was locked, and I could barely talk. I was absolutely CONVULSING! My doula told me not to fight the convulsions, but just accept them, but that was easier said than done. It began easing off after an hour and was just another strange thing that I had to endure over the course of the labor and delivery process.
While I’d like to say that the adventures ended there and we ran off into the sunset, it wasn’t quite done yet. Once I was repaired and cleaned up and we’d had about our time to bond with Brady, it was time to get moved to our new postpartum recovery room, where we would stay for a couple of days. Dave and the nurse packed up our things, and I was transferred to my wheelchair.
I had been feeling pretty light-headed after my convulsions session and was starting to feel really sickly (and had already had two low blood-sugar moments two other times during my long labor, which had to be addressed), probably because I hadn’t eaten any real food in 40 hours (and for a gal who never skips a meal, that is absolutely insane). As we were heading down the hallway, the nurse was pushing my wheelchair and assisting Dave with moving our things and leading him in the right direction –and some how — some way — I passed out. From what I’m told, my head went limp and I fell to the side of the chair. My nurse had been helping Dave in front of me and turned around just in time to catch me before I totally fell to the ground. I came to in the chair and had totally blacked out. I didn’t remember where I was or how I got there. And for someone who has never fainted before, this was ultimately scary. Thus, having become a fainting risk, the nurse said we had to go back to our original labor and delivery room to be monitored, because I was no longer recovered enough to be sent to the postpartum wing. Yup.
Once I was back in my original laboring hospital bed, I got my first full meal, and devoured a chicken salad croissant and some apple juice — a meal I will never forget — solely because of what it meant (funny enough, I had that same meal again the next day, as it was on the daily menu, and it’s shown below). It was the weirdest feeling to eat at this point, because I had gone past the hunger stage so many hours ago. I was able to slowly finish the meal and keep it down, and after a blood-sugar test, the nurse decided I was finally ready to head to postpartum. Funny enough, once Dave and I were delivered to our new room, I overheard our L&D nurse telling the new nurse about my fainting episode — so the new nurse was extra careful to watch over me. I was a risky patient. And that information was passed along to every nurse who helped us moving forward.
Moving to the postpartum recovery room
We were safely settled into the postpartum recovery room, where we would stay for three nights, by around 2:30 a.m. Brady was swaddled in his bassinet, Dave was laying on his fold-out chair/bed, and my nurse had fixed me up to be as comfortable as I could be, all things considered. That night, I probably slept a couple of hours total, and was a ball of happy, confused and shocked feelings due to the happenings of the last couple of days.
The rest of our stay at the hospital went about as good as expected. We slept for a couple hours at a time, we hugged and snuggled with Brady. I started to learn the nursing process and met with a few lactation specialists to help us along. Also, Brady’s pediatrician came to check in on him a few times too. We watched a lot of TV, and we stared at Brady’s little face a whole lot. And we loved every single nurse who tended to us throughout the four nights total.
Even though we were technically allowed to check out of the hospital on Sunday night, a full 36 hours after his birth, we elected to stay until Monday morning, because it was an option to us. We used that extra time to ask as many questions as possible to the nurses and doctors and get our feeding, swaddling and diaper skills up to snuff.
Saying goodbye to the hospital after four nights
Finally, on Monday, October 2 around 1:30 p.m., we were discharged and left the hospital and headed home to begin our life as a family of four (adding Rudy the pup into the equation, obviously).
As I slowly walked into our home on Monday afternoon, I was overcome with a huge rush of emotions and started sobbing as I picked up Rudy (he had been over a friends’ house while we were in the hospital, and they delivered him to our house shortly before we were done). I was literally bawling my eyes out because of the significance of the past few days and the fact that I knew Rudy’s life was about to change as Dave entered the house with Brady still in his infant seat.
It was really just a rush of emotions, which needed to get out. And from there, I was much better. Then, we spent the rest of the day getting used to having little Brady at home. I had a lot recovering to do, so I found a comfortable spot on the couch to post up and rest, rest, rest.
And while I’ve got a ton left to say and report on the first week of Brady’s life with us at home, we’ll end this story birth right here, right now. What an experience!
I have to remind you all that I’m SO grateful for this birth story. For the ability to give birth. I mean, I wanted to get pregnant for so very long, and I had a very easy and fit pregnancy, so I guess I can’t complain that it finished up with a slightly unexpected ending — it’s only fair, right?
The whole four-day event is almost a blur to me now, and if I knew that I’d end up with this little angel, I’d do it all over again — pain, discomfort, decisions and all. In the end, all that really matters is that Brady is healthy and I am healthy, and both of those were accomplished. And now, we’re parents to the most amazing and adorable little boy in the entire world.
And that, my friends, is baby Brady Oliver Pitt’s birth story.
Thank you so much for reading and having an interest in our journey. And truly, our journey as parents is now just beginning. I’ll be back on the blog very soon (with some content unrelated to babies and pregnancy and child-birth soon, I promise), but if you want to see more baby pictures and keep in touch with our little family until then, be sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
Be well!
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Ashley,
Thank you for posting your Baby Brady birth story. I’m a grandmother to two beautiful girls (6 and 2 year olds). I loved reading both posts! Your second post brought tears to my eyes. I am very glad that Brady is doing well. He is so beautiful! Looking forward to many more stories about your family of 4!
Hi Linda! Ohhh wow — thank you so much for reading! And that’s awesome you have two little granddaughters! I’m sure you can think back to their mother’s experience, and I hope it was better for her than it was for me hehe! But if not, at least she got her healthy babies in the end. Have a great day, Linda. ?
Oh my gosh, Ashley. Wow. You had to go through so much. I am so sorry for all you dealt with but little Brady is the cutest!!! I hope everything is going well at home.
Hi Heather! It was totally worth it, and we are settling in just fine at home. More to come on that soon. Have a great day, lady!
HOLY.
CRIPES.
Lady, you are amazing. Mr. Brady, you are lucky to have such a persistent and determined mommy!
Just wow. This is simply incredible, and I hope you know what a friggin rockstar you are. I know that Brady is “enough,” but GIRL. You deserve a medal.
Also, super interesting about the chair during the epidural because partners tend to pass out–a nice touch and prevention!
SO MUCH RESPECT.
Hi Susie! Well if your partner is a doctor and used to this kind of thing, he probably isn’t at risk of passing out like all the others hahah! You have a unique situation with a man who knows the biz hahah! And yes, we are going okay now, so in the end, it was all worth it! Have a great day, lady!
Wow! That’s amazing that you were still able to push through all that and do a natural childbirth. Way to stick to your gut.
He’s so precious! So many blessings. Congratulations.
Hi Julie! It was a crazy experience for sure, and I know it never goes as planned. We walked away healthy and that’s all we can ask for. Thank you for reading, my friend!
Wow, Ashley. You are incredible. Brady is your perfect miracle and he has the strongest Mommy ever.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I’m so happy the scariness is behind you and you are in full fledged HAPPY mode.
Xoxo. Love.
Thank you, Courtney! It was quite the experience, and I had no doubt I would share the whole thing on the blog. I’m in love with him, so it’s already all a blur ehhehe! Have a great day, my friend!
I bet the blur is real!
I wanna meet him! He looks so squishy and cute! If you ever need a Rudy-walker/meal prepper/vacuum expert/closet organizer/visiting friend, I’m your girl!
OMG! I would LOVE that!
Me too 🙂
What a beautiful birth story! I don’t have kids but I feel like you encountered so many different (for lack of a better word) circumstances throughout your labor and delivery and from the sounds of it, you handled them with grace and determination. I truly admire your outlook, both during the process and as you reflect back. Brady is completely adorable and I hope that you are recovering well and settling into life as a mommy!
Hi Ashley! Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. It was quite the experience — which I guess I knew it would be — and I’m glad it’s over and I have my healthy baby. Thank you SO much for reading, my friend!
Oh my goodness Ashley, this made me cry. Thank you for sharing so openly and honestly. It’s inspiring and brave that you stayed committed to a vaginal birth and I’m so glad that you were ultimately able to do it. Sending so many prayers and so much love to your family. <3
Hi Jen! Thank YOU for reading about my journey. It wasn’t easy, but totally worth it in the end, of course. We accept and appreciate your prayers hehee! Have a great day, lady!
Your birth story is crazy and wonderful. It’s amazing how you kept trusting your gut and didn’t let any doctors persuade into doing something you weren’t fully comfortable with. So happy everyone is safe and healthy. Brady is such a cute baby!
Hi Maureen, thank you! You’ve always got to go with your gut, and I know that doing that helped me to make the right decisions. Thank you so much for reading, my friend!
Wow! That is a beautiful birth story! Scariness and all! I was tearing up as I read it! It brought back so many memories of when I had my first! He was a preemie and spent two weeks in the NICU- not at all what I had planned! I am glad you are all home and doing well! Brady is so stinking cute! Congratulations!
Hi Brandy! Oh no! I’m sorry to hear he was early, which is super scary. But of course, things never go as planned. Thank you for reading, lady!
Wow, Ashley! You GO girl. I had no idea you went through all of it and it’s awesome that you are sharing everything with us. Feels like we were right there with ya! Brady is one lucky boy to have you as his Momma!
Hi Carrie! Well, you can’t be a blogger if you’re not into TMI hehehe, so I felt the need to get it out there. Thank you for reading, my friend!!
What a beautiful story, thank you for sharing, I was tearing up the whole time. You’re so strong and amazing and your baby boy is perfect! 🙂
XOXO
Hi Jamie! I bet your emotions are running HIGH right now! Mine were and well … still are! Congrats again to you, lady! 🙂 Thank you for reading my story!
Brady is so beautiful and beyond lucky to have such a loving and determined mom. You really stayed true to yourself and followed your gut, and that is amazing! I can’t imagine the pressure you were under, you knew what was best for you and Brady – and you did it! You go mamma!!
I hope you are recovering well, sending healing thoughts your way and I hope Rudy is adjusting to being a big brother!
Hi Jessie! I think all mommas have to go through a lot at some point in their pregnancy and labor/delivery — it’s not easy. And all that matters is I have my healthy little boy now. Thank you SO much for reading! Big brother is adjusting … but not quite there yet hahah! 🙂
Wow, what a beautiful story!! <3 He is so lucky to have such a strong mother! Those pitocin contractions are intense, huh?! That was the hardest part of my labor with my first for sure. Ouch!!! And what a whirlwind 4 days. I'm so glad everyone is safe and happy at home now!! Congrats again!! xoxo
Hi Annette! Those pitocin contractions were NOT something I wanted to feel — but of course, it’s all over now. It was totally an adventure, and I’m SO happy to have him here with me now. Can’t believe you are going to do it for a third time! heheh!!! Rockstar!! 🙂
So happy for you!! I enjoyed reading your birth story.
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for reading!!
Thank you for posting your birth story! I have been following you on Insta for a while (girlandthegoatcheese), but never made my way over to the blog until this posting. I am currently 4 and a half months pregnant and really devouring birth stories. People ask me why I would want to ‘scare’ myself, but I look at it more like preparation for being fully informed on what COULD happen. Also, all the stories I allow myself to read end with a healthy baby and mama, so even through the ‘scary’ ones, just knowing so many people get through it is incredibly helpful. As someone who is also really hoping to go without many interventions, it was good to hear what happened for you and how to just accept it as part of the process and keep pushing forward. Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Thanks so much for coming over to the blog! And I didn’t read many birth stories at all, and just blindly assumed that things would go a bit better than they did. But the good news is that we make it out alive and are totally so happy with our little ones, that the memory of the tough stuff fades. Congrats on your pregnancy! I hope you are staying hydrated and moving around a bit — super helpful for feeling good. Take care, lady! Have a fab day!
Holly cow! I can’t believe you didn’t eat for that long. Seriously, I would have been screaming about that. You are amazing and so thankful you are all healthy and happy!
I don’t do well without food, but because of everything else going on, I didn’t focus on it as much as expected. Anyways, it’s all good now!! Thanks for reading, Megan!
Congrats mama! Loved hearing your story.. it reminds me so much of mine. I ended up with so many interventions I had wanted to avoid, also because of a drop in my baby’s heart rate and oxygen 🙁 I ended up with the c-section since I never made it past 4cm and it got too risky with my water already broken. It’s funny, though, in the end all you care about is that you have a healthy happy baby 🙂 Very happy for you guys!!
Hi Tori! Your story is quite common too! And you know what — maybe it’s not ideal, but it happened and you have your little miracle. I’m glad you have a healthy baby! All mommas are tough! I know that for sure. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your beautiful story! Brady is precious. And the pain IS real. You are tough! I remember my first thought when labor was over was “oh my god I can’t believe I did it!” Your story brought back so many things I had forgotten already from labor just 9 months ago! I’m sure you’ll be glad for writing all the details down later. I think forgetting some of it can be blessing though – at least for me, since I missed out on the epidural I had definitely wanted ? Congrats again!
Hi Delia! I mean, mommas have to go through SO much — with pregnancy and then delivery too. You are a champ! And it’s easy to let those memories fade a little — much like the feeling of running a marathon heeh. It totally sucks, but afterward, you forget some of the pain because the accomplishment was so good. Glad you and baby are doing well 9 months later!
Wow what a whirlwind of emotions you went through. But so happy to hear you are both healthy and hope you’re adjusting well at home. Been loving seeing Brady on Instagram, he’s so adorable!
Thank you, Patricia! I’m obsessed with him. It’s hard not to post every single photo … hehehe! And thanks for reading, lady! It was an adventure — being a mom is not easy, but so worth it!
Wow, what an experience!!! Good job momma, he is beautiful!
Hi Emily! Thank you so much! It was totally a tough experience, but worth every second now that he is here. As any Momma would say about their own birth, I’m sure. 🙂
Thank you for writing this, Ashley. I stopped blogging a year ago before my son was born in March but I’ve followed your blog with interest, seeing how you’ve gone through each step of pregnancy as I did so recently! I wanted to tell you that I had a very similar birth experience to you and can relate to your story. I did go into labor on my own at 39 weeks, but it was slow. I was in labor for 62 hours before he was born… we went to the hospital after 24 hours and they sent me home to progress with our doula, then we returned at the 48 hour mark because my water broke on its own and I was Group B positive and still only 2cm. I ended up with almost every intervention you did in the same order except the episiotomy (which my midwife thought she might do) and Zander, my son, was also born with the cord around his neck and not breathing. Sadly for us, he recovered as fast as Brady, but our small baby friendly hospital (chosen for its natural birth friendliness) did not have a NICU or tools to monitor him and he was transferred to the big medical center ten minutes away to be monitored. I had to wait 12 hours before they discharged me and I could be reunited with my little boy, and we slept on chairs in the NICU for a week until they let him go home (they always find something new to monitor when you think you’re in the clear…) Take heart that you got to be together and take pride in your experience and your ability to share; it’s so important!
Oh my gosh, Alyssa! That is SO terrible that they had to take him away — but I’m glad he is okay now. I definitely take for granted that we had a really nice and well-equipped hospital — because not everyone can be that fortunate. Labor is SO tough, and yours was even longer than mine — but at least you guys have your happy baby now. Hope you are doing well, lady! Long time no talk heheh!
I loved reading your birth story! It is so beautiful and well written. I also had to be induced after what I thought would be a normal doctor’s appointment and it is such a surreal feeling. My son’s heart rate kept dropping too, there is nothing scarier. I’m so glad that little Brady was okay! P.s. you look so gorgeous in the photos after his birth, I am amazed after such a long labor!
Hi Christina! Oh my … how scary is it to hear the doctors tell you that the baby’s heart-beat is not good and they need to act quickly? I’m sorry you had to go through that — but of course, you’ve got your healthy little one now. Thank you for reading, lady! 🙂
So happy for you! When I read birth story part one, even though I knew everything was okay I was so freaked out for you! So glad to hear that everything ended up okay and you got the natural birth you wanted! My prayers and thoughts are with you as you adjust to life with a newborn, but you already know how to the best Momma going with your gut from day one! Congrats!!!!!!
Thank you so much, Kelli! It was totally all worth it. And we are learning how to be parents to a newborn every day. An adventure, and I love it! I really appreciate you reading the story. 🙂
Reading your birth stories brought back so many memories. My son’s birth was very similar to yours. I was induced at 36 weeks after a routine doctor’s appointment. I know those intense contractions while on Pitocin! Long story short but there was also a fainting episode and I burst into tears when I came home and saw my dog! So glad all ended happily and you have a beautiful baby boy to love! Thanks for sharing your story. I look forward to hearing more about life with Brady!
Hi Maya! I bet you forgot so many of the tough parts! I’m already thinking of the whole deal as not as bad as it really was hehehe. I’m sorry you had to go through those pitocin contractions — I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! And I mean, you’re a dog momma too! Love it! Hope all is well with your little now!! 🙂
Wow! Your birth story gave me chills and made me cry….which usually does not happen to me reading/hearing birth stories! You so eloquently described everything and you taught me a few things about giving birth and procedures. I am not a mother yet, I hope one day. I am a single, 28 year old with PCOS and I was starting to think maybe I didn’t want kids (or perhaps will not be able to have kids) but this story was the biggest reality check and convinced me of what I knew all along, I do want kids. I also loved how you include your dog in everything. I am a firm believer that dogs and all pets are part of the family and their feelings and comfort are very important. I’m sure Rudy and Brady will form the best friendship.
Wishing you all the best. I hope you have a speedy recovery and soak up every second with your family of four!
Hi Karina, wow — thank you for reading the story and for this thoughtful comment. I’m sorry you are dealing with PCOS. Have you read the book Woman Code? It’s a great resource for dealing with PCOS and other hormonal issues. And I hope you get to have kids one day too. It’s pretty amazing and worth the effort to get pregnant and then deliver. And about our pets? AMEN! My little Rudy has been there for me through SO much, I knew that I wanted him to stay an important part of the family when the baby arrived. Hope you have a great day, lady. And thanks again for this!
Thank you for your reply, it means a lot. I have not read Woman Code, adding it to my list now, thanks!
A must read, for sure!
Ashley, I just finished reading both posts and wow, what a story! I was so anxious reading the parts when they were suggesting you get a C-section but you held out. Ugh, I can’t even begin to imagine how stressful that was and with no food for that long! I would have lost my mind, lol. You definitely made the right decision, mama. I’m so happy both you and Brady made it through healthy. Enjoy every second snuggling with that perfect little boy!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for reading the stories! It was quite the adventure, and I’ve already forgotten some of the tough stuff. But it was all worth it. I know that nobody has an easy birth story, but we all get through it somehow! Hope you are well, lady! 🙂
Though our birth stories are totally different there are some similarities as well. I had planned on an unmedicated birth center with all that that entails. I went into labor on Friday night and after having contractions throughout every day and night with no sleep I finally decided to transfer to the hospital on Monday afternoon. I had never wanted an epidural but I was more than ready to feel relief and just SLEEP. Baby girl was finally born Tuesday at 2 am. I was so happy that I was able to push her out vaginally but interventions (IV, epidural, pitocin) definitely ended up playing a huge part that I never wanted. IV’s are truly the worst (I think!) I actually chose to turn my epidural down so I could move my legs and feel her come out. It took 2 hours of waiting at 10 cm before I felt pain again — haha. Anyway, sometimes I feel like my birth story is just too exhausting to really share the details with people. It just spans so much time (75 hours!).
I truly learned that birth is it’s own force and definitely not one that we can control which is a good lesson for becoming a parent. 😉 I’m so happy for you that you were also able to have a vaginal birth since that’s what you planned for as well. It really is scary making so many decisions in a hospital setting when you hadn’t planned on the unexpected. So sorry you fainted too! That is so scary! Baby Brady is adorable and I’ve enjoyed following along with you since our babes are only about 10 days apart. 🙂
Hi Kelli, It’s so cool our babies are so close in age. And I’m so sorry to hear that you had a long and rough labor as well. It seems like we all have the best of intentions, but all we can do is hope for a healthy baby. Thank you for sharing with me and for reading, lady! 🙂 I hope newborn life is going well!
I know this is old but I just felt the need to comment GOOD FOR YOU for advocating for yourself and going with your gut. It really sounds like the dr was pressuring you into getting a c section and you really stood your ground.
Hi Andrea! ohhhh wow — thanks so much for reading this — childbirth is no joke!! 🙂