Brooks' Birth Story

Well... I am back! It has been almost a year that I have sat down to write a blog post. I miss writing but just can not find the time anymore. I was inspired yesterday by a friend who wrote the birth story of her little girl. I have been wanting to get this down but reliving it in my head has just been too painful! I solely am writing this for the memory for me to share with my children one day and for other women who enjoy reading birth stories. When I was preparing for Brooks arrival it helped me a lot to read other women's journies of pregnancy and birth. I was 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant & we were totally convinced Brooks would not come on his own. I was 5-6 cm dilated, had my membranes stripped, and fully effaced. You see...Brooks was doing the same thing my little Copelyn did; he did not want to engage at all. We made the decision that on November 20 my doctor would break my water and we would go from there. Well little Brooks had a different plan. On November 18th I got up and ate at Waffle house with Scott & Copelyn. Then I came home and laid on the couch with Copelyn until about 4. My friend Kristina and I met for a run around 4:30 and this is when it all started! We ran 3 miles and during the run I had 3 different contractions. I did not think anything of it because I had been having contractions for 2 weeks now! I complained the whole run (sorry Kristina!) because I just wanted to be in labor and have the most natural experience as possible. I had been on my knees for 9 months praying for this! I came home and ate dinner thanks to my sweet friend Jodi! She made us delicious, spicy enchiladas and I attribute this to throwing me into labor! I went upstairs & got in the shower. My contractions were immediately 5 minutes a part but they weren't painful. I could talk and walk. I got dressed, did my hair & make-up (because by golly I wasn't meeting Brooks looking ugly!) and came downstairs. At this point it was 7pm & my contractions were 2 minutes a part & my doctor & Scott were ready for me to go the hospital. Of course, I didn't listen. I had this fear that I was going to get there and I would have not progressed anymore. So for another hour Copelyn and I walked laps around the house over and over again! Scott was losing patience with my stubbornness & finally said "Lauren we are going to the hospital!" Take into account we still had Copelyn at this point and still needed to get her to Mrs Debbie. I told Scott I wasn't leaving the house! I could still walk and talk even though my contractions were two minutes a part!!! Finally, after much convincing & a little argument (which included me crying & telling Scott he wasn't going to see Brooks born haha!) I got in the car! It was 8:30 pm at this point. We called Mrs. Debbie with pretty much no warning (I was in denial that I was in labor). Poor Mrs. Debbie was in the middle of coloring her hair and had to jump in the shower to wash it off! Oops sorry about that Mrs. Debbie! We got to the hospital at 9pm and Scott dropped me off at the door while he waited in the car with Copelyn until Mrs. Debbie got there. They got me all checked in and got me to my room. It just happened to be a full moon and the busiest night they had had in a while in L & D. I had a lot of anxiety because Brooks picked the one night my doctor/friend could not come in and deliver me so I was going to have to do it without her! That alone made me so fearful! Thankfully she text me throughout the night to check on me because she is absolutely the best and got me a great nurse who totally supported me with a natural childbirth! I could not have done it without her! When they checked me I was 7cm!!! That totally excited me and I could wrap my mind around that I only had 3 more cm to go! I did not want to be hooked up to an IV and I wanted to walk around. My nurse had so many cool ideas to help me throughout the night! They let me walk from 9-10:30pm! My mother in law & sister in law got there around 10 & they were such a big help! At 10:30 they checked me again and I was at 8 cm. Up until this point the pain was totally bearable. I was even doing squats and smiling away! I had my breathing down and was listening to my worship music. But whewy that transition phase is no joke! I apologize to anyone who was having a baby that night because apparantly I could be heard through the double doors! When I hit 9 cm the pain got intense and I couldn't get comfortable. The most comfortable position was on the floor on my knees or on the birthing ball. My team (My nurse, Scott, Denise, and Nikki) were amazing! They rubbed my back, talked me through it & helped me so much. At one point I begged for the epidural & my nurse said "I am not trying to be mean honey but you are too late for that!" haha! I'll spare you some details! As the doctor was walking in my water broke all over the floor. Talk about a mess! It just kept on coming! They finally needed me on the bed to deliver this baby! This was hard and painful for me because I did not feel comfortable on the bed! I can see why most women want to squat. Pushing was the best part for me! The contractions were the worst part for me! I pushed for about 13 minutes and he was here! Born at 12:13 am on November 19. I did not cry like I thought I would. He was so beautiful but all I could think was I just did that WITHOUT any drugs! Give me a hamburger!!! I am not against doing birth with an epidural because I had one that was not very effective with Copelyn & I cannot honestly say that I would do it natural again right now at this moment. But I can say I did it & survived! My recovery was so much more easier doing it this way! I loved that as soon as he was born I could get up and walk around. I felt more awake and the adrenaline rush you get is great! I did not get that amazing feeling though that some women describe after delivering natural! I totally think natural birth is amazing! This is just my story though! And I hope someone can use it to help them!