The Day Our Lives Changed Forever

Hey everyone!

Hope you all are doing well! Sorry I have been a little M.I.A we were in Seattle visiting family and celebrating 500 Days of Summer, Summer's 500th Day birthday! It was amazing and I'm so grateful for all the new experiences she got to have in the PNW. I've been meaning to write this blog post for some time in the hopes that it may one day help someone expecting feel a little less anxious (also I would like to have this written down for my own personal record before I forget). So here we go!

First off, every labor and delivery is different just like every baby is different. My experience was great but I know a lot of people are not so lucky. I was so nervous about giving birth, I didn't want to read or watch any videos about giving birth for fear of psyching myself out. My husband and I took a birthing class at the hospital I delivered at to prepare for breathing techniques and what to expect at our hospital but that was about the extent of my knowledge of labor & delivery.

My type A personality would normally research the sh**t out of a medical procedure like this but something told me not to, and for me that worked. I was pretty relaxed during the whole experience and I just took things slowly and as they came.

Two days past my due date, I went into early labor at home and was able to stay at home until my contractions were 5 mins apart lasting 1 min. At which point, we got in the car and drove to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 10:30-11pm. I walked into the hospital and checked in with my husband. Check in was easy because I was pre-registered, which I highly recommend! I changed into a gown in my triage room, they took my vitals, hooked me up to a monitor & checked my cervix and sure enough I was about 4-5cm dilated. They started an IV, I gave them my birth plan and they asked if I wanted to get an epidural. At this point, I still wasn't sure. I explained that I wanted to keep things as natural as possible see how things go. I asked when I would need to make the decision. They said I still had some time but labor can be unpredictable and once I got to 7cm dilated I would need to make a decision so they would have enough time to call the anesthesiologist and they could get there in time. They explained that if I got past a certain point, I wouldn't be able to get it.

After a short while I was moved to a labor room which I got up and walked to down the hall. It was a huge corner suite which my husband and I had all to ourselves. We got settled, I met the labor nurse who immediately made me feel more relaxed. I explained to her that I wanted to be able to get up and walk around as much as possible and just see how things go as far as the epidural went. She was very understanding and did an amazing job letting me have my freedom to get up and walk as well as checking on me & the baby. My husband and I talked, walked the hallways every so often, played UNO, watched movies, and listened to music. It was honestly one of the best memories I have before Summer was born, we got a chance to hang out and reconnect which honestly was really hard leading up to that point with all the baby prep, house work and wrapping up work obligations for maternity leave. Time flew by.

Around 3 or 4am I had to make the decision to whether or not I wanted to get an epidural. I was scared but I was even more scared not to. Pretty much every mom I had talked to up until that point was pro epidural. The contractions weren't unbearable like they make them seem in the movies but I was more scared of the pain of pushing and tearing. Somewhat reluctantly I asked for an epidural. Getting the epidural was not bad at all, also unlike the movies. I only felt a slight cold sensation on the skin of my back and they talked me through everything and told me to not move. I was more afraid of moving or messing anything up than anything else. Once in place, I couldn't get out of bed which is the thing I was dreading the most but it wasn't bad at all. The only uncomfortable thing while lying in bed was all the fluids they kept giving me through the IV. The fluids made me extremely cold to the point where I felt like I was shivering and shaking like crazy. Luckily I brought my own cozy blanket to cuddle with and the nurse was kind enough to bring me more warm blankets from the dryer. They said it was normal and caused by the extra fluids they were giving me. As soon as I got the epidural, labor slowed down significantly and eventually they decided to give me pitocin to stimulate labor. The nurse suggested my husband and I try to get some sleep. As I we both finally fell asleep, I started waking up every so often because I could feel a bulging sensation between my legs. It wasn't painful and its hard to explain but it basically felt like a water balloon between by legs that was about to pop. The nurse would come in every so often to check on me and see if my water had broken. At 7am the nurse had a shift change. I was sad for her to leave since we had gotten so comfortable with her. I was nervous to have to meet a new nurse but my new nurse ending up being super sweet as well.

Around 8:15am I woke up because I felt something that I can only describe as what felt like a water balloon pop. I called up to my husband and said, "Babe, I think my water just broke." He jumped out of bed, checked on me, went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. I paged the nurse, she checked me and said that indeed my water had just broken and it was time to get ready to push. My husband came back out of the bathroom. The nurse called the doctor (which to my relief had been my favorite OB instead of the one who was just on call-whom I had never met!). The doctor came in, we said "hi", and the nurse told her how excited I was it was her, she went to go check on a patient upstairs, the nurse prepped me, the doctor came back and the rest is history! I pushed under 30mins but it honestly felt like much less. I wasn't in any pain but I could feel pressure and I knew exactly when to push because I could feel the faint pressure of the contractions. It's such a crazy sensation to describe but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. I was able to hang out and walk around with my husband and get the baby in the right position for labor but still be aware and pain free when I delivered and was able to hold my sweet baby. It was perfect! I could not have asked for a better labor & delivery. I truly feel blessed.

Meeting Summer for the first time was SO surreal. I didn't have time to be emotional. My husband & I could not believe we were holding her, how tiny and precious she was, and how smooth everything went. It sounds silly but up until that point neither of us had seen or held a newborn in years! My husband said he hadn't been around a newborn since his nephews were born which was more than 15 years before and even then he couldn't remember since he was only a kid himself. I hadn't seen a baby younger than the 3 month old I nannied in college for a short while. Needless to say we were in awe of this new life we created together and couldn't believe we were getting to hold and meet her. I think we were both prepared for a lot worse labor & delivery. I remember my husband and I settling into the recovery room and asking him, "Is it really over? That's it?! I can't believe I just did that!" And him saying to me, "Yeah, you did amazing! Are you ready for another?" We both laughed in awe of the whole experience and the tiny life we created together. The time in the hospital after delivery was pure bliss I couldn't have loved my husband and my new baby more. It was perfect and I am forever grateful for those memories that we got to have privately as a family of three. Both my husband & I's families do not live in Arizona by so we decided to have everyone wait to visit until 2 weeks after she was born which I am so glad I did. We will never get that time back.

Summer was perfect in every way and I feel so blessed that we had the labor & delivery experience that we did. She has been a blessing to our family and I am forever grateful that I was chosen to be her mommy. We have wayyy too much fun and I love every day that I get to spend with her. She's my mini me and my forever best friend! Motherhood is a grind but seeing her little personality develop has been my life's greatest joy. Both my husband & I always say we fall more and more in love with her everyday.

Comment down below and share your labor & delivery experiences. I would love to hear how you felt when you first met your little one! Also when did you know you were ready for another baby? Follow me on Instagram for more pictures, stories & adventures of our little family @BabysInTheKitch!

 xx