I have two kids. A four year old and a two year old. Their birth stories are very different. Extremely different. One was Au Natural, although not by choice, and the other was epidural friendly. I want to share them both because I know expectant Moms love a good birth story. It’s like a battle scar that Moms have, that they want to lift up their shirt, show the stretch marks, and say, “See? I’m amazing!” Because we are. Having a baby isn’t easy, no matter what your birth story is. But, we all know it is worth it.
My first baby, I was like any other Mom. I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to listen to anyone’s and everyone’s experiences. I tried to imagine what my birth would be like. I made a birthing plan. But, I didn’t go to classes. I thought that I was “built to have babies” as my Mother would say, and it would be no problem for me. It’s a good thing I had that mentality going in because my birth plan quickly got thrown out the window, and the birth of my firstborn was not how I had imagined.
I was 4 days out from my due date, in the middle of a hot summer in Philadelphia, waddling like any 9 month pregnant woman does, and I was at the mall with my Mom and sister. I had a few little contractions here and there that were not that painful, but I still wasn’t worried. Until I felt something wet. Yep, my water broke at the mall. At least it wasn’t like you see in the movies with my legs spread and a giant puddle on the floor. It was much more discreet. We ran to the bathroom, and sure enough, I was pretty soaked, and needed to run home. We were 20 minutes away. I didn’t have my doc’s number on me. My husband wasn’t with me. But, I was excited. I thought, “Great, my water broke, that’s my ticket in. I’m going to the hospital. WOO HOO!”
When we got home, I called the doc. She told me that I didn’t sound like I was in any pain, and to hang out at home. I was having contractions, but they didn’t seem to hurt that bad. I was working through them fine. So, I was disappointed, and sat down to eat dinner. Then we called again an hour later. Contractions were still sporadic, anywhere from 7-10 minutes apart. When I called, she told me that I still didn’t sound like I was in enough pain, and to hold on. I held on until 11pm, when I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep a wink, and I wanted to go to the hospital. The contractions were coming on stronger now. I was officially in pain.
Check here for part two of my story.
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