Abigail's Birth Story

We are so happy to have Abigail in our family. Here is her birth story.

After about 38 weeks, I was getting really antsy to get her here. I was still working, very tired, and she had dropped so low in my pelvis that it was really difficult to walk.

Once I hit my 40-week appointment, I talked to the doctor about inductions. He said that Utah Valley, where I had decided to have my delivery, does not allow inductions before 41 weeks if it's your first baby. So, we decided that if she didn't come in that week, she would be evicted on March 4. I had an appointment scheduled for March 3 just in case she didn't come before then. When the doctor checked my cervix, I was 100% effaced but just under a centimeter dilated.

I decided that my last day of work was going to be March 2. At midnight that night, I started getting contractions. This time I knew they were real, because they hurt much more acutely than the braxton hicks contractions and I could feel them in my back. I started timing them, and they were every 15 minutes. On Wednesday, March 3, I tried moving around and doing things to induce labor. I even drove into Provo and had lunch with friends. But, the contractions were still 15 minutes apart. When Daniel and I went to my appointment, the doctor said I hadn't progressed any further. He gave me a shot of morphine that was supposed to either let me sleep or jump-start labor into progressing. If it didn't induce labor, I was supposed to wait for the hospital to call me in the morning so we could do an induction.

I was able to sleep until about 1 am, then I was up for most of the night, just feeling anxious. I took a shower, and then got a call at 5:30 am that they were ready for me.

Once they started the pitocin, it took about 3 contractions for me to ask for the epidural. I was about a centimeter and a half at this point. But, pitocin makes the contractions almost unbearable. Once I got my epidural, I was feeling pretty good. I could feel the pressure of the contractions, but they weren't painful. After almost 5 hours, I was at 3 centimeters. At this point I started to feel a little discouraged, because it had been so long and I felt like it wasn't getting anywhere. The doctor had already been in and broken my water.

Then I started to feel the contractions in my back and pubic bone. They were so intense I could hardly talk. One of the nurses gave me a shot to try to relieve the pain until the anesthesiologist could come. When he came, I was still at a 3. He was hesitant to up my epidural dose because it would make me completely numb. He said, "You know, most women don't get an epidural at 3 cm." After he left, the nurse told me that I needed to stand up for myself, and that if I wanted a higher dose, I could get it. So, I did. After that, I was able to relax. Within the hour I had dilated to an 8. An hour later I was at 9.5. Then, 45 minutes later I was finally at a 10. (I might be fuzzy on the timeline, I don't remember a lot from that point on). Then they let me rest and descend while we waited for the doctor.

Once the doctor got there I started pushing. It took about and hour and 45 minutes to get her out. I remember at about 5 pm thinking, "I can do this until 7, and then I just can't do it anymore." My epidural had worn off partially and I was feeling the intense contractions again. But, at 6:59, she came out. The first thing I said when she came out was, "Oh my gosh, she's huge!" I was expecting a much smaller baby. The next thing I noticed was that she had her eyes wide open. And they were gorgeous. They were huge and a dark blue. The nurses commented on them too.

Daniel was able to cut the cord, and then they took her to get weighed, measured, and cleaned up. After I got stitched and cleaned up, they brought her to me. She was crying and for a moment I thought, "Oh boy, now what do I do?" But, she looked beautiful.





She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 inches long. She figured out breastfeeding pretty quickly and did well in the hospital.

Overall, our hospital experience was a good one. There were a few nurses that were a little weird. For instance, one of the PCT's wanted me to supplement with formula the night after she was born because she wouldn't wake up to eat, even though it had only been 4 hours or so.

I would say that the hardest part about childbirth has been the recovery. I have been so sore. I am allergic to ibuprofen and motrin, which are anti-inflammatory medications. So, it's just been ice packs and percocet for me. I think once I'm able to walk and move around freely, things will be better.

But, everything was worth it. Abigail is an angel.