The Birth Story…

As I sit and research ideas for a friend’s baby shower, I think to myself, “I haven’t shared my birth story and I think I want today.”  So here goes…

Pre- Birth Story:

My husband and I had just celebrated six years of marriage.  (December 27) We jokingly would chat about becoming parents maybe the following year.  In January, I realized something didn’t visit me and out of curiosity I decided to take a pregnancy test.  To my surprise it came back positive.  Maybe a week later, on a Sunday morning before getting ready for church, I woke up before Heredes, went downstairs and took another test.  Positive again! I walked upstairs, laid back down, snuggled next to him and asked, “Can you tell me what this says?”  He looked at the stick and then back to me and with smiles and shock we hugged and thanked the Lord for this new page in the story of our lives. Random note.. I took 5 tests just to make sure. Ha! To not make this section any longer check out how we announced the news to friends and family… http://youtu.be/AykOVFe183o … (we did something different for our folks and siblings… maybe that will be for another post)

Sunday, October 2, 2011:

Pregnancy was great!  Besides the horrible back pain I have to say I loved being pregnant.  My due date was October 20 but our little man decided to come a bit earlier.  On October 2, I woke up around 7 am and felt my boxers were a little damp.  I stepped into the shower and before stepping into the water, liquid was trickling down my leg.  I told Heredes, “I think my water broke or is breaking.”  Right away I texted my friend who was going to join us in the delivery room.  She told me to monitor it.  I had no contractions.  I ended up getting ready, went to church and served for three services all the while still trickling water.  Later, I went home and wrote my birth plan, packed and relaxed.  When Heredes came home, he packed a few more things and then we drove to Walmart to buy snacks and last minute items.  

Monday, October 3, 2011:

At around 3 am I began to feel some tightening/minor contractions but nothing that wouldn’t let me sleep.  I slept in as much as possible and when I woke up we got ready and around 1 pm we went to Panera Bread for lunch and at this point when a contraction would come I would have to focus and not speak.  After lunch we headed to Target because I needed pj’s.  Yea, at this point it’s okay if you think I’m crazy.  Mind you not many people new that my water had, well, kinda broken.  

By 7-7:30 pm friends from church dropped off dinner, but by this time the contractions were coming a bit stronger and honestly I didn’t want to eat anything.  I felt in my heart that it was time to go to the hospital.  We called my mom (who was not to happy to hear that I was still at home) and we let her know that we were heading over and they could come as soon as they could be there.  We arrived at the hospital at 8:30 pm and the nurse was checking me in, asking me questions.  She mentioned, “you know, you waited really long knowing your water was broken.”  Yes, I knew and I knew Levi and I would be fine.  When they checked me I was 5 cm dilated - I was hoping for 7.  From this point on this journey became a long and pretty painful one.  

They took us to our room.  It was Heredes, Sara and myself and then my mom and sister arrived.  The next three hours were rough.  Yea, it was pretty rough.  When the nurse came in to check on me I had only progressed one cm.  I reached for Heredes’ arm and said, “I can’t do this.  I need the epidural.”  I am so grateful for my coach. He totally didn’t let me get it. He honored my request- if I ask for it, don’t let me get it.  I knew at some point I would be vulnerable.  

Tuesday, October 4, 2011:

The nurse then turned me to my side to see if I would progress a bit quicker and those next few hours everything Heredes and I learned at our Bradley class felt like it was being put to practice.  I promise if Heredes wouldn’t have been by my side I would not have been able to follow through with the natural birth we had decided we wanted.  Just so you know I tried a medicine ball, some bar thing, I needed to go the restroom, but because the whole situation with the water breaking I had to be on the fetal monitor and antibiotics, I went number 1 on the floor.  I told the nurse, “sorry, but I just peed on the floor… who in the world can make it to the bathroom on time with all this wiring junk.” Yea, I laugh now.  

The nurse came back after several hours to check on me again and we progressed to 9 cm.  The out of control pain came back and as the sun began to arise I was a total mess and in a whole bunch of pain.  The only thing that brought some kind of relief was rocking back and forth on my bed.  I promise I looked like a crazy lady.  Here’s where things get interesting and relieving for me.  The whole time it looked like my obgyn was going to deliver our little boy.  He is a great doctor but I honestly wanted my midwife.  I am so sure if he had delivered he would have had me get a c-section due to the length of my labor.  But praise the Lord my labor extended to Tuesday because the new batch of nurses came in and told me, “Guess what?! Your midwife will be here shortly.” When she walked in, it’s as if God slapped me with His peace and a huge smile.  I could not have been more happy to see her.  My body took a pause at 9 cm and I was exhausted.  Levi’s postion was head down but facing up towards my belly.  My midwife tried a few things to try to move him to a better position.  Everything from laying me on my side and placing my leg on a table, to flipping over and leaning over the top of my bed and be in a sitting/squatting position then flipping back on my back.  You had to be there to understand.  Ha!  

Almost there:

Well, Levi wasn’t moving and my midwife really encouraged me to get Pitocin if not it would mean that we would probably end up a c-section.  I knew exactly what was going on and I said yes!  OHHHHHH the contractions became a thousand times worse because there was no breathing time.  Well, my body was ready to push- I mean it was all very confusing and tiring.  For the next two hours I pushed like I had never pushed before.  I was given oxygen.  My midwife would say, “Sweetie… focus… talk to your body, talk to your baby.  Tell him to come out.”  Oh, I talked to Levi.  I told Levi, “come on out little buddy… come out right now!”  There were moments I would scream, other times a smile would hit my face and then my midwife said, “give me your hands and look.”  There was Levi’s head and upper body and Heredes and I got to pull him out! It was incredible!!! At that moment all the pain I went through changed into one enormous smile and a joyous room.  Levi was immediately placed on my chest and I nursed him.  A few moments later the placenta came out. Weird.  They weighed and measured our little man- 7 lbs. and 19 3/4 in born at 12:09 pm.  I ended up with five little stitches and I was soooo ready to bathe and move to our new room- oh and eat.  OHHHH by the way… Heredes decided to live stream this event to his family in Brasil… all of it… in HD.

Final thoughts:

So, in a long nutshell this is our story.  I know it sounds crazy.  I know some may not understand why we went this route. I know we probably made a few mistakes along the way but nothing that made me doubt or fear the health of our baby or myself.  I am grateful that the nurses respected and honored our birth plan.  I wish my midwife would have been with us the whole time, but grateful that at the end she delivered our little Levi.  Giving birth almost felt like my half marathon- you finished and the result is so rewarding. I am forever grateful to my Savior for giving us the labor and delivery we had hoped for and for his  protection.  I am forever grateful for Him for creating me a woman- to be a daughter, a wife and a mommy.  When you yourself become a mommy you realize that your mom is amazing and a hero. I love you!  To my husband- you are my best friend and seeing your tears for our Levi made that day even more special. I love you.  I love that my dad is a Belo and that my sister and brother are a Tia and Tio.

And to you, Levi- God knew you before you were woven together in my womb.  You have been to good for words to describe.  Your mom and dad are excited to go on this adventure with you and see you grow to be the man God created you to be.  We adore you little man!

To those who read this- hope you enjoyed it. 

To blog again…

It’s a new year with the opportunity to blog once again.  See you soon.