Alice's Birth Story......3 months late!

Disclaimer: This is a REALLY LONG blog!

I decided to write a blog on Alice's birth. I know I'm almost 3 months late, but there are so many people that wanted to know the story and I haven't had time to tell them. I figured it would just be easier to write a blog about it, rather than telling everyone who hasn't heard it, but wanted to individually. Some of this may be TMI for some of you. So if you get grossed out easily I wouldn't keep reading.

For a couple of months before I had her, I told everybody that Alice would be born on September 4th or 5th. I can't tell you why I thought this. She wasn't due until the 14th. I just did. I was so convinced of it that I cleaned out my desk at work the Friday before. I was still scheduled to work the next week, but I was just so sure Alice would come that weekend. We made sure everything was in order on Saturday, and Tyler and I took a nice LONG walk. I was huge and so very miserable. That walk was really hard actually. I had gained 7 pounds the last week of my pregnancy. I was so swollen. My tennis shoes wouldn't even tie. I was so ready for Alice to arrive. I took that walk to try to induce labor. I guess it worked, because I went into labor the very next day.

Sunday morning I went to the bathroom and had some bloody show. I was beyond excited. Although I knew this could mean I still had a few more days, but it was at least something to indicate Alice was coming soon. Sure enough around 1:00 pm Sunday I started having contractions. The first time I really noticed them was when we were in BJ's shopping. I'd been having Braxton Hicks for a couple of months so I wasn't really paying attention earlier than that, but while we were shopping I started to time them. They were about 7 to 8 minutes apart. My doctor, as well as, the lady who taught our labor and delivery class told us that labor is always very long with your first child, so I knew we had plenty of time. We came home, we ate dinner, and we kept timing the contractions. Finally around 8:30 pm the contractions had been between 4 and 5 minutes apart for about 2 hours. We called the doctor. He said to go on into the hospital.

We arrived at Rex around 9:30. At this point my contractions were running 3 minutes apart and I was in a fair amount of pain. I hurt really bad, so I was sure I was almost dilated enough for an epidural. lol, not so much. The nurse checked me, and I was only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced. You wouldn't believe how depressing that was to me. I remember I looked at her and said, "Are you serious?" She talked to the doctor and they had me walk around the hospital for an hour and then come back. First of all, walking around in a hospital gown when you are the size of a whale is uncomfortable enough. Add to it the pain of contractions every 2 to 3 minutes. Well it wasn't fun, but I thought if that means it will progress my labor I will definitely do it. So we walked. I came back to my bed after an hour, and guess what? I was still only 1 cm dilated. At this point I was crying the pain was so bad. Plus I was so frustrated that my body wasn't responding. They attached me to the fetal heart rate monitor. They started watching Alice's heart rate, as well as, monitoring my contractions. The nurse told me it was very unusual, especially since it was my first born, for me to be having contractions that intense and that close together and for my body not to be progressing any. I thought oh great I'm going to be one of those women with a two day labor.

Alice's heart rate started getting really high so they monitored that for a little while. It finally slowed back down. I still hadn't progressed past 1 cm, so they sent me home. The nurse told me I probably wouldn't be back until sometime the next morning. They discharged me at 12:30am. On the way home my contractions started getting worse, but they were still bearable. By the time I got home I was in so much pain. I was screaming through each contraction. My mom came over to help out. Certain positions would make the pain bearable. I would either get on all fours on the bed or lean forward on the couch while Tyler rubbed and put pressure on my back, because I was having back labor as well.

I decided to get in the shower. We have an attachment we use for when we bathe Brindy. Tyler attached that to the sink and sprayed my back while the shower sprayed the front of me. The hot water felt amazing. I was finally able to talk through the contractions. Suddenly the contractions were bearable. Best thing ever for labor! It helped so much.........until the hot water ran out! After the hot water ran out I got out and got dressed. This took forever. I'd have to stop every time I was having a contraction and get in a more comfortable position, and at this point I felt like I was always having a contraction. Tyler pretty much dressed me. At this point I was in some major pain. The worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I obviously got through it, but it seemed pretty much unbearable at the time. Tyler and my mom decided to time my contractions again. We had stopped timing them when I was in the shower. They figured out that the contractions were lasting longer than the time in between them. The length of the contractions were no longer consistent. I was clearly going through transition at this point. After we realized how long they were Tyler said, “I don't care what the doctor says. We're going back to the hospital.”

We got in the car and left for the hospital the second time around 2:30am (I had to ask Tyler about the times later, because I was not paying any attention to it. I was to busy trying to get through contractions). The car ride to Rex this time was horrible. I couldn't get in any of the positions that helped ease the pain a little. I didn't think the contractions could get any more intense, but they did. I was crying. I was screaming, and I was praying. I cursed every red light we hit. Lol I do remember at one point Tyler telling me, “Just breath like this” and then he did the breathing noises. I responded with, “I can't! I love you, but could you please shut up.” I'm pretty proud of the fact that that's the worst thing I said to him during labor. And he did shut up. It's pretty funny now. It wasn't at the time. At one point on the ride there I felt the need to push so I lifted my butt off the seat. Tyler went from 65mph to 95 mph real quick!

We finally arrived at the hospital around 3:00am. Tyler didn't park the car. He just pulled the car up to the curb, grabbed a wheel chair, and ran me upstairs. The security guard didn't even make us check in. They had me undress in the triage so they could check me while Tyler ran back out and parked the car. The nurse checked me and said, “You're 6 cm. You're having this baby tonight.” I looked at her and said, “Good so I'm not going crazy. Can I have my epidural now?”(I was so afraid that she was going to tell me I was only like 2 or 3 cm). She told me she'd call the anesthesiologist, and I could have the epidural once they finished running my blood work. Then they wheeled me into a labor and delivery room.

I was screaming during contractions. The nurses were telling me to just exhale. Just keep exhaling. It actually helped. I just held Tyler's hand and looked into his eyes and exhaled. I apologized every time I screamed. The nurses kept telling me, “Don't apologize. You're doing great.” I really don't think I was doing great. I think that's just what they are suppose to say. Joslyn (the nurse I had from the first time we went in, who I LOVED) checked me again. It hadn't even been 20 minutes since they had checked me last. She checked me and then made this face. The face made me ask, “How far along am I?” She said, “Well you're at 9, and I really think your water needs to break. Do you feel the need to push?” Me: “Yes, but I don't want to push. I want my epidural.” (Logically I knew if I was 9 cm it was to late to get an epidural, but I just wanted the pain to stop.) Joslyn: “Well we can wait a little while if you want, but it'll feel better if you push.” Me: “If I push I'm going to tear, and that will hurt.” (I was so afraid of tearing). Joslyn: “We'll cross that bridge when it comes. The contractions hurt worse than the tearing. Your water needs to break so you should push. And you will feel better if you push.” So after much coaxing I pushed.

Everything I'd ever heard or read or seen about your water breaking shows it either as a big puddle like you peed yourself or a slow trickle. Yeah mine wasn't like either. I pushed and my water broke and it sprayed Joslyn all over her scrubs. It was gross. I said, “I'm so sorry.” Once again she said, “Don't apologize.” Then she ran and changed her scrubs. There was meconium. So not only did I spray her. I sprayed my baby's poop on her as well. Honestly at that point I was in so much pain that I wasn't embarrassed about hardly anything, but I did feel real bad about that later.

After my water broke, Joslyn told me she really thought it was time to push some more. She said, “Next contraction, exhale and push into your bottom and count to ten. We're going to try to get three to four good pushes in for each contraction.” So I did. I never did make it to ten with any of the pushes. I usually only made it to eight before I gave up. And I only did about three pushes per a contraction. After three contractions, nine pushes, Alice's head came out. The doctor barely made it there in time. In fact, he never finished tying his scrubs on before he started delivering her. Alice's head was out and suddenly they told me to stop pushing. I couldn't understand why. It was rather uncomfortable and it burned having her half in and half out. I asked, “Why can't I push? Just get her out of me!” Joslyn said, “Her cord is wrapped twice. We have to get that taken care of first.” This scared me pretty bad. I asked, “Is she okay?” Joslyn said, “Yes she'll be fine. Just don't push.” I didn't. Finally, they got her cord unwrapped and I was able to push her the rest of the way out in one push. They held her up and she cried. She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, even if she was covered in blood and grossness.

Tyler kept saying, “Look Pooh. It's our baby!” He has been head over heels since the first moment he saw her. They took her over to get her weighed and cleaned up a little and check her out. Tyler went over and took pictures, while I delivered the placenta and they sewed me up. I did tear, but Joslyn was right the contractions were worse. To be honest, I never even felt the tear. I had to ask if I had teared. It was a fairly minor one. A “second degree laceration” to be exact. Lol, I guess all those kegels paid off. Once they were done with Alice they laid her on my chest, skin on skin. I was and still am so in love. I never knew my heart could grow that much. Alice made me feel so much closer with Tyler. The fact that we created this life and shared this beautiful baby made us much closer. Seeing how much he loves Alice and seeing what a great dad he is just makes me love him that much more. He loves her so much and takes such wonderful care of her.

Alice was born at 3:53am, less than an hour after we arrived at the hospital the second time, on September 5th, 2011 (labor day). She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long. She had the fattest cheeks! All the nurses that saw her while she was swaddled and after we got wheeled up to our room talked about what a big baby she was. I said, “She's only 7 11.” They would then open up her swaddle and say oh she's little. She just has fat cheeks! Her cheeks were swollen from coming through the birth canal. She had every birthmark imaginable, her forehead, her eyes, the top of her head, the back of her neck. Her nose was smushed and crooked on one side. That was from the birth canal too. It has since straightened itself back out. She was and is the most amazing, adorable, beautiful baby I have ever seen, but I'm suppose to think that. I'm Mom. I never got my epidural. All the nurses kept saying, “Oh you're the one who had the natural labor.” Evidently 95% of the women who give birth at Rex have an epidural. I wanted to be proud about that and be like yeah that's me. I'm awesome. Haha, but I knew had I been given the choice during labor and things had went as planned I would not have done it naturally.

The doctor told us that it was a really good thing that I didn't get my epidural. An epidural slows down labor and since Alice's cord was wrapped the longer the labor lasted the more likely it would have been that she could have died, or I would have been forced to have a c section. They think her cord may have been wrapped off and on earlier in labor, and that was why her heart rate was so high. She was in distress.


I was told over and over again that labor never goes as planned. I was prepared for so many things, but not having my epidural was not one of them. I had it drilled into me that labor lasts a long time with your first birth so why wouldn't I have time for one. And labor did last a fairly long time. It's just my body didn't want to respond correctly, but once it finally started responded it was FAST! Nothing went as I planned it, at all. And I couldn't be more thankful for that. If it did, I may not have my beautiful baby girl right now. I can't imagine life without her. I wouldn't have changed anything about her birth. Clearly God's plan was much better than my own.

I never planned on having a natural birth. I was one of those people who didn't see a point in it. Why go through the pain if you don't have to. That was my philosophy. Now, if I were to ever do it again I would do it naturally. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced, but it was worth it. I recovered from birth so fast. I was taking walks all around the hospital by the second day. I had to take literally 3 pain pills the whole time after I had her, and that was only when I was nursing Alice because I was getting contractions. I felt like I accomplished something by having her naturally, and it was amazing and wonderful. It was a beautiful thing that I'm so thankful I got to experience. Now that I've done it, I wouldn't have it any other way.