(Labor and delivery are different for everyone. I just wanted to share what worked for me, in hopes that it would help other women.)<3 I delivered Hudson in December of 2019 less than a month before COVID started in the U.S.
This is a looong time coming but I had so much to say and kept remembering things. But without further ado, here it all is!!
Okay, so first off I did have a simple birth plan but was flexible on the smaller details and just focused on the few concrete items. I had my husband with me as well as my mom.
Before having Hudson I did an online series of what to expect in labor and delivery as well as breathing techniques.
It was super helpful for little aspects. I did have a few fearful “what ifs”. I had to just remind myself that every birth is different and ultimately God was in control. This is the course I went through, it’s completely FREE, I highly recommend it. Read my pregnancy journey HERE.
When I went to the hospital my water had already broken. So when I got there the first thing they did was check my cervix. It was dilated to a 2-3. They checked the baby’s heart rate as well and then let me decide from there how I wanted I continue my labor.
- The first thing I did that really helped at the beginning was walking. It was very relieving for me to be able to move. So what we did was do a slow pace walk and every time I felt a contraction coming I’d stop hold on to Nathan’s arms and my mom would rub my lower back. I would take a deep breath and blow it out whilst this happened. It helped me to relax and focus.
After about an hour of this with a heart rate check in-between I was ready to lay down. The contractions started to escalate quickly. I had tried the large birthing ball to help, however for me, it didn’t help me relax and just felt awkwardly challenging to do, and I wasn’t getting anywhere with it. Lol
21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
- Okay, so after I had gotten settled back in bed, at this point I had contractions about 3-5 mins apart and at least 1-2 minute long. They were hardcore and felt like forever long to me. So at this point, I put into effect a lot of the breathing techniques I’d learned. Now for some, it helps to focus on a certain thing in the room as a focal point. At first, I did this, I had a verse John 16:21, I’d printed out to look at. However, I found for myself as they got stronger it helped to close my eyes and focus. And this is what I focused on. I pictured my belly filling up with air like a balloon around my child as I breathed in. And as I breathed out, I pictured the air pushing him out. I know it may sound silly but believe me it really HELPED my mindset!
- . The other 2 things that helped during this was to squeeze my husband’s hand when I felt it at my worst.
- And also, my mom stationed herself at my legs and rub up and down my calf and the palm of my foot. And honestly, out of all three things, it helped the most!! We did this for a couple of hours as the contractions got stronger and longer. And I honestly believe it’s how I was able to make headway .
So about 2:30 I got an epidural and they checked me and I was at a 5. So in about 5ish hours, I had made it that far without pain meds. After I received the epidural It took about 1-2 hours for it to completely kick in as I was having 5 mins contractions at that point. But when it did I decided to get a little sleep and it really helped.
I definitely recommend if you get a pain med to try to take a little cat power nap before having to push.
At around 4-5 in the morning, they gave me a small dose of Pitocin to help speed things up some. I was at about a 7. Then around 8-9 am I was right there at an 8-9cm. And at 10:45 I was at a 10 and ready to push.
Delivery
- So, tip number 1 in delivery. If your nurses allow it at this point, I highly recommend having a little sugar kick. Whether it’s a gulp of juice, or even what they gave me-shaved ice with a sweet syrup. It gave me a burst of energy and really helped with the pushing.
- Secondly, as I pushed I closed my eyes and pictured everything happening. I pictured him moving through the birth canal. And even with an epidural I still felt the heaviness. I had an awareness of what was going. That helped me to focus and just think about what was happening.
I pushed for about 45 mins with a few 5 min breaks in between. And then when he was right there at the end a few hard-core ones and he was out! And I have to say there is NO WEIRDER feeling than when your baby comes out of your stomach haha. It’s a rush like you can’t even describe. And I shook at this point once the labor was over and he was out.
Overall, I was blessed with a great first birthing experience. (Recovery was another story, linked HERE😅). I was definitely a little intimidated leading up to it. However, I really think that doing a course to prepare me for labor, learning breathing and mindset techniques, and having my mom there to do the messaging were 3 key things to my successful labor and delivery.
I’d love to know what else helped you! Leave a comment below, I know any mom is thankful for tips and tricks to help. ❤️
Xoxo, Shantel
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