Kiley: The Birth I Dreamed Of
I’d relive this experience 100 times over if I could. I’m so thankful for everyone who played a role in bringing this boy earthside, exactly as I had imagined.
On Monday, June 12th, I had my last OB appointment in the morning since I was almost 41 weeks (they would induce at 42 if he still wasn’t here). I had my doctor check my cervix, as I had elected not to get checked in the previous weeks. I was 4cm dilated and 60% effaced. Since I was already progressing, I had him do a quick membrane sweep to see if it would move things along. He said he was confident I wouldn’t need an induction, but we scheduled it for 6/20 as a last resort. That evening, I came to Revolution for my weekly adjustment. I’ve been seeing them for 3.5 years, ever since I was pregnant with Aria. Not only do they help with managing pregnancy discomfort, but getting the baby in an optimal position in the pelvis can help progress labor and aid in having a smoother delivery experience.
When we got home, I noticed I was having pretty consistent pressure waves (contractions) that felt stronger than the usual Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing. I timed a few, and they were about 8-9 minutes apart. I texted my doula, Kass, and decided to shower and get ready for bed after putting Aria down, as I wanted to rest as much as possible in case things progressed. They stayed fairly consistent throughout the night, but I was able to sleep through most of them.
The next morning, they were about the same—still around 8 minutes apart, with varying intensity. I started second-guessing myself as the morning went on since they didn’t seem to be getting stronger or closer together. I decided to send Garrett to work, and my mom came to spend the day with me in case things picked up. I was able to rest and sleep (which ended up being a huge blessing), and around 5 pm, my mom suggested we go curb walking around the neighborhood. We walked, lunged, and walked some more until we were both sweating and exhausted. We had smoothies and hung out for a while until it was time for Aria to go to bed.
As I was giving her a bath, I noticed the waves seemed slightly more intense than before, and they were coming at regular intervals again. I timed a few and texted Garrett to let him know since he’d be getting off work soon. Once Aria was asleep, Garrett cooked me a late dinner to make sure I ate something substantial. I texted Kass again around midnight to let her know things were picking up and that I’d try to rest before calling her over. In the meantime, Garrett was amazing, helping me through each wave, reminding me to breathe and relax, and applying counter pressure to my hips when I needed it.
Finally, around 2:50 am, I let Kass know I needed her, and she headed to my house. The waves were still 5-6 minutes apart, so I let my mom know to come over too. Once everyone was here, Kass sat next to me while I labored on my birth ball. Suddenly, I noticed the waves were getting closer and closer together. I was hardly getting any rest between them, and that’s when I knew we needed to head to the hospital as soon as possible. As they were helping me into the car, I started shaking uncontrollably (a common sign of transition), and I knew we were going to meet our baby very soon!
After we made the short drive to Baptist South, we got inside and answered what felt like a million questions at the front desk. Then they took Garrett and me to a triage room. They wouldn’t let my mom and Kass back with us, so they waited in the sitting area. Once in the room, I started feeling the urge to push. The nurse asked, “So what brings you in today?” I told her I was feeling pushy and that the baby was coming soon, but I don’t think she believed me. She said she needed to check how dilated I was, but then said she couldn’t tell for sure. Garrett asked her to call someone else ASAP. I kept asking where my mom and Kass were since I wasn’t about to deliver this baby in a triage room without them.
My angel of a nurse, Kristen, finally came in, and within seconds, I heard, “10 cm and fully complete. Call Dr. Butterworth and get her in a room.” I don’t really remember the ride from triage to the delivery room, but they managed to get me on the delivery bed. At that point, Dr. Butterworth (my absolute favorite OB) came in, and I was SO excited that he was still there and would be delivering this baby. He was scheduled to be on-call Tuesday, and his shift was supposed to end shortly after I arrived Wednesday morning. He knew my birth preferences and knew I didn’t want anyone to direct me on when to push. I just wanted to work with my body and push when I felt the urge. He let me know we were all set to start whenever I was ready and mentioned that my water still hadn’t broken, which could make it more difficult to push the baby out. I asked him to break my water, and I started pushing with the next pressure wave.
I knew I wanted to take my time and breathe the baby down to protect my pelvic floor and hopefully reduce the risk of tearing (as opposed to just pushing as hard as I could). I had my Hypnobabies track playing out loud, with Kass supporting me through her touch and words. When each wave came, I listened to my body and slowly eased him down. I was so thankful for a room full of people who fully supported how I wanted to give birth, and I heard nothing but positive and encouraging comments the entire time. Finally, after about 40 minutes, I could feel the baby’s head, and I remember Kass saying, “This is the one. You got this, Kiley.” During the next wave, I felt the strong urge to get him out, and at 5:57 am, out came all 9 lbs and 22 inches of him in one push. It was truly the best and most emotional moment I’ve ever experienced.
My doctor passed him through my legs, and I got to hold him for the first time, a moment I’ll never forget. I had my doctor check for any tears, and thankfully there were none (which I believe was due to not birthing on my back and letting my body push on its own). I had a partially retained placenta with Aria and had to have a D&C a few hours after birth, so I had some anxiety about birthing the placenta this time. My doctor was aware of this, and after it came out, we both looked it over and confirmed that no pieces were missing, which was a huge relief. Since I didn’t need stitches and my bleeding was normal, I was free to soak up newborn snuggles with my sweet boy. The whole experience was an absolute dream, and I’m just so grateful he arrived safely, surrounded by people who couldn’t wait to meet him.