Olivia Brenda's Natural Birth Story!

Arielle27 · October 2013

Short story:

Olivia Brenda came to this world on 9/27 at 1:26pm. She was 6lb 13oz. It was a med-free, intervention-free hospital birth, the easiest of my three to date!

Following 8 weeks of preterm labor and false labor, my water broke at 6:30am and contractions were absolutely manageable (in terms of intensity and having time to relax between) until I was suddenly seized by a 6 minute long super-intense contraction and a feeling like I had to push. My doctor said I was only 6 cm. Then a minute later, another very intense, full-body contraction started and I said that I was going to push! My doctor looked quickly between my legs and said, Ok, push! Olivia's head came right out! One more push and her body slid out! No tears or cuts!

The whole family couldn't be happier with our newest, calmest addition! Even her sister (normally quite the jealous type) just cannot get enough of her!

(Very) Long story:

At 31w 6d I went into preterm labor. It was stopped in the hospital with a shot of terbutaline, leaving me 100% effaced and 1cm dilated. After my last pregnancy (uterine irritability, several bouts of preterm labor and birth at 37w 3d), I was sure this baby would come early. Little did I know that the baby would come at the perfect gestational age of 39w 5d...

But back to the beginning - in the last few weeks of the pregnancy, I was having labor-like contractions every 3-5 or 5-10 minutes apart nearly every day and/or night that would simply fizzle out. These contractions weren't 'doing anything' - hence, I was only 2cm dilated and 50% effaced by my 39 week appointment - but the whole experience was so painful, confusing and frustrating... I thought I was going to go into labor almost every day, but then nothing.

So when my water broke at 6:30am on the 27th, I was so happy! All the anxiety I had built up about not knowing when I'd really be in labor just disappeared! I was calm and absolutely ready for the 'worst' (after so feeling like I was in labor so many times but not progressing)... but strangely, after my water broke, contractions were only 7-8 minutes apart and not intense at all. We waited at home for three hours and then finally went to the hospital, thinking things could intensify at any time.

When my doctor saw me, she let us know that I only had a high tear, but my bag of water was still intact at the bottom - hence no real contractions, and I was only 4cm. This came as no surprise - in fact, I was happy that I was even that far along!

She broke the rest of my water and immediately the contractions were a little more intense and closer together, but still really manageable. I listened to my hypnobirthing tracks on speaker quietly in the background, used visualization (e.g. skipping up steps as I breathed in, down steps as I breathed out) as the contractions intensified. My husband rubbed my back with a tennis ball through each contraction as well, except when I was in the shower. Then I couldn't really even feel when they were starting and stopping, I could just feel some very low intensity pain coming and going... I swayed through them, envisioned myself swaying in ocean waves and said aloud, 'It's OK, It's OK'.

It was maybe an hour after having my waters broken completely and I figured I was probably at a 6 by now, no more, as things were still so relaxed and manageable. Contractions no closer together than 3 minutes and not any more intense than they had been for weeks!

My doctor wanted to check me again, so I got out of the shower and I was 5-6cm. Considering how quickly I transitioned in my last birth (2 minutes from 7-10cm and two pushes for the baby to come out), she said she'd hang out near the room.

She was really great - encouraging and complimenting how well I was handling things, letting me move around however I wanted, even when being monitored (I was monitored intermittently), letting me shower, etc. But suddenly I felt a more intense contraction and felt a bit pushy... She checked me and I was still 6cm. Then came a very intense, 6 minute long contraction (that I literally howled through as I tore off the monitors and my gown and got down on my hands and knees!)... Still 6cm. One minute later, another terribly intense pain ripped through my body. The doctor urged me to get onto the bed and I did, screaming that I had to push! She looked between my legs and said OK! One push and the head was out. One more push for the body! It was about 2 minutes for me to go from 6-10cm!

Olivia was actually bruised on the face and shoulders from getting pushed out so fast, but otherwise she was perfect! We hadn't known the sex, but I was sure it was a boy... so I was looking for the boy bits when my husband told me it was a girl! I was really surprised! She was so beautiful and perfect!!

After three relatively short and 'easy' labors, this was by far the easiest. And despite the quickness of it all, I wasn't torn at all. Swelling was even minimal! I don't know if it was less intense or if I was so mentally prepared for it, that it was that much more manageable... but whatever the reason, it seems to have rubbed off on our perfect little girl, because she is the calmest baby we've had!

Thanks for reading (if you've made it this far)! It was such an ideal labor, I am just still on cloud nine about everything!