Elijah's Birth Story

June 7th, 2012

My mom has been in VA since June 2nd visiting me for a few weeks so she can help out with the baby. We're at my 39 week appointment (which also happens to be my due date, June 7th). The nurse checks my cervix and we're both dissapointed to hear that I haven't dilated yet. She says that if nothing happens anytime soon, they will schedule a date to induce me and that date was June 18th. I was really upset because I knew my mom wouldn't be able to stay that long and I wanted her with me for the birth.

After leaving my appointment, we stop by my job so I can introduce my mother to my co-workers. How ironic is it that everyone is going to the Noland Trail to do a 5k walk/run for pt at 3 pm. Of course, my mom pushed me to go because walking will help dilate me (hopefully). 3 pm comes and I'm heading to the Noland Trail to meet everyone for this 5K. After walking 3 miles up hills, over bridges, and through the trail (tired as hell, might I add), I'm ready to call it a day. I guess I took so long walking, my supervisor drove back to where I was to pick me up. The rest of the group was done already.

June 8th, 2012

It's 2:30 am and I wake up because I start to feel cramps, a lot similar to period cramps. I go to the bathroom and when I wipe I see spotting on the tissue. After I'm done using the bathroom, I feel "pee" run down my leg. I'm confused as hell because I know I wiped myself. I go to wake up my mom and tell her what's happening and she says it sounds like I'm going into labor. Like clockwork, every 4-5 minutes I had a contraction and I logged every single one. While I took a shower, my SO packed my hospital bag and my mom heated up my leftovers from the night before. We wait for an hour, maybe two, before going to the hospital.

We get to the hospital, and a mid-wife or nurse...whatever she was, brings us into a room and has me change into a gown. She takes some tests to make sure that my water had actually broken. At first she shows me the q-tip and says that if my water broke it would be a yellowish/green color (it was not that color). Next thing I know, I feel a huge gush & she checks me again. My water had actually broken . They bring me to my labor & delivery room and the waiting game began.

Labor

Up until the mid-wife gave me a dose of pitocin, my contractions were bearable and I got some good rest. My mom was in the delivery room with me, and SO was working overtime, but would be at the hospital when he got off at 3. I had a few visitors. Nurses and doctors were in and out, hooking me up to machines, showing me how to read my contractions chart, ect. Once the mid wife gave me pitocin, that was the end of my comfort. I was in so much pain, I wanted to leap out of the hospital bed. I bounced on the labor ball to see if that would help, I sat in the chair, I laid in the bed- NOTHING was helping sooth the pain. I begged my mom to ask the nurses where the epidural guy was and it seemed like a lifetime before he came. I tried with everything in me to sit still while he inserted that needle in my back.

I felt instant relief, from there on out and was able to relax and rest. My SO and Air Force BFF were in the room with me at this point. Eventually, a nurse comes in to tell me that my contractions are squeezing my baby's head and if it continues, they will have to schedule for me to have a C-Section. I didn't have any time to be devastated, because as soon as the word C-Section left her mouth, I felt the urge to push. I let her know that I felt pressure and she checked me to humor me I suppose. Low and behold I was fully dilated (just an hour before I was only 5 or 6 cm), and it was time to push!

Delivery

My mom held my left leg, my SO held my right leg and it took me maybe 10-15 minutes to push. I was doing everything right, so it was all going pretty smoothly. Towards my last few pushes, I had to stop because I kept throwing up. The doctor told me that I HAD to hurry up and push my baby out because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. This scared me and I used everything in me to finally push him out. Sometime during the time I was pushing the doctor cut me to make it easier for the baby's head to come out, but I didn't feel it because of the epidural. Out came my son, and he wasn't blue or anything but it took him awhile to cry. Next thing I know, a bunch of doctors are rushing in and are hovering over my son in the incubator. My mom is crying, my SO is concerned and I'm out of it so I have no clue what's really going on. I hear a faint cry and everyone's relieved. The most beautiful sound I ever heard.

Everything After 

June 8th- 9 lbs, 21 inches born at 7:45 pm, Elijah Michael Houston is here! July 3rd, 1991- 9 lbs, 21 inches born at 7:07 pm- that was me! My son was and is beautiful and I never knew I could love so hard. I breatfed him maybe 20 or 30 minutes after he was born and he instantly had a great latch. I've breastfed him since. My hospital stay was short, only 48 hours. The staff was AMAZING. Nothing like the horror stories that I heard other people tell me about air force doctors. We brought him home on June 10th, and my motherly instincts kicked in immediately. Having him is a joy, I love motherhood and I've never been so happy in my life.

*Funny Stuff- Both my SO and I are dark brown and so when my son came out practically white, I think it shocked my mom, my friend and the staff. We all expected to see a dark brown baby. My mom is mixed and very light-skinned and my brother resembles her, I took after my dad. Funny how genetics work, my son came out my moms complexion! He browned up a little but he's still much lighter than SO and I. I always get those jokes "somebody's been messing with the mailman!" LOL