Water broke at What to Expect movie! - Connor Ryan's Birth Story

bornmommy · May 2012

DH and I felt like getting in one more date before baby came so on Thursday night I drug him out to see What to Expect. (I won't ruin it for anyone but I will say that I expected it be a lot funnier!). Well, about halfway through around 8 o clock, I felt a slight gush of water that I knew was a bit different from peeing myself. I excused myself and went to the bathroom and called DH to come out of the theater since I was able to indeed confirm that my water had broken. We called my midwife and we both agreed to leave our houses at 9 since I had to go straight to the hospital for antibiotics.

Got to the hospital around 9:30pm, I wasn't feeling any contractions yet. We checked into our room, I was hooked up to the IV and monitor while having a powwow with my midwife and then DH and I decided to try and sleep. Easier said then done... I could not get comfortable and by 10:30pm I realized that I was no longer feeling Braxton Hicks contractions, these ones were real. I called to get unhooked from the monitors and started walking around the room. Contractions were coming about every 5-7 minutes or so and lasted for about 1 minute, each one felt a little more intense than the last. Around 1130pm, DH was up with me and I used him as a support during each contraction. We sat down, stood up, leaned on the bed, tried the birth ball, labored on the toilet and around 130ish I turn the shower on and got in leaning on DH as contractions hit.

As the nurse came into check on us, DH informed her that my contractions were coming closer and closer together and seemed to be about one minute apart. She called in my midwife and around 2:30am I left the shower and got into bed for my second round of antibiotics.My midwife checked me for the first time because she had checked me Wednesday morning at my weekly appointment. (I was 3cm then.) I remember her saying "8 to 9! No wait, 7cm." I tried to get up and lean on the bed but it didn't feel right so I went right back in bed. DH stayed with me, applying pressure to my back through contractions and by 3am I felt like I had to push. DH called to my midwife who said "okay!" as she came through the door. She took a seat at the end of my bed. (I remember thinking that she looked so relaxed, like she was watching a movie.) I started to push.

Pushing felt good as long as I timed it well with the contractions. I felt like I was finally doing something which gave me a lot of purpose and momentum. I remember thinking to myself that I was happy to be where I was. In the moment I couldn't imagine who would not want to have that feeling. Encouraging words from my team also kept me going and really helped to let me know where we all were in the process.

At 4:10am, my midwife told me to look and see me baby. I opened my eyes for the first time while pushing, saw my baby and instinctively reached down. I, the girl who cringed at the thought of having a mirror or of touching my baby's head when he was still inside me, grabbed my baby and pulled him out of me to place him onto my chest. The world continued to spin around me as DH announced that it was a boy, the cord was cut, and the placenta delivered. Connor Ryan was healthy, happy, and here!

I want to include a shout out to my birth team, without whom I know I wouldn't have had the birth I had. My plan actually went through as planned, minus having to get the antibiotics but I'm glad for it since it got me to the hospital sooner. My (first ever!) labor was only 8 hours from my water breaking to Connor's birth and I think that I had labored at home, the thirty minute car ride would have been agonizing for me. Everything happens for a reason! KUDOS to my husband, my midwife, and my nurse who all stuck by me and supported me, making Connor's birth the best birth experience it could be!