XP - Introducing Aerilyn Grace (with Pics) Hospital Med Free Birth Story

seraphiclust · November 2012

A little delayed since I have been so busy with baby and big sis..but here's her birth story! (Team Green turned Team Pink!)

A little over a week ago on 11/3 contractions started up again over night and started picking up from 2am-4am. They were about 5 minutes apart but weren't too bad yet so I made myself go back to sleep. I woke up again around 7:15 am and went to pee and while peeing my water must've broke because when I got up I realized I kept leaking. I wasn't positive if I was peeing myself (lol) or if my water had in fact broke since my contractions weren't really timeable at this point. (With DD they broke my water at 9cm so I wasn't sure what it would feel like breaking on its own!) I continued to leak and it turned into occasional gushes so I started to finish packing, did my makeup and just tried to putter around the house to get contractions started again and more regular. By 8:30am they picked up again, about 3-5 minutes apart.

I wanted to attempt another med-free birth as I had with DD so I was worried about calling the doc too soon and being on the clock but decided by 8:30 am or so it was time to call in to be safe since I knew by then my water had definitely broke. (I actually posted here on the Natural Birth Board that morning - "I think my water just broke..." - It definitely had!)

I arrived at the hospital around 9am and I was 4cm and 90% effaced. I was in true active labor with DD for about 9-10 hours with DD so being my second I thought this was going to be much easier and quicker..but boy was I wrong. Since my water broke early and this LO was sunny side up I had a much harder time with this labor and delivery but in the end with the help of hypnobabies and my rock of a husband for support I managed another pain-med free birth. I stalled at 4cm for awhile and the doctor on call gave me 2 hours to get things moving before they wanted to start me on pitocin. I think it was laboring upright on the birth ball that got things moving again thankfully because a couple hours later (around 5:30 pm) they checked me again and I was at 7cm.

Aerilyn was a little stinker and since she was sunny side up she kept popping in and out of being engaged which was really prolonging things. It wasn't until I turned on my side and labored through some rough contractions at the end for about 30 minutes that she finally engaged, began turning and my body started passively pushing her out all on its own. At this point my nurse was completely MIA, as was the doctor so needless to say I freaked a bit! I just remember yelling "it's coming out it's coming out!" My brother ran into the hall and got my nurse who finally ran in to see I was crowning so they rushed in the doctor. It was the weirdest feeling to have my body doing all the pushing on it's own! (With DD#1 I started pushing when I was 10cm and never got the urge to push so I struggled through 2 hours of pushing before she was finally born. A much different experience!)

At 8:13pm that night we became Team Pink as we welcomed daughter #2 into the world at 8lb 2oz and 21 inches long. My due date was yesterday (11/10) so Miss Aerilyn Grace arrived 1 week early! (DD#1 was 2.5 weeks early so I thought I was going to go into labor "any minute now" for weeks at this point! lol) My husband announced "It's a girl" and they allowed the cord to stop pulsing before hubby cut it. I was able to hold my little girl right away and just take it all in. Completely amazing!

Now we are just trying to get used to being a family of 4. Lelia, my DD#1 is a busy feisty little thing that keeps us very busy but luckily (so far) Aerilyn is very laid back and is eating and sleeping really well!

Congrats to all the new November mamas and good luck to those still awaiting their bundles. They will be here soon!