Exciting and exhilerating: The birth story of Adrian

On Thursday, April 24, I was 38 weeks and four days pregnant. I woke up at 3 a.m. and was having contractions. I did my best to sleep through them and not wake up my hubby. Andre woke up that morning and went to work, and I decided I would stay home from work because the contractions continued. I wasn’t sure if this was real labor or not since sometimes the contractions would stop, and they weren’t getting increasingly stronger.

Andre and I had plans to attend a Columbus Clippers game that evening, but I wasn’t too sure if it was a good idea for me to go feeling this way. We lived 45 minutes from the hospital, and the baseball field was only about 5 minutes from the hospital. We figured that if I went into active labor at the game, at least the hospital was closer. We packed up our stuff just in case and headed to the baseball game.

I started having steady contractions that were about five minutes apart on our way to the game. We finally arrived at the baseball game and got seated. I ate a hot dog and did my best to pay attention, despite the contractions. Finally, at the fourth inning, I told Andre that it was time to go to the hospital. (I was in too much pain!)

He ran and got the car. My brother-in-law and an employee walked me out to the car. We arrived at the hospital around 8:30 p.m., and the nurses got me changed so they could check my cervix. I was 5 centimeters dilated, so they went ahead and checked me in! Andre called everyone and told them that it was finally time! My family arrived and spent the whole time by my side while I labored.

Some time around 7 a.m. on Friday, the doctor told me that I was stuck at 8 centimeters, so they wanted to break my water. I reluctantly agreed. I was having a natural birth, so I wanted to wait as long as possible for this.

About an hour later I was still only 8.5 centimeters, so we tried some natural methods. I’ll spare the details on this. After another hour I still hadn’t progressed.

The doctor told me it was time for Pitocin—or a C-Section would be necessary. Again, because I was having a natural birth, I did not want Pitocin at all, but a C-section was definitely out of the question. I was having consistent contractions, but they were not strong enough to dilate my cervix. The contractions with the Pitocin were very strong and came on very fast, but I still stuck to a natural birth.

Within an hour of taking the Pitocin, I was fully dilated and ready to push! After an hour and 10 minutes, at 12:13 p.m. on April 25, I finally delivered my beautiful baby boy.

I was in labor for 35 hours, and I did it all naturally—without any pain medicine! It was so exciting and exhilarating to feel natural birth the way that God intended. I was worried about a hospital birth because I wasn’t sure if they would honor my request, but in the end, the nurses and doctor helped me out so much! They were all so supportive of my decision and never pushed medicine until it was necessary. They all talked me through my contractions and helped me keep my rhythm. It was truly a life changing experience and one that I could never forget.

My husband did an amazing job and was the only one in the room from 8 centimeters all the way to birth. He did a wonderful job at helping me stay focused. A good support system and determination are the keys to success.

Send us your birth story! Whether you had a home birth, hospital birth, 37-hour labor or emergency C-section, we’d love to read the tale of your little one’s grand entrance. Write up your birth story (click here for tips on getting started) and email it, along with a few photos, to birthstory@pnmag.com. We’ll share it on our Birth Day blog and may even print it in an upcoming issue!