The perfect present: The birth of Evelyn

Evelyn Brock was born on December 26. My original due date was December 20, and after a week of seeing no signs of our baby girl arriving, I was going to be induced on the 27th.

We had Christmas with my family on the 25th. Everything was normal; we were getting ready for supper and opening presents. That’s when it hit me. I sat down and felt a trickle of water … I rushed to the bathroom and immediately felt more leakage. I put on a pad and went to go alert my parents first that the baby might be coming. Everyone told me to just relax and sit and see if any contractions came along. (They thought I had probably just peed a little bit or something.) So while my family ate dinner, I sat on the couch waiting impatiently.

I was texting and calling some of my friends to tell them what was going on. Of course they were freaking out and telling me I needed to hurry to the hospital because I was at risk of infection, prolapsed cord, etc. I just brushed it off because I noticed contractions were beginning.

I alerted my husband and family that I definitely needed to go to the hospital (which was an hour away). My mom clamored into her car, and I got into my husband’s truck. We went on our way. I figured I handled the situation pretty well. The contractions weren’t very strong, and I was breathing through them at a decent pace. However, my husband was freaking out and kept asking every five seconds if I needed to squeeze his hand. No, that was for later.

We arrived at the hospital at 8 p.m., and the contractions were almost full blown. I had to wait in agony for an hour for the IV to finish, so I could get an epidural. I remember trying to find a comfortable position and just wishing i could soak in a hot bath or something to relieve the pain. That’s when it hit me hard. The pain wasn’t what brought me to tears, but the simple idea of being trapped in the bed for who knows how long. I eventually sucked it up, and after what seemed like hours, I got my epidural. I slept for a couple of hours and was woken up by an awful pressure in my pelvis. The baby was dropping. I wasn’t fully dilated yet, so there wasn’t anything they could do. Sadly, there was no way to get rid of the pain and strength of the pressure. Sure, no contractions, but awful pressure either way.

A few more hours went by, and I kept telling my nurse that I felt like I had to push. When that time comes you just know. My nurse kept checking and telling me that it wasn’t time yet. I was exhausted at this point. I kept thinking to myself, How am I going to have enough energy to push this baby out? I didn’t eat with my family and was still sleepy from the who-knows-how-long nap I had. There was a point I just had it and told my nurse I need to push now. She checked and said, “Oh yeah, it’s time.”

She quickly got the other nurses, and they got me ready. My baby girl wasn’t taking her time with this. Without even pushing she almost crowned. The nurses were telling me to try and hold her in because the doctor hadn’t arrived yet (which of course I couldn’t do). The doctor rushed in and was still putting his gloves on and such. Within five pushes our little girl entered the world.

My husband wanted to cut the cord, and as the doctor clamped it off I thought he was about to cut it. So I sternly told the doctor, “No, wait, my husband wants to cut it!” He just calmly looked at me and told me he was just clamping it off. (Hey, I just went through a lot, and I wanted everything to be perfect.) So my husband cut it, and my little girl, Evelyn, was washed up and weighed while people got to “ooh and aah” at her.

Then the glorious moment: I got to hold my angel. You immediately forget all the pain you went through, and it all becomes worth it. I don’t remember much after getting into my hospital room. Evelyn was born at 3:31 in the morning at 8 pounds, 7 ounces. I enjoyed that night of sleep with my baby in her bed beside me. My husband slept on the pull-out recliner/couch. The next day was full of visitors and sleep for us. It truly was a rewarding experience. I am thankful it was on the easy side as far as most births go—but even more happy to just have my little girl, Evelyn.

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!