natural labor and delivery story

She’s finally here! Our princess, Gracie was born July 1st, 2015 at 6:07 p.m. weighing 7lbs 10oz. We are so in love with her!

It was a week before my due date and the day before my husband Dave’s birthday. I starting feeling a little crampy, but nothing that made me think Gracie was coming soon. I walked around our house, bounced on a yoga ball, and just took it easy that night. I didn’t get much sleep because the contractions would come and go. They didn’t hurt too much, but the excitement kept me up! I mainly felt the contractions in my back.. which was different than I was imagining they would feel.

Finally, it was morning! I got to wake up Dave to wish him a happy birthday… and also tell him that I was feeling a little crampy all night. I asked him what he thought I should do and we decided that we would just wait to see what it all was. Because it was his birthday and there was a lot of excitement with the contractions, Dave decided to stay home from work (THANK GOODNESS!). We actually started packing our hospital bags just in case. The contractions were steady and I kept only feeling them in my back. I didn’t want to go to the hospital because I was afraid they would just send me home… or put me on medicine to speed up the process. So instead, I called my OB and asked if we could come see her instead. We put our hospital bags in the car not knowing that we would need them!

The OB checked on the baby and said… “are you sure your not feeling any pressure?”. I was surprised and said… “not really?”. Anyways, I was 4 cm dilated and was told to go straight to the hospital. WHAT?! Thank goodness we had a gut feeling and put our bags in the car! Did I mention this is all happening on Dave’s birthday? How exciting!

We got to the hospital and got all checked in. Everyone was shocked that I was in labor. They kept saying.. “no one is this calm”. In the photo above I was probably 5 or 6 cm dilated- yet still happy, in only slight discomfort, and ready to meet my baby! We got into the delivery room and met our wonderful nurses. It makes such a difference to have friendly nurses! I made it clear that, if possible, I wanted to have a natural birth with no epidural or pitocin. They were shocked and said they didn’t see that often, but they agreed. I labored for a few hours in a nice peaceful room- thanks to my hubby! He set up the room with dim lightning, calm music, a warm blanket, and little to no outside distractions.

A couple of hours passed with increasingly strong contractions. The doctor called in and said that I was stuck at 9cm and he would have to put my on pitocin. I had envisioned my labor and delivery to go a certain way.. and pitocin was not apart of that. However, I trusted the doctor and asked him if he could give my husband and I time to talk about it. During that chat, my body kicked into high gear, and I felt ready to push! The nurses checked and sure enough it was time! The doctor had to run in because the baby was coming fast. A few strong pushes later, our baby was born! It was an amazing experience to have a natural birth. I knew my body could do it and I feel very proud and accomplished!

The moment I held Gracie for the first time was incredible. It was just so new and shocking and exhilarating all at once. I couldn’t believe she was mine. Every part of the pregnancy and birth was SO worth it in the end. At that moment, a new chapter of our lives started.

What an amazing birthday gift for Dave! He will forever share his birthday with his princess.

Happy birthday Dave + Gracie!