Labor & Delivery
I am fortunate to have been surrounded by my supportive husband, my amazing doctor and a wonderful team of nurses for my first time giving birth. That support was the absolute best, especially for a first time mom having a baby during a worldwide pandemic! Labor & delivery was an experience like no other. Overall, it was a pleasant one, minus the contractions lol! I will say, whatever meds they gave me, had me feeling loopy for quite some time. Even with that though, the contractions were real! My goal was to go as long as I could before getting an epidural, and that’s exactly what I did.
There was one point where I wasn’t sure how much longer I could endure the pain, but a special nurse named Jayne stuck by me the entire time. All of the nurses were great, but there was something about Jayne that seemed so special. She was so sweet and just had a beautiful spirit. You know how people say they feel like they encountered an angel on earth, when something happens and a person shows up to save the day? That’s how it felt with Jayne. She literally held my hand, rubbed my back and just was an absolute blessing!
When it was time to get the epidural, it was required that I say my name and date of birth before the anesthesiologist could begin. When asked, I told them to ask my husband lol. I was laboring so hard that I couldn’t even remember my name! I was just focused on getting through the contraction. She helped calm me, and I was able to muster enough energy to give my name and date of birth so that I could receive the epidural. When her shift was over, Jayne even stayed after to make sure I was ok. She truly is an angel!
One thing that really helped to speed up the process of labor was the use of an object called the peanut. It’s like an exercise ball in the shape of a peanut that you put between your legs. You lay on each side for however long is best, and it helps to open up your cervix. My sister told me about it, and I’m so glad they had one available for me to use.
I ended up pushing for about 45 minutes to an hour. Towards the end, our sons heart rate began to drop, so the vacuum had to be used at the last minute. Unfortunately, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Once that was removed, we breathed a sigh of relief! Our SONshine was here safely! He’s truly the apple of our eyes!