My First Birth Story

If you have not read my posts on my pregnancy with AJ and my journey to motherhood, go check those out now!

As you can see, I will be sharing my birth story of AJ. It was an interesting one, but it seems they all are interesting ones!

It all started at my 41-week doctor’s appointment…

Past Due Baby

I really had my mind set on having AJ in January. In my mind, I was small and there was no way I was 1) carrying a big baby. I thought for sure my babies would all be around 5-6 lbs at birth. Boy, was I wrong! 2) I didn’t I would ever be pregnant past my due date (February 9, 2016). Frankly, I never thought I would even reach my due date. The baby would get tired of the cramped space and be ready to come out! Yeah, it doesn’t work like that! Plus, everyone would look at me and say, “Oh you having that baby early!!!” or “That baby coming in January!” or even “Yeah, he’s coming early! All of mine came early!” (LOL) So, I was reassured that I wouldn’t have a very long pregnancy and I would get to see my little baby boo in January, maybe on his dad’s birthday! How cool would that be!

Well, all of this contributed to my misery when at 41 weeks, I was still pregnant! At 40 weeks, I told my doctor that I would give him one more week then we could induce. If you’ve read my pregnancy post, then you know I had dilated 0 cm!!! Nothing!! AJ wasn’t even TRYING to come yet! I was timing contractions hoping they would get stronger and closer together. Sometimes they would! But they would mellow back out and I wouldn’t have another one for another 30 min. or hour. I was so ready for that moment I would call my husband’s job and tell them to get my husband because IT IS TIME! But that moment never came.

So, I went in for my 41-week checkup and was ready to tell my doctor to let’s move forward on scheduling the induction. I’m thinking it’s going to be a quick and easy appointment. He’s still not here yet. I’m probably still not dilating AT ALL. Let’s pick a day and time and let’s have this baby already! Well, the office was in the middle of updating to a new system. I think you already know how THAT went!!

Torturing Pregnant Women!

My appointment was at 11:15 am. It was after 2 o’clock and we were STILL IN THERE!!! All I wanted to do was schedule an induction! Right when I went up to the front desk to ask if I could just make the induction appointment and leave (because I couldn’t take it anymore!!!!), they called me back! I did all of the routine stuff and 0 cm dilation. I wanted to schedule the induction as soon as possible. I would have been happy if she told me to go on over to the hospital right then. Well, it was close. I was scheduled to come in for the induction at 5:30 (otherwise they wouldn’t get me in for another week! The horror!!).

That was enough time for me to get home, eat something, take a nap, grab any last minute items, and head to the hospital. We were on our way to have this baby! I was so excited! The moment was getting even closer to me holding my sweet little baby boy! It felt so real but so unreal! I was about to have a BABY! I wasn’t in the car having labor contractions and trying to make my husband speed through red lights like I imagined. I was relaxed and smiling and just enjoying my last ride in the car while pregnant with AJ. The next time I got in the car, I would be looking at my baby AJ in the back seat! So exciting!

It’s Go Time! Well, Sort Of…

We check in at the hospital, get our hospital bracelets, I get in my gown, they hook me up to the monitors and asks me a series of questions to input into the computer system. Once everything looks good and my levels are where they need to be, they begin the first dose of the induction process. I was given Cytotec vaginally to start the contractions and dilation. The first dose was at 11pm, and it was to be administered every 4 hours. The next dose was at 3am Tuesday morning. By then, I was 1 ½ cm dilated! Wow! Progress!!!

More Torture

Having the Cytotec  administered was an easy process, but a painful one! And it didn’t have to be. The nurse that was giving me the Cytotec was not gentle AT ALL and was making it seem like I was overreacting and keeping her from doing her job. I didn’t mind her doing her job, I just wanted her to do it right! It made me want to get the whole process over with even more just to not have to keep going through that!

The next dose was at 3 am Tuesday morning. The nurse came in to wake me and give me the second dose. I was dreading it, and was ready to get it over with! I got the second dose and went back to resting. I knew that it was going to be a challenging process so I was trying to rest as much as I could. It was hard to sleep with the beeping of the monitors, but at the same time, it was a beautiful sound listening to my baby’s heartbeat all night!

By 7 am, the nurse came in and informed me that my contractions were picking up and becoming stronger. What?!?! I hadn’t felt a thing other than my stomach tightening. It didn’t hurt at all! She checked me once again and I was 3 cm dilated! With this news, I was upgraded from Cytotec to Pitocin. I wasn’t given anymore Cytotec, but we had to wait for mine and the baby’s vitals to get to a certain point (basically show stability) before we could begin the Pitocin. After about an hour, I started receiving Pitocin in my IV. Eventually, I started to feel more of the contractions and honestly, it felt no different from my period cramps!

Pain Tolerance

Just as a little background, because I don’t want anyone to think that it was totally painless and then it doesn’t work out that way for you, I have excruciating period cramps to the point that I can’t move a muscle. Well, after years and years of dealing with this, you learn to handle it and get used to it. So, with that being said, the contractions didn’t feel well, but it felt nothing new to me, and I just did what I had to do to deal.

I did things like switch sides in the bed, change positions, and when it started to get really bad, especially in my lower back (now that didn’t feel good at all!), I sat on my big blue ball while my husband massaged and put pressure on my lower back. I wanted to just go to sleep like that, but the nurses kept coming in saying I needed to try something else because that position was making it hard to pick up the baby’s vitals. I was able to walk the halls for relief also, stopping to get through contractions.

Eventually, I was getting REALLY TIRED and started not to feel well. I would say it was early afternoon by then and it dawned on me that I hadn’t eaten since before we left the house. And when you’re induced, there’s no eating.  Just to be REAL with you all, I thought I was going to come in at 5:30, get prepped, get induced and by the 10-11pm I was going to have a baby…no way! ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED!!!

So, it’s around 4-5pm and I’m exhausted and nauseous and weak and CRANKY!!! I started to vomit, but nothing came out because I HADN’T EATEN! I was cranky because I had a room full of people and I didn’t feel well and I didn’t like the idea of people just watching me be sick. But at the same time, I liked having the company and the love, and I knew no one could fix what I was going through.

Can Somebody Just Please Help Me?!?!

Not long after getting sick, I felt the urge to go to the bathroom (poop!) and the nurse started questioning me about it, like did I really have to go. Well, I went and I was so exhausted I sat in the bathroom BEGGING FOR A C-SECTION. But I was denied. The nurse said that the doctor didn’t do C-Sections unless there was a medical need or emergency. My situation wasn’t either, even though I felt that going through labor while STARVING was an emergency.

Since I was denied the c-section (which I’m glad I was!), I did opt for the epidural. So it’s around 6 pm Tuesday, and the anesthesiologist comes in and explains everything and begins administering the epidural. Getting the epidural was SUPER EASY! I just had to be still and it was only a challenge because my body was still acting as if I had to go to the bathroom. After about 15 minutes, the epidural started kicking in and everything eased. I EVEN GOT HAPPIER! I was laughing and talking.

I was still having contractions but it was completely bearable and I could still feel when I had them (the tightening). I was still feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. The nurse came in to check me (mind you I hadn’t been check since I last told you I was checked at 3 cm) and she looked at me and said, “Well, I know why you’ve been in so much pain…” I didn’t understand because in my mind I’m thinking, ‘Um, because I’M IN LABOR, DUH!!!’ but I just looked at her because maybe I misunderstood. She then said, “because your cervix is gone!” I still didn’t know what that meant. I just looked at her annoyed as if she were making a joke about my misery. Honestly, that’s what I thought she was doing. I didn’t think it was funny, but once again maybe I misunderstood. So, I’m thinking ‘so what does that mean???’ I can’t remember whether I actually asked that or not, but she finally answered my confusion and said, “YOU’RE READY TO PUSH!!”

Where’s The Doctor?!?!

Instantly, I thought, “It’s about time! FINALLY!” The nurse began to get me prepped for pushing and all sorts of people were coming in from different departments to assist the baby if needed. Everyone was ready to go, and I felt like I had a strong team behind me. The only problem was when the nurse came back in the room after calling the doctor, she informed me that the doctor said to hold off on pushing until she gets there. WHATS?!?!?!!! Without thinking (and of course I’m in the middle of childbirth so I am excused!), I said, “Well, she may want me to stop pushing, but that doesn’t mean my body is going to stop!” I very blunt and matter of fact, but it was the very truth. My body had been pushing the baby out for a couple of hours now and I didn’t even realize that’s what was going on! My body was definitely not going to stop just because the doctor was late getting to the hospital! The nurse reluctantly followed the doctor’s directions, but my body continued with the pushing. It was a sensation I could not control. An urge I could not fight. One I did not WANT to fight! I wanted this baby out already!!!

After about 20-30 minutes, the doctor showed up and everyone was so happy. I had my game face on and was ready to go! She came in and got into place. She looked at me and said, “You already know what took so long!” I said, “Oh yeah!” Thinking back to the LONG doctor’s visit the day before all because of system updates. There was still a terrible delay. But now, my wait was over. It was time to see my little baby boy, finally, after 9 months of pain, heaviness, kicks, punches, and just dying to hold this little tough guy! The moment had come!

The Moment Had Come

I pushed and pushed, but nothing seemed to be happening. I kept getting my hopes up thinking he was about to come out because my husband would yell things like, “That’s  it!” So, I’m thinking one good push and that’s it, the baby will be here. No. Basically, it would look like he was coming out, but would go back in after the push was over. That boy still wasn’t in a hurry to come out! I was getting frustrated and ready for it to just be over. I was wondering why someone couldn’t just get a good grip and pull him out when I gave a good push. It’s amazing how impatient and snappy you are when going through something like that! Well, I pushed and pushed for about 20 minutes and finally there were a strong relief and pressure and a scream that I think came from me, and THERE HE WAS!!! My BIG 8 pound baby boy!!!

AJ had the cutest little cry!!! I remember laying there as they took over to measure and wipe clean saying, “Oh he has such a cute cry!!!” I had never heard a cry like that before and it was the most beautiful sound! They clean him off and gave him back to me, and I began to nurse him. I also remember thinking he had the cutest little mouth and he latched on with no problem. I was so proud of him!!! The delivery crew began to leave the room since little man seemed perfectly fine and there was no need for any emergency tasks. It was so PERFECT. And I had such an overwhelming sense of relief! I could rest finally…well, rest better! But now my first task as a mom (other than nursing my new baby) was to FINALLY EAT!!! (LOL)

Dig In!!!

I got me some yummy Zaxby’s in my system and just felt wonderful! I was relieved from having a heavy baby in my body, had chicken to refuel my body, and got to stare at this beautiful little baby that I had just pushed out. An amazing moment. We spent the next couple of days in the hospital getting used to taking care of a new baby, getting used to breastfeeding, and moving around again. I had stitches because I tore, so I had to ease back into moving around on my own. I made the mistake of getting up too soon after the epidural and almost fainted, but I REALLY had to go to the bathroom! I got up and made my way halfway to the bathroom when everything started spinning and I just knew I was going to fall out. My husband was there to help me, but we didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to get up yet.

When the nurse came in to check on us, I let her know I went to the restroom and the look on her face made me realized that I shouldn’t have done that just yet! She asked did I get dizzy and I told her I did. She told me to buzz the button the next time I needed to go. When I was ready to shower (so excited about a shower!), we had to roll the baby to the bathroom door since we couldn’t send him to the nursery. People came in the test the baby’s ears and to take newborn photos, plus visitors dropping by with gifts and balloons. There was a moment when I had got AJ settled and sleeping for a decent amount of time and the cleaning crew came banging on the door and making so much noise. My husband had to tell them to quiet down because the baby was sleeping. Shoot, I was sleeping!

I’m A MOMMY!

AJ was born on that Tuesday and we went home on Thursday, February 18th. Our first few days and nights being home with AJ were not bad at all. When he woke up at night, he never really cried. His cry was that cute little pout he did. I would nurse him and off to sleep he would go. Not bad at all!

Now that you’ve read all about my birth story let’s continue this journey!

Thanks for reading!!!

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Have a SUPER day!!!

Amy McCutcheon

About The Author

Amy McCutcheon is a loving wife to Angelo McCutcheon and mom to two boys, AJ and Amauri McCutcheon. She is the creator of A Supermom’s Journey, a blog about motherhood and all that it entails. You can read more about the journey at  www.supermomsjourney.com.  Amy is also an educator and teaches middle school ELA and reading. She also teaches English online to ESL students in China. Amy is also the creator of the YouTube channel A Supermoms Journey and runs a tutoring service called AR Learning where she tutors students ages 4-18 in all core subjects and helps adults with obtaining their GED, college entrance essays, resume writing, and document proofreading. You can book an appointment at www.arlearning.wix.com/home. Amy is in ministry with her husband. They run EBT Ministries which is an outreach ministry to help believers truly understand Yah’s (God) word and the truth about being a child of Yah. You can learn more about the ministry at www.ebtminitries.org. Amy is the creator of the blog GMEL (God, Marriage, Education, Life) where she writes about what Yah’s word says about life for a woman. To continue to read, go to www.gmel2000.blogspot.com.

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