Adam’s Birth Story
This was not my first rodeo with pregnancy, or labor and delivery. They have all been very different experiences, but I’d experienced it nonetheless. Even with all my pregnant goddess attitude and birthing badges nothing could have prepared me for the birth of baby Adam.
I felt like I was being very patient waiting for labor to start. It became increasingly difficult as my due date passed and then July turned to August!
All day August 1 I kept thinking I didn’t want to go see the Dr the following day. It’s almost embarrassing walking in still pregnant at 41 weeks. It would not have been the first time I took the overdue walk of shame into the dr.s office.
That night we went to bed around 10 pm. It was pretty hard to sleep at this point. Not because of the huge belly or sore hip or even the swollen ankles. My pregnant “glow” had escalated to the point that I was my own light source. Hard to shut off all that heat.
At exactly midnight I woke up with 1 really strong contraction. Just one. That wasn’t the unusual part though. As soon as I woke up I had a heartfelt communication that echoed like a voice in my head that was not my own and it told me that I needed to get an epidural.
That might not seem strange to you but I’ve never had an epidural. I’ve never considered an epidural I’ve never even thought about getting one. In fact I’m that obnoxious, over the top, ridiculously annoying, crazy lady that is adamantly opposed to epidurals. I am woman hear me roar. You know the type.
Anyway, I told Mark that I had a contraction and that I had a feeling that I should get an epidural. We kind of laughed about it and then got up to try out our steam shower method. The method is that if I think I might be in labor Mark takes a hot shower and if the steam makes labor stronger it’s real but if it calms things then it’s false. The answer is no if you’re wondering if we ever considered just letting the water run without Mark actually taking a shower. All 5 times he took a shower.
No labor. Not even a little bit. We went back to bed. At exactly 3:30am I woke up again with 1 single VERY strong contraction. Again I heard a voice tell me that I needed to get an epidural.
I woke up Mark and told him about it. I wasn’t going to make him shower again but got up to walk around a bit because I couldn’t sleep. I walked into the bathroom and as soon as I stepped onto the tile floor my water broke. Like full rupture broke not that slow leak nonsense.
I called Emily, my friend/doula/photographer/do-it-all-er and let her know my water broke and that we were going to head to the hospital soon. I was absolutely positive that I’d be in full blown labor before we even got to the hospital.
When we arrived I still hadn’t gone into labor. Not at all. I wasn’t feeling anything.
We got checked in and talked to the Dr and decided to walk around some. Walking around meant back and forth in my room because covid. Several hours passed and still nothing. Nada. Baby was still high and not engaged at all..he was OP and a little sideways. Everyone was baffled. Never have I ever struggled with labor. My body has always done labor like it was it’s job. One kid almost born in the car, another born en caul. When my water broke with Tallie she was out in no time. I was starting to think something was wrong with me. Why wouldn’t my body do anything. I still didn’t want any intervention so we waited several more hours but sadly still nothing. I wanted to just go home. If my water hadn’t broken I probably would have gone home.
It wasn’t all bad. Mark, Emily, and I were chatting and laughing and becoming best friends with everyone there. Thankfully I was negative for covid so there weren’t any restrictions on anything and our room was kind of a hangout. I’ve had the same OB Dr Clark for many years. She went to medical school in New York and knows Spanish. Mark served a mission in New York and knows Spanish so they took great joy in having conversations that no one else could understand.
Obviously not going into labor can’t go on forever. My Dr knows me well and figured I wouldn’t be on board with any intervention so it was never suggested at this point. Emily was having feelings of her own and mentioned to me that maybe a “pinch” of pitocin would be enough to remind my body what to do and kind of get things going. Just as she was finished putting the idea in my head my Dr came in and said the exact same thing. As she was talking I had another feeling that was like a voice and it said “Obey”. Not only was it not my voice but I don’t use the word obey. I had a really calming feeling and agreed to the pitocin. In that same moment again I heard “you need to get an epidural”. Again a feeling of immense calm and peace. I told everyone that I wanted to get the epidural and they all just kind of looked at me like they had just seen grandma get run over by a reindeer. Mark and the Dr both spent a while actually trying to talk me out of it. Emily is a professional in the birth world and she empowers women to give natural child birth and she had the same feeling and also thought I should get the epidural. I decided to sit on it for a few minutes and start the pitocin first. As they were bringing in all the things I heard again “you need to get the epidural”. Totally at peace with it I just told them that I was going to get the epidural. I realize women get epidurals all the time and it might not be a big deal but it was to me. It really was. So before labor even started I got an epidural. As soon as that was done they started the pitocin, just a pinch. Well that didn’t work but since I’d had the epidural it was suggested we put the pitocin to work. I was reluctant but again heard “obey”. Fast forward a few hours and we are just about to the legal max. Still nothing and the baby hadn’t moved at all.
My Dr was straight with me and told me that we might be heading towards a C section. I’m the cool as a cucumber type but that had me all sorts of unsettled. We started to channel our inner gymnasts trying different positions to encourage anything at all really. I ended up laying on my stomach and that’s when things finally started to happen. Contractions started I began to progress. Baby was still super high and in the wrong position but at least I was having contractions! It wasn’t even an hour later baby’s heart rate started dropping dangerously low. I was having to move around (or be moved rather) constantly but it started to not help enough. A little worried Dr checked me and I was good enough to push but baby was no where near where he should be. They were concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get him out. I was a little annoyed that they had no faith in my ability to force a child to do something. I couldn’t make my body labor but I was dang sure I could push that kid out. Absolutely. No problem.
With our other kids Mark was always hyper focused on me and what I needed and how he could best be of help to me. This time with the epidural and Emily filling that role Mark was able to enjoy the experience. As they were getting everything ready to hopefully have a baby Mark asked the Dr if he could deliver the baby. I don’t think she’s been asked that very often but she was really great about it and completely receptive. Mark was given a gown to put on and the nurse helped him with some gloves and Dr. Mark stepped up to the plate. I joke with Mark that he didn’t know what to do with his hands so he figured he’d use them to deliver the baby.
With everyone in position and looking nervous I made eye contact with Mark and wasted no time. Baby Adam Gregory was born 45 seconds later in the evening of August 2. Mark placed him on my chest and came around to be with me. It was a moment I’ll never forget, thankfully I have a picture so it really is a moment frozen in time.
Besides being baffled by my body not wanting to work right and the timely and well received communications I was having we figured we might never know why things went the way they did. That was until a week later when I collapsed and almost died from a massive heart attack and was diagnosed with a terrible heart condition that I still struggle to come to terms with.
I’ve been told several times by both my cardiologist and OB that if I hadn’t had the epidural that I most likely would have suffered cardiac arrest and died in child birth. Likewise It also may have been too much for my heart had I needed the C section.
I think the craziest part of this story is that it actually happened so all the parts that sound totally wild are oddly relevant and fitting.
I’ve always felt closest to heaven when I’m welcoming a child into the world. During the entire experience I know I was lovingly wrapped in our creators arms. I’m grateful that I was receptive to personal revelation. I’m grateful that even when I thought I was weak I was actually obeying and following a plan laid out for me.
I felt like I was being very patient waiting for labor to start. It became increasingly difficult as my due date passed and then July turned to August!
All day August 1 I kept thinking I didn’t want to go see the Dr the following day. It’s almost embarrassing walking in still pregnant at 41 weeks. It would not have been the first time I took the overdue walk of shame into the dr.s office.
That night we went to bed around 10 pm. It was pretty hard to sleep at this point. Not because of the huge belly or sore hip or even the swollen ankles. My pregnant “glow” had escalated to the point that I was my own light source. Hard to shut off all that heat.
At exactly midnight I woke up with 1 really strong contraction. Just one. That wasn’t the unusual part though. As soon as I woke up I had a heartfelt communication that echoed like a voice in my head that was not my own and it told me that I needed to get an epidural.
That might not seem strange to you but I’ve never had an epidural. I’ve never considered an epidural I’ve never even thought about getting one. In fact I’m that obnoxious, over the top, ridiculously annoying, crazy lady that is adamantly opposed to epidurals. I am woman hear me roar. You know the type.
Anyway, I told Mark that I had a contraction and that I had a feeling that I should get an epidural. We kind of laughed about it and then got up to try out our steam shower method. The method is that if I think I might be in labor Mark takes a hot shower and if the steam makes labor stronger it’s real but if it calms things then it’s false. The answer is no if you’re wondering if we ever considered just letting the water run without Mark actually taking a shower. All 5 times he took a shower.
No labor. Not even a little bit. We went back to bed. At exactly 3:30am I woke up again with 1 single VERY strong contraction. Again I heard a voice tell me that I needed to get an epidural.
I woke up Mark and told him about it. I wasn’t going to make him shower again but got up to walk around a bit because I couldn’t sleep. I walked into the bathroom and as soon as I stepped onto the tile floor my water broke. Like full rupture broke not that slow leak nonsense.
I called Emily, my friend/doula/photographer/do-it-all-er and let her know my water broke and that we were going to head to the hospital soon. I was absolutely positive that I’d be in full blown labor before we even got to the hospital.
When we arrived I still hadn’t gone into labor. Not at all. I wasn’t feeling anything.
We got checked in and talked to the Dr and decided to walk around some. Walking around meant back and forth in my room because covid. Several hours passed and still nothing. Nada. Baby was still high and not engaged at all..he was OP and a little sideways. Everyone was baffled. Never have I ever struggled with labor. My body has always done labor like it was it’s job. One kid almost born in the car, another born en caul. When my water broke with Tallie she was out in no time. I was starting to think something was wrong with me. Why wouldn’t my body do anything. I still didn’t want any intervention so we waited several more hours but sadly still nothing. I wanted to just go home. If my water hadn’t broken I probably would have gone home.
It wasn’t all bad. Mark, Emily, and I were chatting and laughing and becoming best friends with everyone there. Thankfully I was negative for covid so there weren’t any restrictions on anything and our room was kind of a hangout. I’ve had the same OB Dr Clark for many years. She went to medical school in New York and knows Spanish. Mark served a mission in New York and knows Spanish so they took great joy in having conversations that no one else could understand.
Obviously not going into labor can’t go on forever. My Dr knows me well and figured I wouldn’t be on board with any intervention so it was never suggested at this point. Emily was having feelings of her own and mentioned to me that maybe a “pinch” of pitocin would be enough to remind my body what to do and kind of get things going. Just as she was finished putting the idea in my head my Dr came in and said the exact same thing. As she was talking I had another feeling that was like a voice and it said “Obey”. Not only was it not my voice but I don’t use the word obey. I had a really calming feeling and agreed to the pitocin. In that same moment again I heard “you need to get an epidural”. Again a feeling of immense calm and peace. I told everyone that I wanted to get the epidural and they all just kind of looked at me like they had just seen grandma get run over by a reindeer. Mark and the Dr both spent a while actually trying to talk me out of it. Emily is a professional in the birth world and she empowers women to give natural child birth and she had the same feeling and also thought I should get the epidural. I decided to sit on it for a few minutes and start the pitocin first. As they were bringing in all the things I heard again “you need to get the epidural”. Totally at peace with it I just told them that I was going to get the epidural. I realize women get epidurals all the time and it might not be a big deal but it was to me. It really was. So before labor even started I got an epidural. As soon as that was done they started the pitocin, just a pinch. Well that didn’t work but since I’d had the epidural it was suggested we put the pitocin to work. I was reluctant but again heard “obey”. Fast forward a few hours and we are just about to the legal max. Still nothing and the baby hadn’t moved at all.
My Dr was straight with me and told me that we might be heading towards a C section. I’m the cool as a cucumber type but that had me all sorts of unsettled. We started to channel our inner gymnasts trying different positions to encourage anything at all really. I ended up laying on my stomach and that’s when things finally started to happen. Contractions started I began to progress. Baby was still super high and in the wrong position but at least I was having contractions! It wasn’t even an hour later baby’s heart rate started dropping dangerously low. I was having to move around (or be moved rather) constantly but it started to not help enough. A little worried Dr checked me and I was good enough to push but baby was no where near where he should be. They were concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get him out. I was a little annoyed that they had no faith in my ability to force a child to do something. I couldn’t make my body labor but I was dang sure I could push that kid out. Absolutely. No problem.
With our other kids Mark was always hyper focused on me and what I needed and how he could best be of help to me. This time with the epidural and Emily filling that role Mark was able to enjoy the experience. As they were getting everything ready to hopefully have a baby Mark asked the Dr if he could deliver the baby. I don’t think she’s been asked that very often but she was really great about it and completely receptive. Mark was given a gown to put on and the nurse helped him with some gloves and Dr. Mark stepped up to the plate. I joke with Mark that he didn’t know what to do with his hands so he figured he’d use them to deliver the baby.
With everyone in position and looking nervous I made eye contact with Mark and wasted no time. Baby Adam Gregory was born 45 seconds later in the evening of August 2. Mark placed him on my chest and came around to be with me. It was a moment I’ll never forget, thankfully I have a picture so it really is a moment frozen in time.
Besides being baffled by my body not wanting to work right and the timely and well received communications I was having we figured we might never know why things went the way they did. That was until a week later when I collapsed and almost died from a massive heart attack and was diagnosed with a terrible heart condition that I still struggle to come to terms with.
I’ve been told several times by both my cardiologist and OB that if I hadn’t had the epidural that I most likely would have suffered cardiac arrest and died in child birth. Likewise It also may have been too much for my heart had I needed the C section.
I think the craziest part of this story is that it actually happened so all the parts that sound totally wild are oddly relevant and fitting.
I’ve always felt closest to heaven when I’m welcoming a child into the world. During the entire experience I know I was lovingly wrapped in our creators arms. I’m grateful that I was receptive to personal revelation. I’m grateful that even when I thought I was weak I was actually obeying and following a plan laid out for me.
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