Ivy Elise

Born Sunday, June 1, 2008
6 lbs. 9 oz.
19 3/4" long
short, dark, curly hair

Our beautiful baby girl is here and we are in love.

Here's the story . . .

I started having very mild (just tightening of the uterus, no pain) but regular contractions (5 minutes apart) 4:30am Sunday morning. (I had contractions like this with Spencer for 2 days, so I didn't take them seriously). I got out of bed, packed for a couple hours (we're moving next tuesday), woke up the boys at 6:30, packed more, cleaned, showered and went to church (1:00-4:00pm). I decided to time the length of and distance between the contractions just for fun--nothing alarming, still 5 minutes apart, lasting for almost a minute each.

After church was over, we went home, and Brian and I prepared dinner together. He had invited a church friend over for dinner, which I didn't exactly want to accomidate, but went along with anyway. By 5:00pm the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, but the intensity of each was still pretty mild. By 5:30 the intensity had increased enough to convince me it was time to go to the hospital. After that each contraction was more and more painful.

(In between contractions just before we left the house)

While I packed my bag, Brian ran to get our car, which was parked a couple blocks away. Upon his arrival, I made my way to the car while Brian took Lance and Spencer to our friends house for the night. I grew more concerned in the car (6:00pm) as each contraction was closer together and suddenly super intense (looking back this was transition). Mt. Auburn Hospital is only a couple of miles from where we live--pretty much a straight shot. However, each Sunday Cambridge closes a part of the main road we would normally use (Memorial Drive) due to festivities, so we had to take a longer alternative route, which caused me great worry!

For those who don't know, I decided to have this baby without an epidural, but by the time we pulled up to the hospital I was in so much pain and scared out of my mind to deliver without one!
As soon as Brian pulled up to the entrance of the hospital (6:15pm), we got out of the car, left all of our stuff in the car with the doors wide open, Brian led me to the elevator and asked, "what should I do? I'll come with you if you want me to, but I can park the car and get our stuff--it's up to you." I told him to park the car, that way none of our stuff would be stolen and he would be able to get pictures and video footage (our cameras, laptop, wallets, etc., were all in the car still).

He sent me up to the 5th floor, and as I hobbled off the elevator, I was yelping for someone to help me. The pain was so intense I could barely scoot my feet across the floor. I had to go down a couple short hallways and was scared I wouldn't find my way to Labor and Delivery fast enough. I arrived at some double locked doors that said, "authorized personnel only." I knocked on the door calling for help, someone opened them, and I hobbled my way through another contraction up to the front desk and whispered, "I don't know where to go." The nurses responded, "well, who are you?" I gave them my name, and they asked me if I had called my midwife. "Oh, no I totally forgot!" "Well, who is your midwife?" they asked. By that time I was bent over with another contraction and couldn't talk. I finally blurted out my midwife's name and began crying in pain.

They helped me to a room (6:22pm) and told me change into a gown, all the while I'm hollaring in pain. I went into the bathroom to change and "relieve" myself one last time. At this point Brian walked in, and I cried for him to bring me something from my bag. He handed me my bag, and the nurses told him to go back downstairs to register me. I finished my business, and as I was exiting the bathroom I felt I couldn't walk anymore. "I don't know why I decided to do this!" I shouted. "What?" asked the nurse, "have another baby?" "No," I responded, "give birth without an epidural!" By this time I was on all fours, and for the first time, I experienced the shamelessness that everyone talked about. I was trying desperately to crawl over to the bed, my gown not even attached, so it was dragging on the ground while I was crawling--totally nude--and she realized I was further along in labor than they thought. (She said they have so many women come in, only dilated to a 2; so not knowing how far along I was when I came in to the hospital, they weren't in a huge hurry). At this point though, she knew I was in transition and she said, "as soon as that contraction is over, book your way over here to the bed and we'll see where you're at!"

I finally made it to the table and they had me lay on my back to put the baby monitor on my stomach and give me an I.V. (a routine test the week earlier indicated I was strep B+ this time, which would require me to have antibiotics through an IV while delivering). I was rocking back and forth, unable to control myself because of the pain, and they helped me stay still while they checked me. The midwife said I was at 8cm and the baby was coming any minute (my water still hadn't broken). Someone made a quick call to the registration desk to tell them to send Brian back upstairs immediately, and within seconds, he was at my side, panting and sweat dripping from his face (6:27pm). Realizing the birth was soon and that the I.V. would barely be in place before the baby was born, the nurses took off the fetal monitor and ceased trying to insert the I.V.

Like I said, I was on my back, but from reading and talking with other people, I knew this was the most painful position to be in. I cried, "do I have to be on my back?" "No," they responded. So, I rolled over to my side and then felt the urge to vomit. I screamed for an epidural. "No time!", they responded, and Brian held up the trash can as I vomited and I felt my body start to push. I cried out, "I HAVE TO PUSH!!!!!" I had also read that I should NOT hold my breath during a contraction, "breathe the baby down....", but there was no way. I could NOT breathe, my body was pushing so hard. My water then burst (I'll spare you the details), and Ivy's head crowned. It hurt so much I yelled "JUST GET HER OUT!" "One more push and she's out!" they encouraged. My body then started pushing fiercly, and again I vomited. I could do nothing but hold my breath through the rest of the push, (lucky for everyone around me, what a relief from all my hollaring), and then she was born! (6:30pm)

(Just after they cleaned us both up)

As soon as she was out I felt immediate relief of pain--it felt so good. They handed her to me, but since I was covered in my own vomit and sitting in a huge pool of--well, you know, the "stuff"--I just wasn't ready to hold her yet. There were so many sensations that I had never felt before since I had an epidural with both boys. It was amazing. Excruciatingly painful, but amazing.

(Just after her first shot)

Looking back, I wouldn't change a single thing. (Well, that's not true. I hope I don't yell next time, I am embarrassed about that). In fact, I plan to do it this way from here on out. I did deliver without medication like I originally wanted to, but I didn't really have a choice given the timeline (basically 30 minutes from when I first felt real pain). It was perfect.

I know that if I labor at the hospital I will inevitably get an epidural, the pain was just so great. I plan to do most of the laboring at home next time, that way I won't give in. I feel so blessed to have experienced Ivy's birth this way. I felt everything. It was not the birth I had envisioned, but it was perfect . . . better than anything I could have planned.



She is absolutely amazing--I am so full of love and graditude right now. This beautiful girl is ours.