The Big Day!

Sunday: February 23. Due Date.

Finally! The day we’ve been waiting for came. As my husband Nate and I didn’t sleep well the night before and he had been fighting a sinus infection, as well as, my not feeling well, we felt the need to stay home that morning and rest instead of going to church. And boy am I sure glad we did cause we ended up sleeping straight into the afternoon getting the rest we needed not only for that day but to help prepare us for what was going to happen the next day...

Afternoon came and I still didn’t have any signs showing Colton’s arrival being anytime soon so we decided to get up and go out to eat. By the time we got to the restaurant, I started having some -not painful- tightening in my lower abdomen which made me wonder if they were the beginning of contractions or if my shorts were too tight (it became a struggling stage where even maternity clothes were uncomfortable to wear). After eating we went to my sister’s house for a bit before heading back home. Once at home, I tried changing clothes, eating, switching positions - anything to see if the tightening would go away (as Braxton Hicks are said to do). It still was persistent though not frequent enough to be in labor. We decided to just watch a movie and relax and wait it out until bed time. By bedtime, I felt like they were the real thing and decided to get my bags and stuff ready just in case.

Monday: February 24. Labor Day, also Nate’s Birthday.

It was 1:08 AM when I woke up feeling contractions. I started to time them and kept track of how long and apart they were for about an hour and a half. It was around 2:40 am that I decided to get ready to go and then woke up my mama and Nate so they could get ready. As we took our time, we made it to the hospital around 3:30 am and got settled in the room. At this point the contractions were getting more consistent but still bearable. It was 4 am when the Doctor made it in and checked how far I was dilated and found out I was at a 6. I still had a while to go so with my soft music playing, my mama, sister and Nate there with me, I was able to just relax, breathe and enjoy the moment. I tried the birthing ball, the peanut pillow, slight walking and standing and decided that laying on my left side was the most comfortable and relaxing position. It was about three to three and a half hours (about 7:30ish am) of waiting and relaxing until I felt like I wanted the Doctor to check and see how far I dilated... unfortunately I was only a 7. At that point I was a bit discouraged, I was getting tired and I was so sure it was close to needing to push as my contractions were getting stronger. They just kept telling me that I had a long way to go and to just relax and keep doing what I was doing. It was not long after the Doctor left that my contractions were getting unbearable, constant and I had urges (some I couldn’t control) to push. Though I had everyone constantly telling me to relax and not push, I couldn’t help it I was to a point where I needed to push, I couldn’t move and my throat was so dry and sore but I couldn’t talk or drink water. I was so tired and done that I even had thoughts in my head of how I would gladly take any medication or even a c-section to be done but as I kept telling myself I wanted to have a 100% natural birth and made it that far I only said out loud that I was tired and couldn’t do it anymore... Thankfully with Nate encouraging me by telling me to hurry up so I can eat my Jersey Mike’s (yes he really said that lol) and my sister and mama kept saying that I was doing so good, that I was almost done and that I CAN do it naturally, I was able to push through and wait it out. Finally about an hour since being checked last (around 8:45am), they called the Doctor in to check how far dilated I was and they were surprised to find out I was a 10 already. They said I could do some little pushes but as the Doctor had to do a c-section at 9am I had to WAIT 45 minutes for her to be done. HA! Yeah I looked at her and just shook my head and hoarsely said “no, no way” lol! Seriously, I couldn’t wait, I was done! As my contractions got extreme, I just laid there on my side, eyes closed, hands clutching the side rails... Nate decided to scrub up and get gloves on and told everyone in the room that he and the Nurse were ready if the baby decides to come before the Doctor came back. Not that I don’t trust the Nurse’s and my husband’s abilities to deliver a baby... I was thankful the Doctor made it back quicker than expected. She scrubbed up and everyone got prepared. I switched positions and at 9:48 AM, Colton De Wei was born 7 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. He was perfect. We had immediate skin to skin contact, Nate got to cut the cord and it was just a wonderful moment of finally being able to hold our sweet little man. I was blessed to get a somewhat quick labor and everything I wanted according to my birth plan, as well as, having the three important people there with me: my husband, my mama and my sister. But even if it didn’t go as planned I was happy I finally got to hold and kiss our little guy.