The Road Goes Ever On...: Aurelia's Birth

Here's Aurelia's birth story :) Hopefully it's all the details you want and none you don't.

Early Sunday morning I couldn’t sleep. I was having contractions about 15-20 minutes apart for two hours. While I know it isn’t technically considered labor until they are 10 min. apart for an hour, they were pretty strong and consistent enough to make me think labor was going to start soon. I woke up Nathan and we discussed whether I should text our doula, Bethany, or not. We decided to wait another hour or so before we disturbed her that late at night. I thought for sure the contractions would start coming faster. But, then they stopped. I fell back asleep and nothing happened. We texted Bethany in the morning and with her encouragement decided to take the day as normally as possible.

So, we went to church. I was super achy and uncomfortable so, we left at noon. We were supposed to be going to Galesburg to meet Jake and Rachel for supper with the family that evening but we decided we had better stay home. I took a nap and woke up around 2:00 with contractions. My parents came and got Gideon on the way to supper. My contractions were really random. Anywhere from 10-20 minutes apart, lasting 30 seconds to a minute. Nathan took notes on the times and lengths of each contraction. Around 5:00 I texted Bethany a picture of our notes. She decided it was time for her to come.

Around 5:45 my water broke. Sort of. It wasn't like the movies (in the grocery store, suddenly there's gushing water and they're surrounded by a puddle...) hehe.

Bethany made it to our house shortly after. After my experience with Gideon, my first and being on Pitocin, It was hard to believe that I was having the baby anytime soon. My contractions were so random and far apart. With Gideon, they had been 2 minutes apart from when they started and were extremely strong for hours. (Pitocin is awful. Just so you know)

Eventually, they continued to get strong enough that Bethany and Nathan had to help me through each one. We tried to take a walk around the kitchen but I could barely make it a few steps without a contraction. And, I started to feel pressure so low I said I felt like I needed to push.

And, so at 9:00 we loaded up and headed to the hospital. I climbed in the back of the van and leaned on the back seat the whole way. Time is an odd thing when you are in labor. It felt like an eternity but before I knew it we were pulling up to the ER. (9:30)

I climbed in a wheelchair and was shuttled up to the window. The poor person behind the window was trying to ask my information while I was mid contractions. At one point she asked my name and because I couldn’t talk, I threw my birth plan at her through the window…

I'm pretty sure I was in transition at this point and after a short stop in the ER, I was hurried up to my room.

At 9:49 they called for my doctor. I personally wish they would have called sooner because my body and I were quite ready to push that baby out. So, when he finally did arrive and told me I could push, I was very excited.

About One and a half pushes in they made me stop. She was still in the sack! and the cord was wrapped around her neck and arm.

Apparently though my water broke it was a pretty small leak so the majority of the sack stayed intact. Since I'm pretty much a birth-nerd, I've actually always hoped for an en caul birth, as it's called. It's super rare, about 1 in 80,000 births! Also, I think something like 1/3 of all babies are born with the cord wrapped around their necks, so it wasn't really concerning.
Anyway I digress.

Once they freed her, about a push later she was out, at 10:11pm.

Let me tell you. I know it has a lot to do with her being the second but, man for just having a baby, I felt good. When they took her to untangle her and clean her up a bit, I kept remarking how good I felt. This time there had been no IV, my body went into labor on its own, no pitocin, no 19 hours of labor, I was well rested, it was only 10:00, I had eaten while in labor (tsk tsk)... Anyway, it was just a completely different experience from Gideon's birth. Which was such a relief.

I've always enjoyed (maybe not the right word) the Bible's use of labor as a metaphor:

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. John 16:21

And then there is the woman in Revelation. Anyway, I love the way labor is used. Which is partially why I care so much about the birth process. And, also maybe I'm weird. But, I tell you it was a joy. To go through so much pain, get to the point where there is no control, to give in to how God created your body to function, but then a child is born and everything changes. It's a beautiful spiritual metaphor that works for daily struggles clear to God's great plan of redemption.

And, I am so thankful that this time around I was able to experience it in a completely natural way. It was a crazy roller coaster of a pregnancy. But, there were so many answered prayers and in the end I couldn't have asked for anything to go differently.