the final round is now closed, here are the final results:


The Birth of Brendan Michael
15% (15 votes)
The Birth of Ella Grace
23% (23 votes)
The Birth of Aliyah
2% (2 votes)
The Birth of Wyatt Nikolao
6% (6 votes)
The Birth of Sophie
5% (5 votes)
The Birth of Cara Sky
10% (10 votes)
The Birth of Coralynn
15% (15 votes)
The Birth of Raiden Liam
2% (2 votes)
The Birth of Corbin Micheal
18% (18 votes)
The Birth of Madison Audrey
3% (3 votes)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Birth of Brendan Michael by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member337593

My story took place when I was just 17 years old. I remember waiting until I missed two periods before I tested. I was living with my grandmother at the time and I had to pee so bad! I of course didn't want her to know anything that was going on so I stayed in bed until she went to work. This particular day seemed like it took her an eternity to get out the door. Finally I heard her car pull away and I ran to the bathroom. I took the test and set it on the counter, not really wanting to look at it. I think I knew even though I didn't want to believe it. I finally turned around and there it was, two pink lines. I immediately took the second test and the same thing. I collapsed on the floor as all kinds of things went through my head. I didn't know what to do. I called my boyfriend of two years and told him the news.

After the shock wore off and we finally got the nerve to tell our families. They took it alot better then I thought they would. The hardest was my grandmother who raised me. I was so terrified of her being disappointed in me. The family was shocked, but they got over it pretty quickly. They knew that we were going to need support to make it through. I actually began to get excited about this little person growing inside of me.

I had to quit school because I went into preterm labor at 22 weeks. I tried the homeschooling on the computer and that didn't get very far. I had so many problems with it that I stopped quickly. I went on to get my GED, which to me wasn't as good as a high school diploma but I had to do something. I wouldn't depend on our familes to support our child. I felt like we were living off of him parents so we finally decided to get out on our own. I didn't want to bring our baby home to his parents or my grandmas. So we packed up and found a nice house to rent. I finally felt like we were a real family and the reality that we were going to be parents had sunk in. So we waited the days out. I read ever pregnancy book I could get my hands on and took every class we could find. I wanted to be as prepared for this baby as we could be.

At 30 weeks I decided I wanted a water birth. So I found a midwife and learned about the water birth. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to do it with out drugs. But I had hope that I could do it. I did so much research on natural birth and ways to cope with labor. I know I had to of watched hundreds on videos on youtube about water births! I wanted to be as prepared as I could. For some reason I felt like I had to prove that I could do it.

Something still wasn't right though and I finally figured it out. I didn't want our child born to parents who weren't married. So at almost 9 months pregnant I walked down that aisle. We would be "real" family. I knew that this was the best thing for our family. We had a small wedding and I looked so huge in my dress! Our son kicked in my stomach as we became one.

Finally the big day came. We were at Krogers grocery store and all of the sudden I felt weird. I mentioned it to Scott and he said he was sure it was nothing . Things didn't seem right. I can't describe the feeling, just that I knew that something was happening. . That was around 8 at night. We left and headed out to meet his parents for pizza. By the time we got there I was positive I was in labor. The contractions didn't hurt, just felt like my stomach was doing flips of some sort. I can't say that I was excited, I was terrified!!! Never going through it before, I didn't really know what to expect. Sure I had watched tons of videos and read countless books, but I had thoughts that something would go wrong.

I went to the bathroom and sat in there and cried. After all of the planning and getting ready I was not ready for this baby. I just kept rubbing my tummy and telling him to not come yet. I wasn't ready to be a mother. My life was going to change drastically in just a few hours and I was not ready!!!! I got pretty ticked off because not a single person came to check on me as I cried my eyes out in the bathroom for over 20 minutes!! That's when I knew that I would be going through this labor with no help. I couldn't count on Scott to step up and help me. Honestly I'm not sure if he knew how.

Finally I came out and told Scott that I wanted to go home. His parents and sister and her friends were all saying how they couldn't wait to get to the hospital to see the baby. By this point I was in such a nervous wreck that i turned around and in a very calm voice told them that if any one of them showed up at that hospital that I would rip their heads off. A bit harsh I know but they didn't care to see if I was ok when I was in the bathroom, and I didn't want to be aggravated by mindless chatter.

The trip home was horrible! Every bump felt like I was going to explode. The pain was starting to kick my butt by this point. I tried to remember everything I had learned in the birthing classes and not a single thing came to mind. After all of those classes I couldn't remember anything!!! I cant remember ever being so glad to be home as when we pulled into that drive way. I managed to get inside and tried to call my midwife. It took her almost 2 hours to contact me back. I kept thinking that I was going to have this baby at home because I couldn't get a hold of a Dr!!!!!! I know that sounds irrational but I was sure that my labor was going alot faster then most first labors.

I have to admit i did freak out at this time. My doula, who had arrived about 10 minutes before that, tried to calm me down. I just wanted to be left alone and I didnt want any one touching me. Quit a few times I screamed at them to just leave me the hell alone! I went to the bathroom because I had a very wet feeling and when I got there I had blood every where! I had never heard of someone bleeding while in labor so I was horrified!!!!!! I started screaming at Scott to get the car ready we were leaving NOW!!!!!!! I kept thinking that we should have left a long time ago and that something had happend to my baby and it was all my fault.

Its funny now that I think about it but I can't remember walking to that car. I just remember getting to the hospital and hanging on to dear life to those revolving doors! There were people coming and going and they were all held up as I hung on to the doors. One lady even had the nerve to tell me to move. I didnt say a single word but Im sure the look I gave her would have made the meanest person think twice before saying something else. After what seemed like hours of filling out papers they finally took me up. I couldnt believe that they had made a pregnant woman who was obviously in hard labor, fill out papers that I had already filled out twice!

I thought it funny that all of the nurses were smiling when I just wanted to throw something at them all. They gave me a big fit over not calling before coming in all of this other crap. I really didnt want to hear any more about it so I told them that either they got me set up or they were going to be delivering a baby right there in the hall. I couldn't understand why people were acting like this was no big deal when I was having a baby! This was my big momement. They were supposed to be making things as easy for me as possible but we were getting nothing but drama.

I finally get to the birthing center and guess whats there! More papers for me to fill out. By this point I knew I had to be close. I started screaming for some one to just please check me!!! The nurse said she had to get my iv in.for the strep B and I had to get it fast! She told me to sit very still and I couldn't believe someone would tell a laboring woman to sit still! I had three hard contractions in the time it took this woman to get an iv in . The fluid started to flow and it was burning! Great, yet another discomfort I would have to go through. This was not going the way I had planned at all. Scott had left to park the car and to this day I cant figure out why he didn't wait. It seems like he was always gone when I needed him the most that night.

They finally check me and i was already 7 cm. I begged them to let me into the water. The nurse said she didn't want to do anything until my dr got there. I was so fed up with it all that I started towards the bathroom and the water myself. She comes running after me and calling for another nurse. The two nurses talk for a moment and then turn to tell me that I can go ahead and get in. My midwife was on her way. The water was the most amazing thing ever. The pressure of the contractions on my back eased up tremendously! I let out a huge sigh and let my mind settle down. I felt calm and controlled.

This was going to be ok. I was going to do this without a single problem! the contractions weren't too strong. I could handle them. I was going to have this baby just the way I planned, in the water completely drug free!!! Scott climbed in and tried to help sooth the pain by rubbing my back. I gently swayed in the water and kept wondering where in the world my midwife was. I had been there almost an hour. It was almost 6 in the morning by this point. I was tired and I was hungry. I just wanted to have the baby and go to sleep.

As I was about to get out of the water and demand that someone call my midwife again, she comes walking in. She looked so calm and not worried about a thing. Didn't this woman know what the hell I had been going through!? She took her time putting on her gloves and unloading her equipment. I told her that she really needed to check me because it felt like the baby was going to fall out. She gave me this look like I didn't have the slightest idea what I was talking about. Granted this was my first child but come on! So after her arguing with me for 10 minutes that I had just been checked and hour ago and I couldn't possibly be ready yet she gave up and checked me. The look on her face when she realized that I was completely dilated was priceless! She looked stunned. I remember smirking at her and saying.... are you going to continue to argue with me or are we going to get this baby out?

They had me get out and labor down on the toilet. Why I'm not sure, but I was willing to do anything to get this kid out! I got back in and they told me to push. For some reason I lost all cool and any control I had. I panicked. I started crying and telling them to just get him out and to get him out NOW!!! They told me that if I didn't calm down that I would have to get out and get on the bed. That's not what I wanted. I had come this far and there was no turning back. If I was going to have the birth I wanted then I was going to need every bit of courage I had.

So after my little breakdown I tried to push. Pushing for me was the worst pain I had ever felt!! The baby was laying the wrong way and was what they call sunny side up. So with every push he was pressing on my spine. It was horrible. I was so exhausted and I just wanted it to be over with already. I looked up and saw about 10 young Drs in training trying to pile into the bathroom. The room was not big at all and I felt suffocated. I had wrote in my birth plan that I didn't want any one there that didn't absolutely have to be there! I had brought my grandmother, my husband and my doula with me for support. But by this time I didn't give a crap who was in there as long as they got that baby out! So I labored on with all of these strangers watching .

So i turned away and pushed with all of my strength. The nurse said she could see his head and asked if I wanted to feel his head. I reached down and my heart melted. I was going to finally hold my child. This baby I had laid in bed at night talking to and praying about. He was finally going to be in my arms! I continued to push for a half an hour, bringing my total push time to a little over an hour. He finally came out and when they put him on my chest I looked down at him and I felt like someone had just handed me my heart.

I couldn't believe that this was my baby! This wasn't someone elses child. He was mine! Scott cut his cord as I gazed into his eyes. Everything that happened after that was a blur. I remember them getting us out and two nurses helped me into the bed. There was blood every where and the pads on the bed reminded me of puppy pads you use to train a puppy. The bed itself was very comfy because it was queen sized bed instead of a regular hospital bed. Weird how that was crossing my mind after just giving birth! I couldn't get over the thought of how much blood there was. I knew I was going to bled but not that much!


I had third degree tears and had to be stitched up. The shots to numb me hurt so bad! They were ten times worse then the contractions. I thought it was going to take her forever to get me stitched up. I just wanted my baby!! So while the Scott and my Grandmother took pictures and loved on my son, I laid with my legs spread while the doctor stiched me up .I was later told that I got such horrible tears because my labor was so fast and my body didn't have the time to stretch. I think the midwife could have some how helped me to not tear so bad. I hear about other midwifes using compresses and such to help but mine didn't use any thing . I have wondered many times if I wouldn't have tore so bad if there were precautions taken. With my second son I didn't have even a single tear, and his labor was alot faster then my first so I personally don't believe the whole "your labor was too fast" story.

I kept trying to look at my son but he was surrounded by nurses. He still hadn't cried and I thought that odd. I asked the Midwife about it and she said that he was just fine, alot of water babies don't cry. He finally let out this huge scream. Just one scream and then he was quiet again. It seemed like they were doing a million things at once to him. He had his tests, then was bathed and tested again.They got him in a diaper and dressed and bundled him up in blankets. He looked so tiny laying there.

They finally came to the side of the bed and handed me this amazing bundle. He blinked up at me and I burst into tears. My child. He was mine! We spent three days in the hospital getting to know this little boy. He was so tiny and so perfect. I couldn't wait to take him home and start our lives together! Even after everything I had went through I told everyone that I would do it again in a split second. All of the pain and arguing it didn't matter. My baby boy was in my arms and that's all that mattered.

As time goes on I think back on my labor and wonder if I could have done anything to change the way it went. I had never went through that before so I was terrified and I thought the nurses and Midwife would do everything that needed done. I suppose my labor wasn't as bad as others, I did end up with the end result that I wanted. I used a different DR. With my second son, I wasn't able to have another water birth as I had to be induced but I felt much more in control and able to handle the labor, it may have been because I knew what to expect.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Ella Grace by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member276232

It was the third year in my painstaking journey to become a mother. I was 6 days overdue with my baby, thinking back on the long road that I had travelled to get there.

My husband and I lost our first baby, a boy whom we named Caden, at 17 weeks gestation on October 13th, 2005. I had a Premature Rupture of Membranes, and he had no chance of survival at that point. Months later, we became pregnant again. This time I experienced an Ectopic Pregnancy. I made it to 12 weeks gestation without any signal of something being wrong.Having carried the baby that long, my left fallopian tube had endured enough damage that it had to be partially removed. Fast forward to several more months later and we still are unable to get pregnant. I had only one functioning fallopian tube and two totally different types of losses, of which no one had any kind of explanation. Another 7 months flew by before I became pregnant again.This time, I was able to carry the baby to ten weeks gestation. Again, no explanation as to why these things were happening. And of course the fact that we had a second trimester loss, an ectopic pregnancy, and then a first trimester miscarriage did not help to solve anything. The doctorshad nothing to link together to even try to give us any kind of answer.

We feared the worst while hoping for the best, praying that we would some day finally be able to have another baby. After basically giving up hope, and with only one functioning fallopian tube, the seemingly impossible feat had become a reality. I was pregnant once again, another ten months later. This was to be my "miracle" child, as I dubbed her from the beginning. To me, it would be nothing short of that to actually carry a baby to term.

So there I stood, in February of 2008, in the labor and delivery hall of the hospitalawaiting my induction. Even with being this far into my pregnancy, my fears were still taking over my every thought. Until I held a happy and healthy baby in my arms, my mind would not rest. Throughout these losses I had been told that everything that happened to me was nothing more than a "fluke" or just down right bad luck, but my luck was about to change!

Bags packed and heading to my room, I awaited my scheduled induction, not knowing what to expect. Nine o'clock in the evening, no dilation or effacement at all, and about to have my body thrown into something that it seemed to not be ready for. I had decided to go without an epidural for as long as possible. I was given Pitocin and instructed to wait it out to see how I progressed before they decided how else to go about the process. Within a half hour, my water broke on it's own. I quickly began experiencing the worst back-labor pains. Just as everyone described labor to me, it was now horrifyingly playing out in front of my eyes. My husband had gotten bored of waiting for progress and decided to take a nap. Picture this, I am having full on back laborwith no support from my husband, and the nurses are nowhere to be found. I swear if I would have been able to walk across the room to where my husband was laying, I would have strangled him in his sleep! I was actually trying to figure out how to go about that, as I stood there, doubled over in pain. I quickly decided that I did indeed need the epidural. I buzzed for the nurse and asked her to call the anesthesiologist. She said she would. Two hours passed before I saw anyone. Needless to say, at this point I am one of "those women" that you hear about that are on a rampage while in labor. My fears were replaced by pure anger!

My husband finally awakens and I demand that he get me a nurse. She comes in and I am finally able to get my epidural. Heaven, at last! It was an instant relief and I was so happy that I opted to have it administered. I laid there and watched my contractions picking up on the monitor, without feelinga thing! It was time to rest before the big moment came and it was time to push. I woke up from my nap and was checked by my nurse who said it was time to push. She explained to me that since I was a first time mom, the pushing process could be quite extensive so she wasn't going to call for the doctor until the baby was crowning.

The moment had finally come, and I was ready to push! My nurse raised my bed to what seemed like 8 feet in the air and I started the process. Two pushes in, the nurse says to me, "Oh shoot, I forgot to use the bathroom before we started. I'll be right back, but you can keep pushing if you'd like." Now remember, I am about 6 feet in the air, no doctors or nurses in the room and she wants me to keep pushing? I dont think so. As if I wasn't before, I wasveryheated at this point. Most of the time you don't push because you want to, but because youhaveto! I was up there, trying to "hold" my baby in, scared to death of pushing her out and off the bed, with no one there to catch her! A few minutes (that seem like hours) pass and the nurse makes her way back in. My husband had turned on the tv to the country music station, and she apparently notices this for the first time. Again, the focus is not on me. She starts talking to my husband about how she loves country music and that she owns horses, and this is the very station that she plays in the barn for these horses to listen to. (Oh my goodness, are you kidding me?!) I am ready to kill someone, I just want to have my baby already and I don't have any desireto hear their mindless chatter about horses and music!

I shamefully admit, at this point is where I slightly freak out. I grabbed my husband's face and proceeded to threaten him. He finally became quiet and began to focus on the task at hand! My supportive "labor coach" is now finally with me, after 13 hours of labor!

The nurse realizes at this point that the baby is indeed coming and that she should probably get the doctor. My doctor comes in, three more pushes, and my baby is finally born! In that moment, I suddenly forgot all of the terrible pain that I had endured, the neglect that I had suffered through, and even all of my three losses in the past few years. My heart stopped, waiting for the sweet sound of my baby's cry. The moments dragged on before it came, but there it was, the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. My baby was finally here! Not only was she okay, she was quite "healthy," weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

It seemed like everything that we had gone through suddenly was made worth all of those pain and tears. My every dream had been fulfilled. Ella Grace was finally here, proving to not just me, but many, that nothing is impossible and never to give up hope!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Aliyah http://members.baby-gaga.com/member605270

With my daughter, Aliyah, my due date was January 25, 2009. I decided to continue on with college knowing that my due date was in the middle of winter vacation and I wouldn’t have to miss any of my classes. I was a first time mommy and very excited. I read everything about babies I could get my hands on, I thought I was prepared.

Tuesday night, December 16, 2008, I was finishing up everything for my finals, editing papers, going through notes, reading chapters in my books, everything was normal. I went to bed early knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep much being huge and pregnant and tossed and turned all night. At about 2 o’clock in the morning something didn’t feel right, there were no contractions, she woke up to kick like always, but something wasn’t right. I passed it off as indigested, calmed down and went, well tried to go back to sleep. I didn’t have to be at class until 11:30, but I got up early to eat a big breakfast and go over my final paper again. While looking over my paper, I got a horrible pain in my abdomen. I assumed she kicked something that didn’t need kicking, but it continued. I got a sheet of paper and kept track of, what I thought couldn’t be contractions. My fiancé went to work early so I was home alone, no big deal normally. I called, told him what was going on, and asked if he could come home. To my surprise he was already two hours away. There was no way I could or wanted to wait two hours to go the hospital. The contractions were now exactly three minutes apart, my water hadn’t broken yet, but the contractions were no fun.

I headed to the hospital. Afraid to be there on my own, I called family. My mother was an hour away, my father, more then that, lucky I got a hold of my grandmother. She was in town and on her way. I got to the hospital, checked in, got changed, put on the monitor, and waited. Shortly my grandmother arrived and words can’t describe how wonderful it was to see her come in the room. The nurse left me on the monitor for an hour, did not come and check on me, ask if I ever needed anything, or even if I need anything to relieve the pain. After the hour of monitoring, the nurse stood in the door way and told me I was clear to go home and walked away. In tears, I asked my grandma to find out something, anything from the nurse. I went to the bathroom and got dressed. She had brought the nurse back with her when she came to the room. The nurse told her that I wasn’t in labor, it was too early. My grandma asked about the contractions and pain I was in. The nurse laughed and said, ‘Well we all have a different perspective of pain. Those are Braxton Hicks contractions and your grand daughter is being a baby,” and walked off. Alex, my fiancé, arrived in time to see us walk out the door. My mother and father both arrived shortly afterward.

They took us out for lunch, in hopes to get my mind of the BH, and to calm me down. The entire time I was having contraction, five to three minutes apart, I was in a huge amount of pain, and even burst in tears as the waitress was taking our order. The contractions continued all through lunch and all through the night.

Alex and I went to bed at about 10:30. I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, and cried for two hours. It was almost 1 o’clock when my contractions went from my abdomen to my back. The pain was worse than ever, even though at that point I didn’t think it was possible, and I screamed at the top of my lungs waking Alex up. We sat in bed and timed the contractions. They were now every 30 seconds to a min. We called the Dr. has we walked out the door to give him a heads up that we would soon be there. I arrived got checked in and changed, yet again. Shortly after that I was examined and found out I was almost 8 cm!!

The nurse gave my Novocain for pain until I could get my epidural. The Novocain was absolutely horrible, I felt ridiculous drunk and couldn’t open my eyes or remember anything. The pain had subsided though. Two hours later I finally got the epidural. I was finally feeling much better and thought I should try and rest. Within minutes of my closing my eyes the Dr. came and wanted to break my water. He explained it wouldn’t hurt nor was it a big deal. I obviously felt nothing thanks to the epidural, that was until it splashed on my arms and legs from hitting the floor! The Dr. was in awe and I was disgusted.

I had the most amazing Dr, he came and checked on my every twenty minutes, knowing that any minute I should need to push. I finally called for the nurse thinking it was time. The Dr. walked in as I was doing a “practice push.” Half way through my pushed the nurse said ok stop no more pushing, she’s almost out. I held my breath thinking even the slightest movement would send the baby to the floor. The Dr. looked at me and explained that I wouldn’t get to hold her or maybe even see her after she was born but that everything was going to be ok. I pushed one more time and there was a baby.

Aliyah was born December 18, 2008 at 4lbs 8oz 18 inches long, a wonderful, perfect, tiny baby girl. She stayed in the nursery to have tests done to see if anything was wrong. It was hard to see her in there with tubes here, there, and everywhere, but I knew they were taking good care of her. Now she is almost 9 months old is advancing normally and is perfectly healthy. She is my whole world and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

Oh p.s. “that” nurse was there on my last day and all she said to me was, “Wow you had a baby?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Wyatt Nikolao by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member530489

On October 9th, 2007, I woke up to contractions every 5 minutes. The consistency was nothing new for me, as I had been experiencing contractions every 5 minutes since I was 20 weeks pregnant. The intensity of these was a little different however. I got up to go pee, and as I looked down I realized that my pee was pink! I was so excited to be having some bloody show that I paged my midwife immediately. She told me to call back once they started to change in time or intensity. So that day I did everything I could think of to help this progress along. I wasn't sure I was in labor, but I knew something was definitely happening. All day long things stayed at 5 minutes apart, with the same intensity. Every time I peed it was beautifully pink. I walked, bounced on my birthing ball, did lunges. At 8 pm sharp, everything completely stopped. No contractions; no bloody show. I was utterly disappointed. I continued for hours trying to get things started again. Finally I gave up and went to bed.

The next day I simply sat around my house, grumpier and more annoyed than I have ever been in my life. Not one single braxton hick contraction. Not the tiniest drop of blood. My poor husband steered clear of me. My mom told me it was the calm before the storm. There I sat, at 39 weeks pregnant, convinced I was never going to meet my baby boy.

October 11th, 2007 would turn out to be the best day of my life. I woke up at 7 in the morning to what was unmistakable labor. My husband was already off at work, my mom asleep. I layed in bed, timing my contractions. They were every 3 minutes and lasting at least a 60 seconds each! I knew this was the real deal. My midwife and I decided that I would just come in to my regularly scheduled appointment that day. I casually called my husband and told him that I would need him to come home to drive me to my appointment, but that he could work up until then. Within 10 minutes I was calling him back, telling him I needed him there with me asap.

I spent my morning walking in circles through my living room, dining room, and kitchen, glancing at Law and Order while trying to take my mind off the early labor. I took a shower which felt heavenly, and was ecstatic with each and every contraction I felt. It was time to leave for my appointment. It was then I discovered that laboring on back roads in a bouncy Jeep was not the most comfortable of ideas. Once we arrived at the Birth Center (located about 30 minutes away from us), we discovered I was 3cm dilated!! I still wasn't far enough along to be admitted, but that wasn't a problem for me. I was so happy to know I was approaching active labor. My husband and I stopped by a friends house, hopped into her car (a much more pleasant ride than the bouncy Jeep), and went to go get smoothies. When people asked me in the store when I was due, nothing felt better than to be able to say, I'm due Sunday, but I'm in labor now!

We ended up back at my friend's house. There we joked, laughed, and did a wonderful job of keeping my mind off of my contractions. My friend's mom who is a massage therapist offered to give me a massage. As I layed with my belly pressed into the hole of the massage table, my contractions slowed a bit. It was nice to have a small break. Around 3pm I noticed a big difference in the way my contractions were coming, so we headed back to the Birth Center to be checked again. 4 cm. I was through the roof! This meant I could finally be admitted into the Birth Center, and would soon be sitting in the wonderful birthing tub. But my midwife had other ideas. She wanted me to go home until I really felt as though it was unbearable. I cried the whole drive home. I made the best of it by climbing into my mom's giant jacuzzi bathtub. Looking back, I am so glad the midwife sent me back home, as the next 3 hours spending time in that bathroom with my husband, mom, and aunt hold some of my favorite memories from my labor. By 6pm I knew it was time for us to leave for the Birth Center for good.

When we arrived I was 6/7cm, so the birthing tub began to fill. I had finally gotten tired from my lack of resting throughout my labor, and decided to lay down. I should have remembered that what I was about to go through (transition) was the most uncomfortable part of labor, and that lying down through it was probably the worst idea. But all in all, I made it through. All it took was a little help from my husband saying encouraging words to me, my mom applying wonderful counter pressure to my back, and the sound of the birth tub filling, knowing that soon I would have that relief. As soon as the tub was full I hopped in. 45 minutes later I looked at my midwife and told her that I was dilated to 10 cm and was going to be pushing soon. She didn't believe me, but I made her check me anyway. Sure enough, we all discovered just then how well I knew my body. I was 10 cm and within minutes, I began to feel the urge to push.

By this point, pushing was the most wonderful sensation I had ever felt in my life. I couldn't believe I would soon meet my little man. At one point my midwife told me that my baby may end up being born "in the caul" (still in his bag of waters), but at 9:45 my water did finally break after almost 2 hours of pushing. By 10 my midwife said that I would have my baby within a few contractions. I pushed with all my might, ready to meet this little being. I hadn't realized I had already pushed his head out until I felt the relief of an immense pressure. I was ready to wait for my next contraction to push my little boy out. Suddenly my midwife told me to push him out immediately. I was confused and didn't want to as I wasn't having a contraction. Apparently his cord was wrapped around his neck and she was unable to get it loose, causing my son to begin to turn blue. I pushed with more strength than I have ever had before and within a few seconds, my little man was crying in mine and my husbands arms. I was overwhelmed. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, not to mention the smallest.

I couldn't believe the miracle that I'd created, grown, and now delivered was really here in my arms, and would be with me forever. Wyatt Nikolao Kapiookeanuenue was born on October 11th, his grandmas birthday. He weighed 6 pounds 10 oz and had the bluest eyes and stunning auburn hair. That night he and my husband happily slept in my arms. To this day, I am left with such amazing feelings as I think back to this night. I can't believe what I was able to do. The way I have gained a confidence in myself unlike any other was worth that whole experience. It's surreal that we managed to create this perfect little person.

I just can't wait to do it all again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Sophie by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member268026

At 37 weeks and a couple of days, my husband and I had just finished having 'alone time' and I was having mild contractions. This was nothing unusual because I had just gotten off of Breathine for some pre-term contractions. As I sat down in the bathroom, I noticed that after I was done peeing, fluid was still coming out in spurts. Thinking I was still peeing and Sophie had rolled on my bladder in an odd way, I continued to sit and continued to leak. After about 5-6 gushes, I tell my husband that something is up. He replies that I was leaking in bed a bit, but he didn't want to embarrass me in case I had peed a bit (such a sweet guy)! We didn't know what to do because the leaking stopped and started, so we rode out the night and I went to the OB in the morning.

The day before:
I arrive at my doctor and tell her what was happening. She tested for amniotic fluid and it came back negative (an interesting side note: my mom also tested negative for four days and ended up with a uterine infection from a ruptured sac, so who knows!). However, I was more dilated and she was worried about the large amount of contractions I was having. At the end, we decided that I would come back the next morning and see if there was any progress. She told me to be ready to go.

The night before:
Matthew and I got all dressed up for our possibly last night out as a family of two. As we sat in the crowded restaurant and Matthew looked as proud as could be, I started to bawl. I couldn't get over the fact that my pregnancy, this wonderful experience that I loved more than anything, was ending. Soon, she was going to come out and she would never be only mine anymore. We went home and stayed awake most of the night, nervous about the following day.

The big day:
We got up like a cannon had gone off in our room. We got ready and as we were leaving, looked around the house and took in the last moments of silence in our peaceful little home. At the doctor, I was 4 centimeters and having contractions all over the place so we were ready to roll! My mom and best friend arrived and the pitocin was started. The contractions began to increase and my mind began to clear. My body and mind formed a routine: get through the contraction and re-coup in between, get through the contraction and re-coup in between. Hours go by while I walk and rock during these contractions that are slowly starting to take over my whole life. Everything starts to fade out until all I can do is get through the contraction and re-coup on the breaks.
The pitocin is steadily increased as the contractions become closer and closer. My mind starts to panic; I'm not getting to re-coup. My calmness disappears as I lose my re-grouping time to these super-human chemical-induced contractions. Someone in the room offering an epidural...the one thing I didn't want. I start to deny them, but my contractions won't stop long enough for me to clear my head. With tears in my eyes, I nod my head and the medication arrives. The relief is immediate and wonderful. I can still feel pressure and intensity but I can think again. I can see my worried husband next to me and my mother with tears in her eyes from her excitement. All of a sudden, I know it's time to push. My mom (being the paramedic she is) checks me for crowning without asking...thanks mom!
Everything starts to happen and people start to appear. My OB, the greatest doctor I've ever met, arrives and I know that this it. These are the last moments of my pregnancy...these are our last moments of just the two of us. The natural instinct I didn't know I had kicked in. I push with contractions and watch her appear in the mirror in front of me. My friend cheers me on from the corner while she tapes the event. Matthew starts to tear as she starts to appear. Her head comes out sideways and then her shoulders appear. I reach down and pull her out and to my chest. There she is. Sophie. This is the person that Matthew and I created from our love. This is the child that I felt move and hiccup. This is the child my husband talked to for hours while I laughed at his stories. This is the best of us. She starts to nurse and my life is complete.

No matter what else I accomplish, pregnancy and childbirth are the best things I've done in my life. Thanks to a caring doctor and love around me, I feel like I had the most special moment that could exist in the world (even though I have epidural regret now because I feel like I failed in that one aspect). No matter my place in life, I know I can look back at the time and smile with tears in my eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Cara Sky by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member470030

Having a baby was the most amazing experience that has ever happened to me. The whole experience felt very natural and right, and I trusted my body to know that is was doing what it was meant to do.

It was a Tuesday, March 23rd, and I had just started feeling light crampy contractions throughout the day, no big deal I thought, so I just went about my business. Around 5 pm they started to get a little more closer together and they were getting somewhat painful. I decided to go and inflate my birthing ball that I had for purchased for laboring at home and as soon as I inflated it I plopped down on it. What a relief! The birthing ball works wonders, it takes all the pressure off your belly. Throughout the night I was sitting on the birthing ball, bouncing up and down to move things along if this was really it. I was getting pretty restless so I went to go lay down for a little bit and the contractions were getting pretty painful but I still did not quite know if my labor had begun, my due date was still two weeks away! I had only lay down for a little bit when I woke up Chad and told him I was having strong rushes, he told me to start timing the contractions and just do what I needed to do to be comfortable. So he went back to sleep and I went into the other room and got online and started timing them, they were still pretty irregular, about 3 minutes to 8 minutes apart.

I didn't sleep at all that night, and around 6 a.m. I called my midwife Lynette, she told me that women in their first labors usually go through these episodes for a couple days to a week before they even go into actual labor. I was not due until April 9th, so I assumed she was right. I told Chad he could go off to work, so he did around 7 a.m. and I told him I would call him and let him know if I felt we needed to go to the hospital. Around 9 a.m. the rushes were getting somewhat closer together and much more strong. I called Chad on his cell and told him to come home, it was time to go to labor and delivery! I grabbed the labor bags and packed the rest of everything we needed for the hospital while I waited for him to arrive.

We drove to the hospital, which was about an hour away, and we got there and went to labor and delivery and they sent me to triage. The nurse checked me and I was already 4 cm dilated. When she checked me she also swept my membranes as well. She told me she wanted me to get to 5 cm before she admitted me, so Chad and I decided to walk around for an hour to get things moving. So we did, the labor and delivery place was great, it was shaped like a big circle and had large wooden hand rails lining it, so I stopped every time I felt a contraction coming and grabbed on and leaned forward while Chad put pressure on my lower back. We went back to get checked by the nurse after an hour and I was 5 cm dilated.

Now I had decided throughout my pregnancy that I wanted a completely natural birth with no drugs so I was determined to make it! I had no intention at all and wouldn't allow myself to think that they were even available. We got admitted to a room at around 10 a.m. and got all comfortable and settled in my labor room. I had been tested positive for Group B Strep so they had to give me IV antibiotics for 30 minutes, but they capped off the IV so I was able to get out of bed, thank god, I could NOT lay down while I was in labor! The first thing I did was climb in the big roomy jacuzzi tub in my room. I was in there for a couple hours and it was heaven. The contractions started to slow down a bit so I got out and walked around again for a couple hours to get things moving again. I wasn't watching the time at this point, I had no idea how long it had been or what time it was. I was just concentrating on each contraction, I needed to work through them! My midwife Lynette was amazing and she put no limits on my labor, she followed my birth plan and let me do my labor just how I wanted.

Later in the evening they decided to check my cervix for dilation, it had been about 6 hours since they last checked, and I was 6 cm. The contractions were so forceful at this point, they were very close together and I was having mostly back labor. The back labor was agonizing. I started to lose it a little bit so I talked to Lynette and she offered Stadol, a narcotic that makes you a little sleepy, but doesn't really help the pain. They gave me one dose of the Stadol and it made me relax a bit for about an hour, but it didn't help the discomfort I was having.

It was around 7 p.m. when Lynette came to tell me things might go faster if she broke my water. I did not want that at all, I felt it would disrupt my natural birthing process, and my body must have known, because about 5 minutes later, pop! It broke all over the bed! It was wonderful! I felt such a relief. Everything got much more powerful after that, I had to concentrate on each contraction, breathing deeply and letting my monkey take over. I started moaning really loudly through each one, keeping my lips open to help open my cervix up.

Around 9 p.m.Lynette checked me and told me I was fully dilated. I was excited but nervous. In the room it was me, Lynette, the nurse, Chad and our moms. I did not feel ready and I didn't feel much pressure but started to push anyway. It was so exhausting, getting into that pushing groove, but eventually I got in a good position holding my legs back and pushing and breathing right. Chad kept telling me to breathe deep, breathe in, hold it and push. It felt like only a few minutes to me but after an hour of pushing I could feel her head come down and start to crown. It was the most passionate feeling I have ever felt, I was pushing harder than I ever knew I could.

I reached down with my hand and touched her head as it was coming out, the coolest thing. Lynette started to pull the head out and to the side to get her shoulder out and she flopped out. It was an unbelievable feeling, the relief of her coming out, with a gush of all the fluids.The cord was wrapped around her neck several times and around her arm as well. Everyone was so amazed at how short the cord was, it was so short, and so tiny!

As soon as she came out Lynette put her on my chest and I held for a while, falling in love. Chad cut the cord a few minutes later, making her her own being. The midwife and nurse never took her from me, and I refused all of the newborn procedures.

Chad took her and held her while they checked me for tears. He gazed into her eyes and they fell in love. He continued to hold her while they waited for the placenta to come out. She was so gorgeous and I could hardly believe it was all over. It was 10:17. I felt like the labor consumed me, and I had no choice but to groove and go along with flow and not think. We named her Cara, which means friend.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Coralynn by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member430199

December 4th
The day I found out I was pregnant, I thought my world had ended. I was not trying to get pregnant. I wasn't with my husband at the time. He is in the military and we lived in two different states. He was set deploy in March and we found out that we were expecting. I cried for hours not knowing what I was going to do with a child. I was only 20 at the time and I didn't want a child till i was 24-25.

DURING PREGNANCY
My first four months I had morning sickness so terrible that I lost 15lbs within those 4 months. After those first four months everything was great. I was in denial though, till i was 9 months pregnant. I didn't want a child at this moment in time. But the closer it got the more I loved the idea of being a mom. I hadn't even bought her one single thing, since I got that BFP! It was rough being at home while my husband was deployed but we got through it. We sent tons of video and pictures. At my 39 week appointment i went in like normal, she checked me and i was at 1cm and 25% effaced. I talked to my husband shortly before and I had to tell him I was going to get an ultrasound because Coralynn wasn't moving like she should of been.

AUGUST 6TH
I got into my ultrasound and the administer my ultrasound. It was a stress test for Coralynn. I was in there for 30 minutes and Coralynn failed. She wasn't moving, breathing, or anything for that matter for those 30 minutes. So I waited to see what the doctor wanted to do. As I am waiting in the waiting room, all these ideas fly through my head.

"Will I be induced, will it end in C-Section, will I be able to tell Chris if they decide to induce me that we are having Coralynn today?"

What seemed like hours in the waiting room, was a meer 10 minutes. My nurse comes in and says congratulations you are being induced today.My worst fear. So I call my mom and let her know to bring my stuff and let everyone know that Coralynn will be making an early appearance. I finally was able to get ahold of my Husband and when they told him why he had to call me, all they told him was there are complications and she needs you to call. He was so panicked and scared that there was something majorly wrong. I assured him that there is nothing wrong. He said he would call tomorrow and I would let him know what was happening.

I head over to L&D and get everything checked out. They blow two veins in my arm. Bad start already! I was freaked out by now. Then, what do you know, Coralynn starts moving and beating my insides! But my doctor still wanted to proceed just in case something was causing her not to move like she needed to. So at about 3pm they gave me cervidil. They allowed it to work very 24hrs. The very next day I was going to be hooked up to pitocin.

AUGUST 7TH
At 5 am they removed the cervidil, which had no effect on me at all, and they started my pitocin. At 7 am my doctor came in a broke my water. The contrations were so intense I needed something to at least take the edge off. So by 9am the nurses administered me fenugren. I immediately pass out from the effects of it. By 10am I was awake and I was at 4cm and I could no longer take the pain of the contractions. I felt like someone was stabbing me in my vagina with a pitchfork. So i received my epidural. Finally, I am able to rest!

Time passes by and finally I am at 10cm and 100% effaced. My nurses tell me it's time to push! So at 5:20pm I begin to push. I pushed for about 10-15 minutes and at 5:36pm on August 7th Coralynn Leigh was welcomed into this world. She was 7lbs 6oz and 20in long. She was perfect. My mom cut the umbilical cord and then she was quickly taken over to get cleaned up. As I look at my mom her face turns white. I didn't know what was wrong. My mom brought Coralynn over to me and I immediately started crying. My doctor thought it was because I was in pain. But I was so over joyed that I couldn't contain my tears. Soon after my mom went to the nursery and I was left alone with only my 5 nurses and doctor.

I soon found out I had full blown Postpartum Hemorrhaging. I was bleeding and bleeding and they couldn't get it to stop. Without any family in the room now, I was scared to death. They were giving me shot after shot and giving me pills to try to get the bleeding to stop. During this time she told me my cervix tore and she had to stitch me up. She said if I didn't stop bleeding I would go to the OR to have surgery. There were nurses pressing on my stomach trying to get my uterus to contract and what seemed like hours was only 30 minutes. But I was slowly losing energy as I bled. They had given me another shot of fenugren and it did the opposite of its intentions. I was puking stomach bile up and dry heaving. Finally after the long 30 minutes, my doctor was able to control the bleeding and finish with stitching me up. I was so pale from so much blood lose I didn't look alive.

I had not spoken to my husband in hours and was not able to tell him what had happened. They were on lock down in Iraq and were not able to receive or send phone calls.

I finally went to sleep and 7 hours later I wake up. By this time, I had not seen my daughter and they were constantly pressing on my stomach and checking my hemoglobin to see if I needed a blood transfusion. I believe I should have received one but I didn't. Its midnight and I tell my nurse I need to go to the bathroom. She says ok we'll go slow. I get up, get all the way to the bathroom, I tell her I feel dizzy. So we stop and then the next thing I know I was waking up on the floor with 10 doctors around me. I made a joke and told them"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you and pass out!".I get up and they clean me up. My bodily fluids came out all at once. It was disgusting.

I finally asked the nurse can I eat. She said she thinks that would be a good idea. I had not eaten in 30 hours, I had no fluids either, except for my IV, which infiltrated my arm. I finally got to see my daughter at 1am, 7 1/2 hours later. She was beautiful! I was finally able to tell my husband about what had happened and how beautiful our daughter is.

AUGUST 8TH-9TH
The next days in the hospital were great and the only problems I had were the nurses constantly pressing on my stomach to make my uterus contract. I went home two days later.

As soon as I got home I noticed swelling. With the IV in me for so long, the fluid was draining to my legs. It was so bad that when I stood up I immediately had to sit, I couldn't see my ankles. I then passed a blood clot the size of my fist. I called my doctor and she prescribed water pills to help with the fluid retention. Within a couple of days, I no longer had fluid retaining. I think I went to pee more times then I did when I was pregnant.

Everything after that was simple, except of course having a newborn and not getting any sleep! Now I have a gorgeous 1 yr. old. I wouldn't trade my experience for the world! She is smart, funny and mine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Raiden Liam by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member440281

I've always heard that a woman becomes a mother when she gets pregnant, and a man becomes a father when he holds his baby. I'm sure this is true in some cases but it wasn't for me.

My Labor story.... On August 21st 2008 at 8 am I arrived at the hospital for my scheduled induction. I was only 39 weeks and looking back I wish I would have waited that extra week. My pregnancy was fairly uneventful with no complications or symptoms that were out of the ordinary other than a severe case of depression which I had kept secret for fear of negative judgement from my SO and my family (HUGE mistake). I hated the way I looked. I hated my acne covered skin, the huge stretchmarks covering my entire body, and how "fat" I had become. I imagined that my SO hated looking at me, even though he told me I was beautiful everyday.Somewhere along the way I had secretly begun to blame my baby for all of this, and I "just wanted the damn thing out".

At 9am they broke my water and started me on pitocin and from there my memory starts to get a little fuzzy. The hours seemed to fly by at first. I was having contractions but they didn't hurt that bad so my nurse kept raising the pitocin level. I remember having to pee at 11:30am and asking for help to the bathroom, only to be told that I couldn't leave the bed. At 1pm my contractions finally got severe enough that I asked for pain medication. I was offered an epidural but I opted for Stadol instead because I didn't want it to wear off. The next time I remember looking at the clock it was 7pm. I was starving so I asked if I could have some food, but the nurse brought me a popsicle instead. I wasn't even allowed to have a sip of water even though my mouth was completely dry and my lips were starting to crack and bleed.

At 9pm I had only dialated to 3cm and I was having contractions less than minute apart. Then back labor started to set in. I had my SO massage my back during the contractions. I was so exhausted that when a contraction started I would just utter a random syllable, and he would start massaging. After what seemed like an hour the nurse came in, checked me, and said I was only at 6cm and it was time to start talking about a c-section. I looked at the clock and it was 1am. A million voices were going off in my head telling me that this wasn't the way things were supposed to happen, but exhausted and seeing no other end in sight I said "let's do it". So she turned off the pitocin and the contractions completely stopped shortly after.

While they were prepping me for the OR, I remember asking myself why I couldn't give birth vaginally like a normal woman and blaming myself for the failed induction. Then it was time. I went into the OR, got my spinal done, and then SO came in and held my hand. I had spent many hours in labor but the 20 minutes it took for them cut me open seemed like it took days. I kept waiting for that first cry and I was getting more and more terrified the longer it took. Then finally I heard it and it changed my life forever. There he was all 8lbs 6oz of him, and he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I don't think I will ever be able to adequately describe how I felt, but it was as if that one moment had erased all the negative feelings and thoughts from the last nine months. I felt so sorry for blaming this beautiful child for everything I thought was wrong with me, and it was at that moment that I finally knew that I was a mother. For the first time in my life I actually shed tears of joy.

Growing up all I remember hearing about labor was the horrible labor stories and I wondered why any woman would subject herself to that, much less do it more than once. Now I know and I am prepared to do it all over again. I have my regrets but I am blessed that my baby is healthy, and really that is what matters most in the end. My best advice to all those pregnant women out there is to surround yourself with a good support system. This should include your OB and at least one other person that you can talk to without fear of judgement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Corbin Micheal by: http://members.baby-gaga.com/member370925

This is the story of Corbin Micheal’s drug free water birth.


How it Started

On the morning of November 25 I had an ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid and an NST to make sure Corbin was ok. Everything went well so we went ahead for our appointment. I got checked and was found to be 5 cm. I was in awe! How could I be that open and not in labor? I had been dilating little-by-little since 32 weeks and I was now 40+5. My midwife offered to break my water since it seemed all my body needed was a kick-start. They had no idea!

I went back in at about 1:30pm to have them break my water. She finally did at around 2:00pm and I was in full blown labor by 2:30pm.

Early Labor

I spent the first part of my labor in the shower. I don’t remember what those contractions felt like. I kept having the urge to pee and when I tried to it would bring on a contraction. I was hanging on the top of the shower and swaying back in forth with the water as hot as I could get it on my back. I was coping well, but I was restless with the back labor.

This isn't So Bad

Around 3:15 pm I got out of the shower and called for my husband. I was walking around, leaning over the bed, stomping my feet, swaying, and rocking. I was just trying to get through each contraction. I started to get very anxious and scared because I felt like I couldn’t get on top of them. Brandon tried counter pressure with a hot rice sock, but it was too much for me. My labor was flying by and I stopped getting any breaks between the contractions. It really felt like one 1.5 hour contraction. It wasveryintense and I was vocalizing a lot. I asked to get in the tub at this point but it hadn’t been sanitized from the last birth yet! That was stressful.

Transition Sucks

I finally got in the tub on my hands and knees at about 3:45 pm. Brandon was great the whole time! He was pouring water over my back and encouraging me. I remember yelling at him because he was taking too long to refill the bucket between pouring them over me. He then started warning me when the water was about to run out and he refilled it fast. I was writhing and moaning/screaming with every contraction. I was looking for something to bite down on. I started biting his arm but went to a bath pillow when I realized that I could really hurt him.


Around 4:15 pm I was to my breaking point. I was crying between contractions because I just did not want to do this anymore. I was begging for drugs at this point, I just wanted something to take the edge off. I know I was praying (I don’t know if it was out loud or not). Little did I know I was in transition! The nurse recommended that I have a vaginal exam to see if I was making any progress.

Starting the Downward Journey

The midwife checked me around 4:30 pm and told me I was 9.5 cm! I was still on my hands and knees. As the midwife was walking out of the room I yelled “I’m pushing!”

I HATED pushing. I did not like the sensation of my body pushing without my consent! I was still not getting breaks between contractions and now I was having pressure, burning, back labor and contractions with no break!
I pushed on my hands and knees until around 5:30 pm, when the nurse recommended I turn over into a reclined/semi sitting position. I did not want to move, but I did anyway. Brandon started rubbing my shoulders and my chest at this point and the nurse was pouring water on my belly.

I never thought of myself as that woman who screams in labor. But let me tell you, during pushing I was very loud. I couldn’t control it!

I tried so hard not to push because it hurt so much. But I remember the nurse saying that I had some good “separation” happening so I felt a little more motivated to push.

At some point the nurse said that I could try to feel his head if I wanted to. So I put my hand down there and there he was. About an inch or two inside was this squishy little person, which gave me hope that the end was near.
A little while later the nurse asked if I wanted to know what color his hair was. I said yes and she told me it looked black. I was excited now that she could even see hair!

I started pushing even harder at that point. I tried to get 3 pushes in each contraction. The first one I never felt him move much, the second I felt him moving a little and the third was when I always felt the most progress. It hurt so bad though that I often stopped before the contraction was over and just screamed through the rest.

Welcome to the World

The nurse asked if I wanted someone to take pictures of the birth. I kept saying “no” over and over. I regret that so much. I really with I had pictures.
I was in so much pain when his head finally came out that I didn’t even notice! The nurse told me to push for the shoulders and I was confused! I had to ask if his head was really out. Everyone laughed and said yes.

The midwife was freaking out a little bit though and told me to push harder so I did. I heard her tell the nurse that there was a Nuchal situation (when the baby is born with its hand up by its face). That explained the back labor! Sometimes with Nuchal arms, the shoulders get stuck (explaining why the midwife was in such a hurry to get his shoulders out), but I was able to push the shoulders out with no problem.

As he moved down though, I could feel him moving my pelvic bones and my hips apart. That was awful!

When he was halfway out I instinctively reached down, grabbed him and pulled/pushed him the rest of the way out. Brandon said I pushed the midwife’s hands away to grab him but I don’t remember doing that.
I could hear Brandon laughing with joy and saying “Baby!” over and over again. I pulled Corbin onto my chest and started rubbing him and talking to him.
He didn’t cry right away, it was a few minutes before he did. I remember being a little worried about it, but he was ok. His little face was so bruised and swollen. He had two black eyes, his whole head was a bruise and his nose was crooked. Since he came out with his hand by his head, the left side of his face was more swollen than the other side so it was hard for him to latch for a while. He was just pitiful looking.

Later we put a few pieces of gauze soaked in arnica on his head under a hat. The bruising on his head went away in a few hours!

Aftermath

To be honest, I was more relieved that labor was over than I was excited to have a baby. I felt guilty about that at first because the pain of having him affected my initial bonding with him. I learned that that was a normal response though and we bonded quickly in the next few hours.

He had a very short cord so we only left him attached for a little while. Brandon cut the cord and took him so I could concentrate on delivering the placenta.
I stayed in the tub to deliver it, and I’m glad I did! When my midwife told me to give a little push to get it out, there was an explosion of blood! It sprayed all over the tub like an 80’s slasher movie (without the bad music)! My midwife said, “Damn that was…interesting.”

After that though, the placenta came out with no problem. The midwife took it into the other room and came back to rinse the blood off of me and help me out.
When I went to get up I almost passed out because I literally couldn't breathe. They put smelling salts under my nose and that perked me up enough to get to the bed.

Later they figured out that I had anemia due to blood loss, which was causing tachycardia when I stood. I remember the nurse saying, "Good, your heart rate is getting below 180." The tachycardia issues lasted a few days.

When they checked me they said I had 2 very superficial tears on either side of my labia. She wanted to go ahead and stitch me to avoid the possibility of them healing together so I got 2 stitches! She also decided that I was passing way too many blood clots so she manually got the rest of them out. Can we say ow? I was yelling and squeezing the nurses hand so hard!

I tried to take a shower after that but couldn’t due to the tachycardia. It made it to where I couldn’t breathe, so I just shampooed my hair once before the nurse had to help me back to bed.

Nursing

I tried to take a nap for a while but couldn’t so we tried breastfeeding. I had flat nipples so it was hard at first. I used a nipple shield for about 12 hours before he started latching without it (yay).

Going Home

We stayed at the birth center for about 9 hours before we finally went home. By that time I had already decided that I still want 4 or 5 more kids and I had bonded with Corbin. I love him so much!

Looking Back

I had a little PTSD because of the pain, but I realize now that there were many factors that led to the extreme pain: AROM, big baby, precipitous birth, nuchal hand, back labor, etc. So now, about8 months later, I’ve come to terms with it.

My drug-free water birth was so empowering, I feel like I can do anything now! I will definitely do it again and again. I can’t believe that I birthed a 10 lb 6.5 oz baby with a nuchal arm and only got 2 stitches that I could have done without!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


o matter your age, there is no greater joy than being a mother.

Time to be induced.
On October 20th, 2008 I went to my routine end of pregnancy check up. I distinctly remember staring enviously and eaves dropping as the mother in front of me jabbered with the mother to be next to her about how she was being induced on the 23rd of October. I remember thinking “Yeah, yeah, yeah who cares. Lucky you, WAIT, why can’t I be you?” Ten minutes later I was being called back into the room to be checked. At the end of my appointment my doctor looked at me and said “Would you like me to try and speed this along?" Well reading all that I have read on Baby Gaga and in various books about membrane scraping I assumed this was what he was talking about. I said sure and began mentally preparing myself for the process. Amidst my mental preperations my doctor's voice interrupted my thoughts. I then realized that it was not membrane scraping he was alluding to. He was talking about scheduling an induction date for the 22nd of October, my due date. He handed me a tube of cream that I was to insert in my “area” for yeast and sent me on my way. I approached the desk and after maybe five minutes of the receptionist trying to schedule an induction date with the hospital that kept insisting they were busy on all the days planned they finally settled on the 23rd. I was sent home with a small card that read “12:00. October 23rd,” From there I called my boyfriend whom had to miss the appointment because he was at work, my mom, and my cousin. The next few days were spent anxiously and of course nervously awaiting my induction date.

October 23rd, 2008: The Big Day!
After a night of virtually no sleep (due to being heavily pregnant and very anxious) I woke up and awaited the next few hours until I could leave. My family decided on this day to mock me and tell me about how bad it would hurt, because why not mock the first time mother? I can tell you that this entire day I tried so hard to use the restroom, and by restroom I mean go number two. I was so afraid of going while delivering. Much to my dismay nothing was happening and I was forced to just hope it didn’t happen while I lay on the bed pushing out my daughter. Finally a few hours after waking it was time to leave for the hospital. Of course it was a big event getting there as my Mother in her true self involved fashion, decided to stop and get a pop at CVS. As if they didn’t sell beverages at the hospital or something. Twenty minutes after leaving the house (even though the hospital is only about 10 minutes away) we arrived and it was time to get things going!

Getting settled in.
At roughly noon I was being settled into my labor suite. I was given the usual papers to fill out. You know the ones that save the hospitals ass in case anything goes wrong and also gives them the right to give your baby shots and eye drops after birth. I can honestly tell you I was so nervous at this point I was actually starting to shake. This was weird to me because I am typically good at hiding my feelings. The nurses settled me into my gown, told me to lie down, and then left for a few minutes to allow me to get settled in. The nurses then came back and hooked me up to the IVs and informed about the antibiotics that they were giving me for Strep B. I was then told that the antibiotics may sometimes burn as they go through your veins and it can even feel like your arm is about to break! This was scary but what could I do? I grinned, said okay, and hoped that the pain wouldn’t happen to me. (The arm breaking feeling did eventually happen, however it was a quick fix. My dosage simply needed to be lightened.) The nurse then left the room, but only after informing me that I was to use the bathroom because very soon I wouldn’t be able to get up on my own. This was quite hard to do because I had to take the whole IV machine with me and couldn’t fit it through the door. This forced me to pee for the first time ever with the door ajar in front of my poor boyfriend. Woops.

The waiting game.
After a few hours family started to arrive in my room totally disregarding the fact that I didn’t want ANYBODY in my room during this whole process. This was mostly due to my embarrassment and the fact that I hated the idea of going through contractions with my family and boyfriend's family watching. Maybe that’s silly but that’s just how I am. Somewhere during all the commotion of everybody arriving in my room, contractions started to get very painful. Some family members were still lingering but luckily one of the nurses arrived and informed them that they had to leave while she checked me. Thank god for that! The nurse checked me, decided I was at a 4 and then called in one of the partners at my OB office to do the routine ultrasound that checks the position of the baby. They decided my little girl was in perfect position and decided to move things along by breaking my water. I will tell you now that the feeling of your water breaking is the weirdest feeling ever. It was just a huge, warm, slightly embarrassing gush. The doctor then told me that contractions were going to change drastically and become even more severe from there on out. They asked if I wanted an epidural and without hesitation I said yes. The nurses told me that it would be just a few minutes until the anesthesiologist could come and give me an epidural. I nodded and waited for him to come. Twenty long minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived. They kicked my boyfriend out of the room and started to get things hooked up. However a few seconds later they realized that they had left part of the cord that they use for the epidural in another room and I was forced to wait five painful more minute while they looked for it. I can honestly remember these two things running through my head. “This sucks, how does anybody ever agree to have another baby? And then this... “Ugh my butt is totally hanging out of this gown.” Shortly after the epidural was administered, my pain literally dissolved. Epidurals are honestly god’s gift to women!

Holy Crap, I think this baby is going to come out of my bottom!
At roughly six o’clock my OB came in the room and checked me. He said something along the lines of “Well you’re dilatating nicely but your baby probably won’t be here until midnight or early in the morning. I decided that was just fine and thought it would be nice to get some rest until the next morning. Little did I know that three hours later I would be experiencing the urge to push.
At 9ish on the night of the 23rd I was laying in bed watching some show that I didn’t care for with my loving boyfriend beside me along with (but not wanted) my cousin and my boyfriend’s sister in tow. My favorite nurse of my birthing experience had just been in. She had told me that I was only at an eight and that I still had some time before I was ready to push. Not even five minutes after she left I felt “it.” Yep, this was definitely it! That feeling that I had read about so many times. It was the feeling of a baby about to come out of my butt! (Now I do know that babies do not come out of your bottom, but that really is how it feels.) I remember saying something about having a lot of pressure and deciding to call my nurse. She came back into the room and to everybody’s surprise I had dilated to a ten! Then it started. Various doctors, nurses, and registered nurses started to scramble into the room to prepare everything for my impending birth.


Pushhhhhhh!
The big moment was finally here. I was dilated to a ten and my doctor was slowly but surely on his way to the hospital. I was on all fours and was awaiting my chance to push. One of the nurses decided that I needed to put on the oxygen mask because my daughter’s heart rate was beginning to drop and rise alarmingly. It was literally going from somewhere around 200 all the way down to 50! I was still on all fours and I was starting to have so much pressure that this was the last thing I needed to hear. I pulled the oxygen mask off of my face and was crushing it in my hand with every contraction. Looking back I realize I should have left it on but I was in so much discomfort and under so much stress that I just wasn’t thinking that rationally. The whole time my boyfriend was next to me (thinking more wisely than I) reminding me to wear the mask. This was the only time during my labor process that I snapped at him. I remember saying something threatening to him as I bared each contraction. I also remember trying to sneak a few pushes here and there, while I was still on all fours. Also somewhere during all of these contractions my afore mentioned “number two” decided it was time to make its grand appearance as well. Not that I even cared at that point.


Hurry up Doc, this baby is about to make her way out.
Where the hell was my doctor during all of this? Who knows, but he sure was taking his time getting to that damned hospital. Finally some twenty minutes later he arrived and told me I could start pushing. My daughter’s heart rate was still rising and dropping dramatically and this thought was still the very most stressful thing in my life. After playing a short game of tug of warinvolving a rag with my nurse in order to help push out my baby, things were starting to move along. My boyfriend was doing a wonderful job of supporting my right foot which was helping me wonderfully to push because I had something to push against. At one point my doctor scolded me for not pushing strongly enough. This was a little irritating because to me I was pushing with all of my might. Finally I heard some very encouraging words! My boyfriend could see her hair! She had hair and it was visible. This motivated me like no other and I pushed like I was trying to break down The Great Wall of China. This worked, with the help of the vacuum. (The vacuum is actually forceps that they mayuse to help pull out the baby in times of absolute need.) After a little less than twenty minutes of pushing, my little princess was finally here.

Where is my baby? Why isn’t she crying? WHAT are you whispering about?
My daughter’s entrance into the world was the most amazing and terrifying experience I’ve ever had. When she arrived she was quite limp from the stress of my labor and her rapidly increasing, and dropping heart rate. The doctor cut her cord, not even giving my boyfriend the chance to do soand handed her over to the nearest nurse. This is the point in my birth that I became a little furious and very worried. My boyfriend I kept asking questions and getting very simple answers, that didn’t really answer our questions at all. It went something like this...

Us: “Why isn’t she crying?”
Nurses: “This is normal she’s just stressed.”
Us: “Seriously, why isn’t she crying?”
Nurses: “This is normal. See she made a little noise.”
Us: “That was hardly a whimper, what is going on?”

Finally (after what seemed like years) my daughter let out a cry. This was the most joyous and beautiful sound my ears have ever heard. Still things weren’t quite right. They weren’t letting me see her and nurses were walking around whispering to each other. This was the most angering thing that happened to me while at the hospital. How little tact can a person have to whisper while there are anxious new parents waiting to hear if their new arrival is okay?

Getting the facts straight.
A few minutes later they informed me that Madison was a healthy 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Oddly enough my biggest wonder was “What time was she born?” It may seem silly but I wanted to know the exact minute my daughter became part of this big world. The nurse informed me that Madison was born at 9:22 PM and I was content. Moments later a nurse brought my darling girl out wrapped in a blanket with a hat to boot and let me hold her for the briefest minute of my life. The jabbered something about having to take her to the Nursery/NICU to have tests run to figure out just what was going on with her heart rate.

Oh by the way, we gave you an episiotomy.
In all of my confusion after my daughter’s birth I never realized that my OB and a RN were still messing around “down there.” I asked my boyfriend why and he did this scissor motion with his hands which was all I needed to see. I realized I had gotten an episiotomy and was a little uneasy about this but I didn’t really care. I was just concerned about getting to see my baby again and also about the fact that I had yet to deliver my placenta! I then looked at my OB and said “Did I already deliver the placenta?” He smirked and told me that this still had to happen. I remember thinking “Oh my god how am I ever going to push after getting these stitches in my crotch?” However maybe ten minutes later my OB pushed on my belly a few times and the placenta just sort of came right out. Almost like a banana coming out of a banana peel.


You can go visit your baby in an hour after you’ve rested.
After being stitched a nurse informed that I would be able to go visit my baby in the nursery but not until after I had rested a little bit. She then did all the things they do after you have a baby like give you heated blankets because you are shivering from the after effects of an epidural, remove the epidural from your back, and help you learn how to pee. Yes, after you have a baby your crotch is so swollen that you have to squirt water on it as a feeble attempt to clean yourself after peeing. The nurse then informed me about the little circular pads I had to put in my new “Delivery diaper” (my nickname for the large mesh undies you are given after delivery) and about how to use medical spray. I didn’t care much for the medicated pads, but whatever that spray was it worked wonders.

Time to meet Madison!
Somewhere around an hour after my daughter’s birth I was wheeled to the nursery to see my baby girl again. They then unhooked her from the machines that she was on and let me hold her. This was the most wonderful meeting of my lifetime. The curtains were opened for family to peek through at their new family member as my boyfriend and I cuddled her (the best we could as she still had a heart rate monitor on) and reveled in her beauty.

In retrospect.
Looking back I can honestly say I do not regret many parts of my birthing experience. I still wonder why I thought not wearing my oxygen mask during contractions was okay.
However I don’t regret being induced and I don’t regret having an epidural. My epidural worked wonders. It eased my pain, allowed me to concentrate on labor, and did not harm my birthing process at all.
I still hate that the nurses thought it was okay to whisper in my room while I waited to hear my daughter cry. I still wonder why my daughter’s heart rate was so shaky, and ponder the idea of it being due to the SUA (Single Umbilical Artery) that we were told about early in my pregnancy.
Other than that though I am happy to say my birthing experience was a joy. The hospital did their job very well with only a few hiccups along the way and made me feel quite comfortable. It was quick, virtually painless, and resulted in the most amazing gift I’ve ever been blessed with.I can honestly say that I cannot wait to have another child sometime in the future.

How long will this be open? I would like to read all the stories and vote but I do not have time right now!

Quoting Alyssa & Arion:“ How long will this be open? I would like to read all the stories and vote but I do not have time right now!”

this one will be open for the next five days.

the first round will be closed tomorrow.

Quoting Mara:“ this one will be open for the next five days. the first round will be closed tomorrow.”

okay great, I'll be back!  

Quoting Mara:“ this one will be open for the next five days. the first round will be closed tomorrow.”

wow i'm in here. awesome.
will the people who made this round be included in the calender as well or no?

Quoting Haley! [Madison's Momma]:“ wow i'm in here. awesome. will the people who made this round be included in the calender as well or no?”

i'm actually doing this to save myself the trouble of chasing people down in the future.

i'm going to need editting on virtually every story, the people who fail to do that in the allocated time, will be dropped from the calendar.

Quoting Mara:“ i'm actually doing this to save myself the trouble of chasing people down in the future. i'm going ... [snip!] ... editting on virtually every story, the people who fail to do that in the allocated time, will be dropped from the calendar.”

so the people in this round are somewhat like alternates in case others don't do edits?

Quoting Haley! [Madison's Momma]:“ so the people in this round are somewhat like alternates in case others don't do edits?”

not really...

there was a marked plateuing in story-quality around the 33rd story mark-- and i had a list of 17-odd stories that were all about the same level (yours included), so most of the stories in the last two rounds were considered about the same quality.

i didn't go in thinking, oh i'm going to need alternates, i'll pick more...

i was just going for 40, but felt wrong trying to select one story over another when there wasn't a clear difference between the two.

and being just me, i don't think it's fair to judge on that level either-- if that makes sense. i'd rather have a fifth round and see how it plays out.

I think corbin's story was pretty inspiring, he was a 10lb natural water birth

its how i wish my birth had gone

Quoting Mara:“ not really... there was a marked plateuing in story-quality around the 33rd story mark-- and i had ... [snip!] ... think it's fair to judge on that level either-- if that makes sense. i'd rather have a fifth round and see how it plays out.”

Yeah I understand what you're saying. You seem to have made this contest very equal the entire way through. That's pretty cool of you lol.

I hate to be a nuisance but I'm curiousif these stories will be included in the calendar as well? Or have not decided yet?

Quoting Haley! [Madison's Momma]:“ Yeah I understand what you're saying. You seem to have made this contest very equal the entire way ... [snip!] ... I hate to be a nuisance but I'm curiousif these stories will be included in the calendar as well? Or have not decided yet?”

i was wondering that too. oh and mara dont want to be a bugger or anything but you have brendens name spelled wrong lol

Quoting mommy to three 2010!:“ i was wondering that too. oh and mara dont want to be a bugger or anything but you have brendens name spelled wrong lol”

oops sorry!

i can't fix the poll though...

doh!

Quoting mommy to three 2010!:“ i was wondering that too. oh and mara dont want to be a bugger or anything but you have brendens name spelled wrong lol”

anything that gets the final gold star editing-wise, will be included.

all of these stories are in the "pending approval" phase right now...

Quoting Mara:“ anything that gets the final gold star editing-wise, will be included. all of these stories are in the "pending approval" phase right now...”

do you need us to re edit them then?

oh and i was going to ask, how it was going to work with my story since brendens was also in round two?

Quoting tantric☮lemons:“ I think corbin's story was pretty inspiring, he was a 10lb natural water birth its how i wish my birth had gone”

Aw, thanks hun.