Sophia’s birth was such a big moment in my life, it is a personal story that I enjoy sharing with friends and family. One thing I learned after giving birth for the first time, is that not everything goes the way you plan it to be. In the end, it’s all worth it when you meet your precious little baby for the first time!
A Few Days Before Giving Birth
Let’s back up to 37 weeks pregnant… I decided to officially start maternity leave the following week to stay home and take it easy. I was teaching 4th grade full time, and I wanted to be in the comfort of my own home for the rest of my pregnancy. I would start my maternity leave that following Monday and I would be 38 weeks pregnant.
The Thursday prior, I went on a field trip with my 4th graders. During this field trip, my class was getting ready to go on a hay ride and I asked the driver if it was safe for me to be on the ride at 37 weeks pregnant. She said it was completely fine since the hay ride travels less than 5 mph. All my students and chaperones were enjoying the hay ride, and at the very end the driver accidentally goes over the curve of a sidewalk. I end up falling on my back in the middle of the hay ride. All the students were fine as they held on, but my balance was off and I end up falling on my back! It took everybody by complete surprise! One of my teammates helped me up, and I remember being in complete shock. I felt fine and wasn’t in pain. In that moment I knew that getting on the hay ride was a big mistake. Luckily, I had a weekly doctor appointment that same day and would tell my doctor about my fall.
At my 37 week appointment that afternoon, my doctor said that I needed to be admitted to the Labor & Delivery unit to check on Sophia. Once we got there I was hooked up to monitors and they did an ultrasound. I had to stay for two hours as I was having small contractions. During that ultrasound the doctor noticed that Sophia was measuring smaller than a 37 week old baby. They wanted to send me to a hospital in Denver that specializes in Maternal-Fetal Medicine to get an accurate ultrasound of Sophia. I scheduled the appointment for the following Monday. I’m thankful I took that week off of school because things escalated very quickly from there!
Why The Doctor Wanted Me To Get Induced
During my scan, the ultrasound tech didn’t say much and I knew something was off. Once he left the room, I broke down and cried. The doctor finally comes in and explains to us that Sophia was measuring a few weeks behind in size. The doctor explained that it could be one of two reasons. Either my placenta was not giving Sophia enough nutrients or she genetically was a smaller baby. Since we didn’t know the exact reason why she was measuring 3 weeks behind, he highly encouraged us to be induced that day…. Yes that day! It was better for Sophia to come out and get the nutrients she needed, in case my placenta wasn’t providing that for her. My biggest concern was that Sophia would have to stay in the NICU but the doctor reassured me that she wouldn’t need to.
Up until that point, I was never made aware that Sophia was measuring behind. I was told that she was on track with her weight at every appointment. I was confused and didn’t want to be induced but knew it was the best choice. Wes and I decided to get breakfast first, I was craving pancakes and we chose the Pancake House as our last meal together. Then, we went home to grab our hospital bags. I made Wes take a picture of me before we left the house. I was swollen and puffy from all the crying that morning. I wanted Sophia to stay in my belly a little bit longer but was excited to finally meet her!
Getting Induced at 38 Weeks
I was admitted to the Labor & Delivery unit and the induction process started! First, the nurses started Cervidil which is inserted into the cervix. It is supposed to help dilate and “ripen” the cervix. After an hour or so, a couple nurses rush in the room and tell me to flip on my side. They gave me oxygen and closely watched the baby’s heart rate monitor. They explained that Sophia’s heart rate was dropping and that the Cervidil needed to be taken out. By this point, I was starting to feel small contractions.
The next thing the nurses suggested was getting the Foley bulb (balloon). The Foley bulb is a catheter that is inserted into the cervix and then filled with a saline solution. I heard horror stories from friends, so I asked the nurses if it was painful. Their response was that it’s “uncomfortable”. Let’s just say that it was excruciating! The nurse basically had to insert it twice and I remember crying because it was that painful. Once she filled the balloon up, my contractions started picking up fast. The Foley bulb is removed when the cervix is dilated enough and the bulb falls out on its own. When I wasn’t having a contraction, I would feel the pressure of the balloon and it was very uncomfortable. Then, a stronger contraction would come on and last about a minute or so. Wes would constantly tell me to breathe because I would hold my breath to try and manage the pain. I felt like I couldn’t catch a break!
A friend of mine who is a labor and delivery nurse was working that night and came by to say hi. During our conversation, I could barely focus and was moaning in pain. She knew that I was in a lot of pain and said that she would order the epidural for me. I’m glad she was able to request it when she did because the pain was getting stronger and stronger!
By the time the anesthesiologist came in the room, I could barely sit up to get the epidural. The contractions were getting intense! I didn’t even feel the needle in my back, the procedure was quick and I had my eyes closed the entire time. After 15 minutes, I could feel the epidural working it’s magic and was feeling good! Wes and I decided to try and get some rest. Throughout the night, I would flip between my left and right side to get the epidural working evenly. My legs were very numb and felt heavy!
The next morning, I was dilated enough that the Foley bulb was removed and then I got my water broken. The nurses also gave me Pitocin which helps the uterus contract. I was making progress and after every vaginal check I was dilating more and more. Around 8 or 9 centimeters I felt super nauseous and ended up throwing up twice. I hate throwing up and felt like I had no control over my body.
It’s Baby Time!
I remember feeling the urge to go to the bathroom which is a sign that baby is ready to come out! The nurse checked me and said I was 10 centimeters dilated… it was time to push! My legs were very numb so Wes held one leg and the nurse held the other. I tried a few practice pushes and I had only one nurse in the delivery room. She was an older nurse who had spent many years delivering babies, she was incredible and very encouraging. After 40 minutes of pushing, she called the doctor in. When the doctor stepped in, he said “One last push Cathy and you’ll meet your baby!” I became so emotional and cried immediately. I couldn’t believe this was the moment that I was finally going to meet Sophia.
Sophia Grace was born on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 2:47 p.m weighing 5 pounds 6 ounces. She was a perfectly healthy baby and turns out she was just a tiny little peanut. Sophia and I did skin to skin for awhile and then she started breastfeeding. Wes also did skin to skin with Sophia, it was such a beautiful moment seeing them together. I was just in awe of her and couldn’t stop staring at her!
We ended up staying in the hospital two nights because Sophia’s blood sugar levels were low and she had a little bit of jaundice. She was perfect in every way, and becoming a mom was surreal. I remember the second night was really tough because of the cluster feeding and the feeling of complete exhaustion! My back was sore from pushing and I was starting to feel the pain kick in. I had a first degree tear and had to get a few stitches. The postpartum recovery was not what I was expecting, it is more challenging than I realized. Everything is swollen, bleeding, and sore for weeks. (Thank goodness for nipple cream because those first few days of breastfeeding are painful!)
Getting Discharged & Going Home
On Thursday afternoon, we finally were discharged from the hospital! I was overwhelmed with so much emotion but was excited to come home. It was snowing that day and Wes took his time driving home as the roads were icy. I sat in the back seat with Sophia and remember thinking how little and perfect she was in her car seat. When we got home we were greeted by our two cats, Willow and Evee. Welcoming our rainbow baby into this world was the best moment of our life…. Little did we know that is when the fun began!
