Amelia’s Birth Story: A Quick & Fast Labor

I can’t believe our sweet Amelia is finally here and is two weeks old already! This was such a quick and fast labor, that I almost didn’t make it to the hospital in time!

We are so in love with her and it’s truly bittersweet to be in the newborn stage again. I’m excited to share Amelia’s birth story because it was such a different experience than my first birth with Sophia.

On the morning of my due date May 30th, I woke up around 6:00 am feeling a small contraction but fell back asleep until 7:00 to get Sophia out of bed. After I fed her breakfast, I could feel contractions getting stronger. My husband, Wes suggested that I start timing them on a contraction app. I didn’t think they were strong enough to be tracked, but he convinced me otherwise. I started timing them around 9:00 am.

From there, they continued to get stronger. I decided a hot shower may help ease the discomfort. Meanwhile, my husband gathered all of our bags and had everything ready to go that morning… just in case.

I still wasn’t convinced that I was going into active labor, and didn’t want to go to the hospital too early only to be sent home. Once I got out of the shower, I called my hospital to confirm if I was in active labor.

After talking to a labor and delivery nurse, I noticed that I was bleeding. From there, my contractions were becoming pretty painful. They started getting closer together and were about 3 to 5 minutes apart. My husband and I made the call to drop off Sophia at my in-laws house first and then drive to the hospital.

Leaving To Go To The Hospital

We left our house around 11:30 am, I had a feeling that baby girl was coming! I couldn’t believe how quick labor was progressing – it was getting intense! By the time we were on the highway, I told my husband to drop me off at the hospital first. I could feel the baby coming down lower into my pelvis and I was not going to make it to my in-laws house. They live about 30 minutes away from the hospital.

Saying Goodbye to Sophia

Once we arrived at the drop off zone of the hospital, I kissed Sophia goodbye and became so emotional. I was feeling sad that she wouldn’t be my only baby anymore and that she would be away from us for a few days. 

I was interrupted by another painful contraction and knew I needed a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk. Wes wheeled me to the lobby, and told the COVID screeners that I needed to go to Labor & Delivery. Wes quickly left to his parents house and I was wheeled to Labor & Delivery. After getting checked in, a nurse checked my cervix, and said I was 8 cm dilated and had a bulging bag of water! 

Begging For An Epidural!

I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to delay labor from progressing any further so I told the nurses to not break my water. And I told them that my husband was on the way… Honestly, I was scared he was going to miss the birth.

At this point, I was in so much pain that I was desperate for an epidural. I was concerned that it was too late to get an epidural so I requested it as soon as I could. The nurse said that I needed an IV drip and fluids first, and then she would call the anesthesiologist. I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared to give birth without an epidural. Luckily, the anesthesiologist walked in soon after that!

Once the epidural kicked in, my contractions slowed down. My doctor said she would wait to break my water so that Wes could arrive at the hospital first. I could still feel my contractions but I was able to finally relax!

Soon after that, Wes made it to the hospital and the doctor broke my water. It was a calm, rainy day outside. Our delivery nurse said that when the barometric pressure drops it causes spontaneous quick labor and an increase in births. Not sure if this applies to me or not but it’s pretty cool!

Time to Push!

The doctor checked me and I was 10 cm dilated… it was time to push! I requested a mirror so I could see our baby girl being born. Wes said “Are you sure you want a mirror?” I definitely think it was helpful having a mirror but a little scary seeing everything down there!

Since I had such a quick labor, I felt confident that I was going to push the baby right out since this was my second delivery. After 40 minutes of pushing, I started feeling defeated and got emotional. After every push, I could see Amelia’s head go back in and I felt like I wasn’t making any progress.

My doctor reassured me that I was doing great and that baby would be out soon. Finally, a few minutes later she was out! The doctor put Amelia on my chest and I cried!! She was absolutely perfect. Amelia was born at 2:53 pm weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces.

She had lots of dark hair and a big lump on her head. The doctor said that she came out “sunny side up” which is why she took a little bit longer to push out. Most babies are born face down in the anterior position. Since Amelia came out facing up, I ended up having a third degree tear and needed stitches. This was tough to hear, as I knew it meant that recovery would be painful and take longer.

During those first few hours, we enjoyed our time together admiring our beautiful baby girl. Amelia is such a calm baby and is a champ at nursing. The three of us stayed in the hospital for 24 hours and then went home.

Healthy Baby Girl!

With my first birth I was induced at 38 weeks and had a long labor, you can read more about it here. I’m so happy that my body naturally went into labor this time and I gave birth on my due date at 40 weeks. Although it was a quick & fast labor and recovery has been much harder this time around, I am so grateful for a healthy baby! I’m truly taking in all the newborn cuddles and late night feedings. I love kissing Amelia’s chubby cheeks, they are so squishy and soft! I can’t imagine life without her, she fits into our family so perfectly!

Photos by: Joyful Story Photography