Sara's Birth Story

Sunday January 12^th is when things started to happen. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, but nothing painful at all. Sunday morning I lost my mucous plug and then later that evening I started having contractions that were annoyingly painful. They ranged from 10-20 minutes apart but they died down by the time I went to bed. It was at that point that I was pretty convinced that Sara would be here within the week.

Nothing happened on Monday and then I had similar contractions on Tuesday that died down by the end of the night again. Nothing was really happening except I was getting done being pregnant and was just ready to meet Sara.

Wednesday morning while I was at work I noticed that I was starting to get those annoyingly painful contractions. It was nothing that I couldn't deal with though because I pretty sure that none of my coworkers were aware that anything was happening. I also thought that they would end up dieing off again. Sara had other plans though. By the time Jon got home from work at about 6 pm that night, the contractions had started to increase in pain and intensity. Throughout the night my contractions continued, ranging from 5-10 minutes apart and lasting 1-2 minutes long. They were painful enough that I couldn't sleep through them. I would wake up at every contraction and Jon was great and would message my my lower back to help me through them. I tried to get as much sleep as I could, but that wasn't much. At around 2 or 3 in the morning I really couldn't sleep at all anymore so I got up and went into the living room to allow Jon to get some sleep.

The birthing center had told us to call when contractions were 4-5 minutes apart. At around 5 or 6 am Thursday morning Jon would continually ask me if it was time to call the birthing center. I told him that they weren't close enough together and that we should just wait till my prenatal appointment that I already had scheduled at 11:30 that morning. Even though I wouldn't let Jon call the midwife, he made the the decision to call into work. I was half convinced that I would be able to get to work but I'm glad I didn't try to because I don't think I would have been able to drive myself to work even if I wanted to. Instead, we passed the time till my appointment by eating breakfast and taking a walk around our complex. We also finished packing our bags and making sure that we had everything that we needed to take to the birthing center so that we would have it with us in case we stayed there after my appointment.

Right before my last prenatal visit

My belly in all its glory

It was finally time for my appointment. When we were talking to the midwife about the contractions I had been having all night, she seemed to pass it off as not the real thing and just attributing it to me being a first time mom. Then she checked me and I was 4-5 cm dilated and 90% effaced. At that point in time, she was then convinced that I was going to be having this baby either that day or Friday. Since my contractions still went close together, she told me to go home and try to relax and get some rest and to call when contractions were 5 minutes apart.

So we went home and continued to time contractions while I tried to relax and get some rest. Finally at 4:30 contractions were close enough and we called and got back to the birthing center at 5. We were both disappointed to find out that I hadn't progressed at all in the last 5 hours. The midwife allowed us to stay there and we just monitored contractions for the next hour and a half. Unfortunately they started to spread out again and the midwife was convinced that I was just overly tired and just needed to rest. We decided that it would be best to give me a muscle relaxer to space contractions out and allow me to go home and get some real rest. After she gave me the muscle relaxer shot in my hip, We were walking out to the car and my water broke. We went back in and told her that my water broke. She checked me, and sure enough my water had broken. She had already given me the muscle relaxer though so she said I could either stay and get some rest or go and rest at home. We live pretty close to the birthing center so I decided to just go home and rest so that my midwife could get some rest too and not be overly tired by the time I was ready to go again.

So we headed home at 7 pm and I was able to rest in between contractions till about 2 or 3 Friday morning. By that point in time they were just too painful to stay asleep in bed. At that point in time Jon woke up with me and helped me through contractions my letting me hang on him and rubbing my lower back. Finally at 4:30 my contractions were 5 minutes apart and we called and got back to the birthing center at 5. I was so relieved to hear that I was 8 cm when we got there. The midwife filled the birthing tub and I was able to get some good relief with the jet in the tub blowing on my lower back. I stayed in the tub for an hour and a half. And contractions definitely got more intense. At one point in time I had 4 contractions one right after the other. When I got out of the tub I labored on my side for another little while. We were just waiting for that last little bit of my cervix to dilate. To help it along the midwife broke my forebag and tried stretching it over the baby's head during a contraction.

Hanging out in the birthing tub

Finally at about 8:30, it was time to push. I started off pushing while laying on my left side. I was having a hard time pushing though because every time I pushed it intensified my back pain. Then my midwife suggested we try the birthing stool so the gravity could help the process along. I pushed on the birthing stool until baby girl was crowning. That was some of the most intense pain I have ever felt. I definitely understand what people are saying when they call it the ring of fire and also when they say that it feels like the biggest bowel movement I've ever had. Well once I was crowning, the midwife had me roll back onto the bed to push her out. I was so exhausted and in so much pain at this point that everyone in the room really had to coach me through contractions and convince me to continue to push. I couldn't even hold up my own legs so I had Jon holding one leg while my little sister, Sandra, held the other. A few contractions later and little Sara was born at 9:32 a.m. on January 17, 2014. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 19 ¾ inches long. The midwife immediately placed her on my chest and she demonstrated her extremely powerful lungs. I delivered the placenta and then the midwife stitched me up. I had minor tearing and I only needed a couple stitches. She is absolutely gorgeous and Jon and I can't get enough of her cuteness. We are so happy and blessed to have her be born into our lives.

Proud new mom about 10 minutes after she was born!

 New Papa!

Now a family of 3!

Sara Kerrigan

January 17, 2014

7 lbs. 6 oz. 19.75 in.