My Birth Story

by Shalice Noel

 

 

You never know the time of day your baby will actually arrive unless you have it scheduled. So after talking to my doctor, we decided to induce Monday, October 9 at 6 pm. Because we don’t have family in the area, planning the induction was the best way to get the older 4 kids organized safely. This was a great way to avoid stress. Thankfully, Levi was already getting ready to come out. One of my prayers! But for the rest of the story, read on…

4 pm: I dropped off the kids at our friends from church’s house. I’ll admit I cried a little. I hate leaving them overnight!

5 pm: We headed to the hospital, but I realized I was hungry and that I’d probably need energy to labor all night.

5:30 pm: I ordered a veggie bowl with extra guacamole at Chipotle. Kudos to Reid for finding a parking spot off of Sunset Blvd. One of my pregnancy cravings was this bowl! So yummy and no regrets getting it. It indeed gave me energy for the night.

6 pm: We checked into the hospital for the scheduled induction. The nurses who admitted us to our room said I looked like Natalie Portman. This helped some of my nerves. So nervous!

6-8 pm: The doctors and nurses monitored the baby’s heartbeat, my contractions and checked me. I was at 5cm. I was VERY excited to hear I came in halfway.

8:30 pm: They gave me pitocin and my pain tolerance was at a 5. This is when I started listening to Sara Bareilles.

9:30 pm: The pain increased. I started to pull Reid’s arm. This helped a little.

10:30 pm: The doctor checked me. I was still at 5cm. This was very discouraging so the nurses up the pitocin dosage. Yikes!!

12:30 am: The doctor broke my water and the pain increased. I realize I’m at transition and admit to Reid I can’t do this. A definitive sign that I’m in transition. No meds at this point but about to break.

12:30-2 am: I was in active labor all during this time. I changed positions and used a peanut ball lying on my side per my doctor’s advice to move baby’s head position. Reid was a huge help telling me I’m doing awesome and allowing me to pull his arm at every contraction.

1:45 am: I was going to the bathroom a lot and was coming back from a trip, only to squat on the hospital bed and yell out, “I feel his head!” I indeed felt his head crowning. The nurse yelled down the hall to the doctor.

1:57 am: I pushed 3x with ALL my might.

2:02 am: He’s here! I got to cut the cord after we kept him on for 1 minute. He was immediately alert and amazing. The doctor put him on my chest and let me know I did great and didn’t tear. Of course this was a huge relief, but it was just such a blessing to carry my miracle baby.

A couple things that made labor better:

Lavender to sniff
Chapstick – I used Mario Badescu
Ice water – I hate temp water during labor
Peanut ball to switch baby’s position, if necessary
Warm fuzzy socks or slippers

And recovery:

Gum
Mothers milk tinctures
Tea
I should’ve brought more snacks (aka bad hospital food)

So many happy emotions and SO incredibly grateful LEVI DANIEL came into the world. Thanking God!

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