Chasen's Birth Story

Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:34 PM

"Although I had enjoyed being pregnant, things had been starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I was relieved my labor was finally happening and that I would meet my baby soon!"

“It” was happening!

On December 29, when I was 38 and a half weeks pregnant, my husband, David, went surfing with some friends while I rested at home. I started to experience what felt like menstrual cramps, so when David came home later, I told him “it” might finally be happening. Sure enough, as the evening progressed, those cramps slowly turned into contractions. At 9:30 p.m., when they were about seven minutes apart, I called my doctor, but she said to call back when they were three minutes apart. Since we didn’t want to make the mistake of heading to the hospital too early (and risk getting sent home), we waited. In the meantime, we packed our bags and got more and more excited that our journey would be starting soon.

Finally, at 1:30 a.m., my contractions were only three minutes apart. I called my doctor again, and she said it was time. We packed the car and hurried to the hospital. Although I had enjoyed being pregnant, things had been starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I was relieved my labor was finally happening and that I would meet my baby soon!

At the hospital

Once we arrived, the nurse checked on me and said I was 7 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced—I was pretty close! They rushed me to the delivery room. I didn’t have a formal birth plan, but David and I felt like we knew all of our options and would make decisions based on how I felt during the birth. At that point, I was still undecided on whether I wanted an epidural. The pain wasn’t excruciating yet, but with each contraction, I was becoming much more uncomfortable.

Time to push!

Around 4 a.m., I was 8 centimeters dilated and in a lot more pain. I decided to get an epidural—that way, I could enjoy the experience more. I’m so happy that I did! From that point forward, I was completely relaxed and was able to focus on meeting our little boy. With David by my side, I labored through the early morning. Finally, at 8:30 a.m., my doctor told me it was time to start pushing.

Welcome, baby Chasen!

Strange as it may sound, I actually enjoyed the pushing part! I was thankful that I had done so much prenatal yoga, which made the process much easier. After pushing for about 40 minutes, the doctor told me to look down. I did, and saw my baby’s little head popping out! It was truly incredible. One push later, our son arrived! At 9:17 a.m. on December 30, Chasen was born. They immediately put him in my arms. My first thought when I looked at my son was “Wow!” I felt so lucky to have been able to experience every moment of the birth and felt an extraordinary sense of relief that our baby boy was healthy. After weighing Chasen, they put him on my chest for an hour of skin-to-skin contact, and I was able to watch him open his eyes for the first time. Only a few hours later, we moved to the hospital room where we rung in the New Year as a new family!

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