As my pregnancy came to an end, I was so sure I was going to be late. From the very beginning I had a feeling that my sweet girl was going to be a February babe and while we knew her name before we even knew she was a girl or not, we had no idea that the flower for the month of February was the Iris. And while she wasn't late, like I thought, she arrived right on her due date, just like her brother.
Anyways, as I sit here nursing my sweet five week old little girl, listening to her breathing and her little sighs, I'm taken back to 6AM on February 1st, 2016. I woke up to go pee, nothing out of the ordinary there. As I got back in bed, I felt some cramping and didn't think much of it. I decided to time a couple, just to see where we were. Since I had been having cramps all week, I was sure they were nothing, however 30 minutes and 6 contractions later, I was starting to think this might be the real deal.
Before I started labor, I tried so hard to prepare myself and my body for the amount of pain I would be experiencing. After all, I was in labor for days with Owen and I didn't know how long labor would go with her. I researched pain coping techniques, spent hours doing breathing exercises, and lots of time went on to perfecting my labor playlist! I felt good. I felt ready. I felt empowered to take labor by the horns.
The first hour of labor went by smoothly. Contractions went from 5 minutes to 4 minutes and were bearable. I called my parents to come to the apartment to watch O and woke up Tyler and had him start packing the car.
As time went on contractions got worse. They were still bearable unless I was up moving around, then it would feel like I was having a constant contraction.
Around 745 my parents finally arrived. Tyler was still packing up the car and I was still managing my pain quite easily. Music was in full blast and my breathing was centered and steady.
We left to go to the hospital at 8 and it was the longest ride of my life. I must have just started to transition (the hardest part of labor) because shit got real on that drive. As were checking in, my contractions felt constant and I was nervous because I didn't want triage to send me back home (like they did 3 times with O). As we arrive in triage, the nurse asks if baby is head down. I tell her yes, but she's having a hard time finding the heartbeat and does a bedside ultrasound. After she does an ultrasound and see's that our little girl is in fact head down and perfect, she FINALLY checks me. The moment of truth... The nurse tells me I'm ready to deliver and I let out a few curse words in disbelief and relief. The nurse was confused and was like 'excuse me?!', like she had never heard a women who is in labor curse before. Tyler laughed and I was just ready to get going.
Apparently the nurse wasn't sure because she had another nurse check me and then she thought I was a 7-8. Either way, I was admitted and off to the delivery room we went. As I'm really riding the contractions, my sweet labor nurse is guiding me through each one and helping me breathe. I loved her. I ask her how long it usually takes to dilate from 8 to a 10 and she tells us usually around 1-2 hours. I felt like it was doable at that point. I got this. About 10 minutes past that I tell her I'm starting to feel lots of pressure. She checks me and I'm at a 9. Yay! 5 minutes later I'm feeling even more pressure and starting to feel my body push, I'm at a 9.5! This is it! I feel my body pushing, regardless of me trying to stop it, it's the craziest feeling in the world. At this point I'm sure I look like the girl from the Exorcist, trying to rid herself of her demon.
Finally the doctor is in the room and tells me to push! Two pushes later and our little girl is born. 9:26 am. A little over an hour after we checked into the hospital and just 3 1/2 hours after I had started labor. I couldn't believe it. My little girl was here. As she laid on my chest, the exhaustion and joy was overwhelming.
So that's that. I got my natural birth and short labor that I so desperately wanted and it was everything and more. Iris Evelyn.... You are here. You are loved. And you are so perfect. Thanks for choosing me to be your mom.
