Zoe came like a flurry. This birth was nothing like my others...Jude ( 2 weeks past his due date, 16 hours of labor, emergency c-section) & Caleb (18 hours of labor, pushed for 2 hours, successful VBAC). This birth was nothing like I expected. My doctor warned me the weeks leading up to delivery... the third baby will come fast. Do not wait to go to the hospital. Once those contractions start, head to labor & delivery. You would think I would have listened. ha!
As soon as my water broke, there Zoe was...ready to make her entrance. The "ring of fire" did not let up. I was half way between laying down and sitting up (if that makes sense). I was pushing with all my might. The doctor was yelling at me to stop pushing, but I couldn't. When your body tells you it's time to push, there's nothing that can stop it. Out of the slits of my eyes, I could see the doctors and nurses scuffling trying to get their gear on. None of us were ready for this. A nurse tried to stop me from pushing saying...Jenna, wait for Lance. He's not here yet. I was in too much pain to respond, but, in my mind, I was thinking...does this girl really think I care if Lance is here? They better get this baby out. AAAAHHHHHH! I continued to push. I felt them pull me back into the bed and hoist my legs up in some stir ups. At that point, I was able to open my eyes. I could see Lance run in with my mom. He took his position on my right side. He's always close enough to coach, but not too close to really see what's going on. He whispers in my ear and here we go again. AAAAHHHH! another big push. Deep breath...and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Deep breath....and again. At this point, I could feel some stress in the room. It must have been the baby's heart beat, because they were asking me to really bear down and push. Between every push, I tell them I can't go on. And with every contraction, I dig deep and somehow muster up the strength to keep pushing. At this point in labor, the best way to describe it is a lose-lose situation. If you don't push, you are in extreme pain. If you do push, you are in extreme pain. Your only thought is, get this baby out of me and I can, finally, feel ok. It took about ten minutes of this back and forth struggle. I remember looking at one of the nurses in the face. She said...Jenna. look at me. look at me! You can do this. We need this baby out, now! I knew something was wrong. I had to give this all I had. I bore down and pushed with every last drop of energy I had. At the same time, I could feel the doctor pulling. They needed to get this baby out. Finally, the head was out...and with one final push the shoulders. I threw my arms back with a huge sigh of relief. I was finally finished. With one, big, beautiful cry, I could hear my baby girl scream. They laid her on my chest, umbilical cord still attached. She nuzzled herself right into my arms. My first words were...Wait...did anyone check if it was a girl? The entire room started laughing. Yes, Jenna, she's still a girl...the doctor said with a chuckle. My next question was...morphine, please? And, they obliged.
Zoe stayed awake for four hours after birth without a single cry. She looked around just soaking in every sound and every sight. Her face said...this is what I've been hearing. This is where I belong. This is my family. All I thought was... she was absolutely perfect in every way. Thank-you, God, for this wonderful blessing.
After the birth, I had more complications. Because of the rapid birth, my IV had come out of my arm and there was no time to re-insert it. Therefore, they had to give me a shot of pitocin after the birth, as opposed to, through the IV. Because of this, my uterus was not contracting back and I was losing too much blood. I will spare you the details of what happened next, but it was gruesome. I would not wish it on my worse enemy. But, I am grateful to God that my body was able to regulate and I was ok.
After awhile they took Zoe away for her stats and a clean up. She weighed in at 8lbs 7oz! She was not a fragile baby by any means. She could hold her own head up and look around. We were all stunned. We stayed 24 hours in the hospital, and, then, were able to go home.
I have to say, this was my most difficult birth. Many people say...why? she came so fast. But, it was excruciating. I really have no idea how anyone could give birth without an epidural. But, somehow, I was able to do it. I am still in awe.
With three different birth experiences, I can say that Zoe's had the best recovery. With Jude and Caleb, I had slight post-partum depression. After giving birth naturally, I discovered that my hormones were able to regulate more quickly, because I was able to bond with the baby immediately. I still had the baby blues, but it was much more manageable. I owe that to prayer, the natural birth, and it being my third birth. Also, I healed more quickly physically after the natural birth. If I had to do it again, I would probably still ask for an epidural, though. Those things are amazing! ; )
I hope you enjoyed my birth story. I, also, hope that, one day, Zoe can look back on this story and know how much she is loved. And, how hard I had to push myself to get her here. When I saw her face, it was all worth it.
The End.
