Labor and delivery - in all its glory

I find it kind of quirky that so many people find birthing stories so fasinating and interesting. I suppose that is because every birth is unique and special. Although I always found it odd and uncomfortable to hear women talk about their labor so openly, the closer I got to delivery myself, the more interested I became in the whole process - mostly because I want to be prepared and aware of all the possibilities so I would know what to expect. In retrospect, however - I realize that I could read or hear labor story after labor story and still not be fully prepared for the whole experience. In short, having a baby is absolutely incredible - it truely is a miracle and quite amazing that after 39 weeks and 2 days of gestation, Eliza arrived so perfect and beautiful. So, for all those quirky people who enjoy reading/hearing labor stories - here is mine.


First, I set two records. (They may not be hospital wide records, but they were records from the experience of my doctor and the nurses on hand.
Record #1: The quickest first baby delivery.
Record #2: The quietest natural delivery.


One of my goals for this delivery was to go about it completely natural - completely unmedicated. I wasn't interested in an epidural - in fact epidurals scare me more than natural delivery. I wanted to feel in control of my body, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it without the aid of pain killers. I am happy to report that I was able to do just that.


On Tuesday July 12, I started having back labor - I felt contractions in my lower back. Although they lasted about a minute and a half, they only came sporadically - about once every 25-40 minutes or so. At my doctors appointment that day, I had no dialation. The back contractions continued throughout the rest of the day on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was able to go about my regular habits despite the sometimes crippling discomfort in my back.


Wednesday night about 10:00 pm, I started to have contractions that lasted about two minutes and came about 12-15 minutes apart. These contractions started in the lower back, moved to the front, then back to my lower back. At 11:00 pm, the same kind of contractions started coming every 8-10 minutes apart. At midnight, the contractions came every 7 minutes. My doctor gave me very strict instructions to not call until I had contractions 5 minutes apart about a minute long for an hour. These contractions had to be so intense that I couldn't talk or laugh through them. Bruce and I were still waiting for this to happen. About 1:00 in the morning on July 14, the contractions started coming fast and furious. I completely skipped over the 5 minutes apart, and before I knew it they were one on top of the other. I could still talk through them, but the pain in my back was making it difficult to move around. After I threw up three times during the contractions, Bruce suggested we head to the hospital. I was burning up one second, and freezing cold the next.
At 1:45 am, I called the doctor. He called back at 2:00 am, and after talking over what was going on, he decided that I should head to the hospital. He would call me in so the admission desk could call me in.



At this point, I was getting discouraged. I wasn't in agonizing pain, it was tolerable, but my energy was depleting and I didn't know if I could handle 3-4 more hours of this kind of intensity. I thought I might have to resort to some kind of medicated intervention even though I didn't particularly want to.

At 2:10, Bruce gave me a priesthood blessing - blessing me with the strength I would need to deliver a healthy baby. I immediately felt like I could get through this. The blessing was short because Bruce was seriously worried that he would have to deliver this baby. After the 25 minute drive to the hospital, I arrived at 2:41 am, and was immediately wheeled up to the labor and delivery floor. I was quickly hooked up to the fetal monitor. She asked if I was an epidural kind of a lady. I told her that I wanted to try to do it naturally, but wasn't opposed to getting one if need be.

When she checked me, she told me that it is a good thing I didn't want an epidural because there isn't enough time to give me one. I was pretty dialted, and although she never told me how far along I was after she checked me, I found out later I was already at a 10 upon arrival. She left the room. I found out later that she put an emergency call to the doctor and told him to get to the hopital quickly. Another nurse came in to check me. She agreed with the first nurse that I was dialated, but neither one would tell me how far along. At that point, my water broke.
I was given strict instructions to not push, but resisting the urge was not easy.

Brittney: How far along am I?
Nurse: You are there. Fully effaced and at a 10, you were that far upon arrival.
Brittney: What are we waiting for?
Nurse: The doctor. Don't push - we really need to wait for the doctor.
Brittney: I'm trying, but it's really hard not to.


At this point, the doctor came in to see how I was doing. He was wearing normal clothes. The nurse calmly informed him that I was there and ready. She could see the baby's head. I had no idea I was that close to delivery, and I suddenly felt excited and thrilled. The doctor changed into his scrubs while the nurses took apart the bed and got me in the correct position.
At 3:15, the doctor arrived in his scrubs and prepped me. He told me I could go ahead and push when I felt the urge. 3 pushes later, at 3:20 in the morning, my baby girl was placed on my stomach. I only grunted during one of my pushes (hence the quietest natural delivery). It was absolutely incredible. Words cannot fully describe the feelings that surged through me when I saw my baby girl for the first time.



Bruce cut the umbilical cord, the doctor stitched me up, and I became the happiest person in the world as my baby girl reached toward my face and snuggled closer to my body. I could just hold her forever.


I absolutely love her to pieces. She's completly healthy and absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.