(TMI DISCLAIMER – LOTS of “birthing” details included!)
This story starts at 9pm on Saturday night, July 31st. I started cramping pretty badly. I took a warm bath which provided no relief. At 11:45p I had my first REAL contraction…ouch! Matt and I were relaxing around the house and getting ready for bed and BAM it hit me! And then it hit me again and again and again…I did not sleep a wink, too excited and in too much pain. The contractions got closer and closer together through the night. Finally at 5:30 am I woke Matthew and told him I figured he had better shower and load the car. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart. We had already made the decision to labor at home for as long as possible but since I was already at a five (per my last Doctor’s appointment that Thursday) and I had been having contractions all night we wanted to be safe and prepared should things start to escalate quickly.
I called my family to let them know that today was probably going to be “the” day but I asked that they not hit the road until I was officially checked in at the hospital. In my head I knew this was “IT” but I just couldn’t let them drive four hours in vain…and at 42 weeks you really start to doubt yourself. It was difficult for me to believe it was really happening! Needless to say, my mom and sister, Amber, called me a bit later from Corsicana as they were hauling down Interstate 45 against my advice. Go figure…
We stayed at home until almost 9am, working through each contraction as they got stronger and stronger. I paged Dr. Johnson who recommended I wait just another hour or so to allow them to get closer together (8 minutes or less) and more consistent, as they were still a little off on timing. Since we were already in the car at this point, we continued to the hospital and I took another hour of contractions (8 total) in the front seat of the car while parked in front of the hospital. Ouch!
At 10:50 am we had been checked into the hospital, taken to a triage room and checked by an L&D nurse. That’s it…I was officially admitted to L&D…at SEVEN centimeters! SEVEN? What? This is REAL! We were immediately taken to our room and introduced to our nurse for that shift. She was a midwife also and well trained in natural birthing. What a miraculous coincidence, huh?! God is so cool J I am not sure but I think her name was Sharon. She helped me sway, breath, moan…all the things I had learned in class for natural birthing. She showed Matt how to apply just the right counter pressure on my back, got me a stool so I could reposition…she was really a huge help.
Several hours and lots of pain passed and somewhere in the late afternoon, early evening I was at an eight. Things were moving very slowly and the my new shift nurse Jen said that the doctor really wanted to break my water. After quite some time and no progress I agreed and she performed the painless process.
It was then that the contractions got increasingly longer and stronger. Matt was my full time support and tower of strength at this point. I could not survive unless our eyes were locked and he called my breaths out to me. I was terrified of hyperventilating and really focused on survival at that point. It was the most intense pain I have ever experienced. It far exceeded anything I could have ever imagined. By 6pm or so I was at a 9 and they decided should try to push past the portion of my cervix that just refused to budge…Oh.My.Gosh! That was the most disgusting pain I have ever felt in my life. It was not working. I was not dilating any more. I kept trying for another hour or so, repositioning, using the squatting bar, etc…and nothing…my body was working against itself at this point. The pain was too great and I could not relax enough through the contractions to allow for complete dilation. At this point my doctor told me that she was doing everything she could to avoid a Cesarean birth (knowing my desire for a natural delivery) but that this could continue for hours and the strain on me and the baby was increasingly great. After many refusals I finally accepted the epidural…at 9 ½ centimeters. Yes, 9 ½ centimeters! It took everything in me to hold still during the set up and injection as I fought through contractions that were only about 15 seconds apart and 90 seconds long. BRUTAL!
Because I received the epidural so late, its effects were much less than usual but a welcomed relief in comparison to what I was feeling. I could still move my legs, feet etc. I was not numb – which I am grateful for. My contractions remained very strong and consistent so I did not have to have any pitocin, which I am very thankful for. After receiving the epidural I was able to relax for about 45 minutes during which time my family came in and gave me some final words of encouragement. I was feeling very discouraged (having strayed away from my desired “natural” birth plan) but they really offered great support. After my few minutes of rest my cervix had cleared the final, stubborn ½ centimeter and I was ready to push. The nurse set up a mirror so that I could watch. It was absolutely amazing…at 11:31pm on August 1st – after 24 hours of labor…Sophia Lynn Abernathy was brought into this world – a miracle and absolute gift from God. They laid her on my chest and her daddy cut the cord. He was in total amazement as he watched her enter this world. My heart was overflowing and Matthew and I both fell in love immediately. It is such a crazy thing…bringing life into this world. I will never forget the moment she came into our lives. There are just no words!
Sweet Sophia aspirated on some fluids and had to be suctioned quite a bit after delivery. Therefore, she could not nurse immediately. So in came the family…My mother, father, sister, nephew (Skyler) and mother in law were all in attendance. My father in law was out of town and other siblings were not able to attend. They all held her and fell in love one at a time as they passed her from one set of arms to the next. It was so special for us to see our daughter light up the entire room. We were already proud parents!
Finally around 3am the room was transformed into a clean and calm haven, our vitals had been taken, I got a shower (thank goodness) and my dad brought us Whataburger J. I had nursed sweet Sophia a couple of times when I sent her to the nursery and slept from 4am-6am…
I thank God that she came on her own…42 weeks to the day. I had planned and prayed for a natural birth free from all interventions. BUT more importantly – Matthew and I had prayed for a healthy baby. I thank God for his provision and for the miracle of my daughter and I trust that everything went according to His plan.
Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite verse. It is my “life” verse. I have a little calendar that I got years ago as a wedding gift. Each day it presents a scripture. At night before bed, I flip it to the next day’s verse and read it in advance. On July 31st before heading to bed I flipped the page and found MY verse.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future.” Sophia Lynn is all of that and more. Thank you Jesus!
Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and supported us during this difficult and amazing time. We love you all!
More to come soon…
