Addilynn’s birth story
I’ve been kind of putting this off, but I really would like for people to hear my birth story as it was one of the most eye-opening and beautiful moments I’ve ever been through in my life. Here goes.
Around 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day, I started feeling cramps, which I thought were minor as I had experienced cramps before from just walking up to our apartment too much, but I realized as we were getting close to the due date that we didn’t have the hose needed for the birthing pool. At this point, it’s like 9:30, but of course, we decided it wasn’t too late to go to Walmart, we did and found a 50 ft hose, which we were fairly certain wasn’t going to be long enough, but we bought it anyways.
On our way home thought about if I needed to eat in case I did end up in labor, so my husband, Jon, took me to get Whataburger on our way home. I barely ate anything, but I had enough in me to at least eat the fries, through the night. I was in constant communication with our midwife, Midon, and she advised me to be tracking how long my cramps were and how far apart they were (at this point, I think I’m being dramatic and I’m really not in labor, I definitely was in early labor though), so I was monitoring that. Jon was so concerned, but he kept telling me to wake him every time I had a contraction, and he would write it down. I hated waking him because he was supposed to work the next day, so at some point, I stopped because I genuinely thought I wasn’t in labor at all. I even tried to tell my boss that I possibly could still come to work the next morning to open.
I think around 1 a.m., my mucus plug was coming out. Midon had been paying attention to my contraction log, contractions were getting closer together, but not enough for alarm yet, so she advised me to sleep as much as I could, and she would come see me at 6 a.m.
I did not sleep very well the rest of the night. Jon called in, and around 9:45, we went to my parents’ home, which was empty as they were heading back from North Carolina. As we got everything set up and comfortable, we checked my dilation so I could get into the birthing pool, which at around 10:45-11ish, I was roughly 5.5-6 cm dilated and having more contractions (which meant for sure the baby was coming. I just didn’t believe it until I heard that). I got into the birthing pool, and it was nice to have the tension off my back and to have the water help with the contractions (little did I know that was going to be the last time I was comfortable until after the baby was here). We played music for a while, and I was relatively happy and relaxed, so much so I was able to nod off every now and again to get some sleep.
Time flies by, and around 1, we decided that my contractions were somewhat slowing down, and I needed to get out of the water to keep things rolling. I got out of the water very slowly because it was where I felt best, but I needed to get out. I had this little bench in my room ( by the way, we’re in my parents’ house in the room I used to live in during college). It was short, and that thing had seen a lot because it used to be the bench I sat on every day to get ready, but it was there, and I used it to lean on so I wouldn’t be on my hands and knees.
By about 2-2:30, I’m actively cramping and feeling every bit of this baby trying to come out, so we start slowly but surely pushing. It’s just quiet now, and I feel terrible, but I wanted it to be so quiet; any small thing bothered me. I feel so bad because I felt like I was so mean to everybody, but my body just needed stillness. As we’re getting into the deep pushing, I’m throwing up anything and everything I had (I was eating applesauce and water with apple juice throughout the morning to keep the sugar in me to stay awake and moving). At one point, I ended up getting half my hair in the bowl I was throwing up in, but that was absolutely the least of my concern. I’ll be dead honest with you; I am in the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, and at this point, I’m looking for Jon because in my mind, I’m absolutely losing it. I start feeling like I can’t do it anymore. This is where everything changed.
I have no clue where it all came from, but I started just praying out loud, thanking god for the opportunity to do this at home and to be able to be a mom, to be her mom. Thanking Him for allowing me to be a wife to such an amazing man that I couldn’t imagine doing this without, for Midon and Kate (Midon’s nurse/ understudy at the time) helping me through this whole pregnancy and guiding me through the unknown. Through all of this, at one point, Jon started crying (I have no earthly idea when that started, but it did), and I’m actively pushing for about two hours. This all goes on, screaming, grunting, and praising. I guess was what my body needed.
By now it’s probably around 3:45ish, and I’m getting so tired, but I can feel our baby’s head crowning (Lord let me tell you that was something I’ll never forget, still can’t believe she came out with no pain meds because goodness that was a lot). As I’m pushing I hear Midon, Jon and Kate telling me I’m doing great which I’m thinking “wonderful thank you- somebody please help me get her out because I’m dying here”. Then the moments here, (this is where my body completely tunes out) Midon asks Jon if he’d like to catch our baby, and I didn’t even notice he wasn’t next to me anymore as my eyes are closed. He’s now behind me as I’m leaning over this bench that has seen me do early morning get ready routines for middle school, watched me get ready for my first date with my husband and father to our baby girl, watched me come home exhausted and de-stress from a long day of work and cosmetology school and literally everything in between. I push a few more times and feel her head come out then I felt her body then her feet and it was all over.
By now, I’m lost and finally able to relax once again. Our baby’s in her daddy’s hands, Midon is helping get meconium out of her mouth as she evidently went as I was pushing her out. I’m just leaning over this bench, finally just breathing without having to put it towards anything, just breathing for me. Within a few minutes, our baby’s in my hands, and at that point, I feel a peace I’ve never felt before. I’m telling our baby she did great for everything she went through coming into this world, because I still (to this day) can’t believe she came out of me. She’s crying in my arms, safe finally. I have my husband bawling behind me, holding me, and even though it all feels chaotic now, that was the calmest moment in my life thus far. It’s something I’ll never in my life forget but I thank God every day for that moment, and those hours I felt like my body couldn’t do it, but he knew he built my body strong and able enough to do this. I just needed his help to get her here.
As I’m writing this, it’s 3:30 am, I just put our baby back to sleep next to me. She’s six days away from being three months old. Jon’s sleeping next to me, and I’ve recovered well and am back at work. Our story is very long, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, or leave one detail out. It’s Addilynn’s story, and it’s my favorite. I wish I could relive one more time, but I’ll always have the memory of that moment finally getting to feel her in my hands after feeling her in my stomach for so long. Thank you again to Midon and Kate. I couldn’t have done it without both of you supporting and helping me through it all. I appreciate you both more than words can say.
No doubt about it; children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a divine reward.
psalm 127:3
When a woman gives birth she has pain because her time has come. but when her child is born, she no longer remembers her distress because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
john 16:21
