Brig's birth story

Here is Brigham's birth story according to his mom.

Tuesday night Darin and I went on a date. We went out to eat, then shopping for some baby stuff. It was so much fun to have so much alone time with him. Getting ready for bed I was so excited knowing that this was really happening in the morning. I didn't sleep well because of the anticipation. At 3:00 am I was awakened with a few strong contractions. They continued for the next couple of hours, and I woke up for good at 5:00 am to get my mind off of things. At 5:30 Darin called the hospital and that's when we found out that there were no rooms available for elective inductions. I was fine about it at this point, especially since I was contracting on my own.

The morning went on, and I went about business as usual. Contractions continued all throughout the day, but were very sporadic (anywhere between 5-15 minutes apart) and never fell into a consistent pattern. I thought for sure it was a repeat of Sunday's false alarm, so I continued to wait for word from the hospital. The doctor called me at about 1:00 pm to tell me that if I wanted to come to a different hospital they could fit me in, but my insurance didn't cover that hospital so it was more waiting. I tried to nap, but the contractions were still strong enough that I had to get up to breathe through them (still not consistent at all). The 3:45 phone call (that told me not to come in unless I was in labor) did me in. I was so tired and emotional. I had gone as far as I thought I could go, and now I was being asked to go a little bit further. I missed my kids. I called my sister where my kids were staying and told her the update through tears. She asked if I was still having contractions and I said 'yes'. She encouraged me to just go get checked to see if the contractions were doing anything. I was hesitant. My other sister called and strongly encouraged me to go to the hospital. My parents, who were on their way to Las Vegas, called and strongly encouraged me to go to the hospital. I finally decided we should go, but was hesitant, knowing that if I hadn't made progress that I would have to be institutionalized for insanity.

We went to get checked and the nurse said, "You're at a 7". I was in shock! It was definitely not a typical "what to expect when you're in labor" story. The contractions were still 5-15 minutes apart. I knew then that I had a quick decision to make. I have been geared up to do this with no medication for this whole pregnancy, and now it was time to decide for sure. A little disclaimer here: I am not anti-epidural. I have had two very successful births with epidurals, and they were happy experiences. I do not have a "soap box" attitude about this. This was purely a case of conquering fears for me. My two experiences of natural (meaning un-medicated) childbirth were accidental and somewhat intense, and I wanted to prove to myself that my body could do this on purpose, and without fear. I knew that I didn't have much longer, so I decided to go for it without an epidural. Our nurse was heaven-sent! She was wonderfully supportive and kind. The doctor came in to check me, and said that I was more like a 6 instead of the 7 that the first nurse initially said. He broke my water, started pitocin to get things more regular, then left. It took every ounce of concentration I had to make it through the contractions after the water was broken and the pitocin started. The intensity increased, and after a while I began to doubt my decision. I was listening to relaxing music, had heating pads on my lower back, and Darin massaged my arm and head during every contraction. I was handling it o.k. and felt a lot of pressure, so I asked to be checked again. Still at a 6. Another half hour went by and the pressure increased to the point that my concentration was easily broken and I began to thrash around the bed in order to find a comfortable position. Darin's support was just what I needed. He kept saying "You're doing great. You can totally do this". I asked to be checked again. Still at a 6. I knew I needed to change positions in order to stay in control, so I asked for the birthing ball (exercise ball). I also felt like I needed to empty my bladder, so Darin helped me to the bathroom while the nurse went to get the ball. I sat on the toilet for about 30 seconds, trying to relax enough to let my bladder do it's thing. It was then that I realized that it wasn't my bladder that needed to be emptied. It was my uterus. He was coming! I looked at Darin and said, "He's coming." Darin went out and pushed the nurse button. She came in and said, "You can make it to the bed, right?" I said, "Yes", and made my way to the bed to be checked again. I still had doubts in the back of my head, knowing that I was only a 6 one minute before, but I was glad I listened to my instincts because when she checked me she nodded and said, "We're ready". Apparently walking to the bathroom and sitting in the squat position for a few seconds provided the gravity he needed to be ready to come. She paged the Dr. and got the room ready. The doctor came within 2 minutes, and baby Brigham made his quick appearance within 2 contractions. I was so relieved to finally have him here!!! Darin went with the baby over to get cleaned up, and while I was getting stitched up I looked over to see my perfect little boy. That moment has always been so surreal to me. I was incredibly grateful to have him here and healthy. My fear of childbirth is gone. Even with how quickly the actual birth happened, it wasn't scary or intense. I couldn't have done it without the support I received from Darin and the nurse. It was the perfect team to keep me in control.

My sweet boy was worth every emotional moment, every false alarm, every stretch mark, every sleepless night, and all the uncertainty. I knew he would be. Sometimes the end of pregnancy can mess with a girl's head! He is such a calm baby, and the perfect addition to our family.

Two hours after his birth the other kids came to meet him. I will never forget that evening. I had been missing them, and it was so good to see our family all together. I think this has been emotional for them as well. After I told them that he was for sure coming on Sunday, I'm sure this has been the longest week ever--one of waiting and wondering. One of the most tender moments happened with our Warren. Darin picked him up and gave him a big hug. Warren gave a long, strong hug and I saw his face reflected in the mirror. He looked sad, and when Darin put him down I asked him if he was sad. He started to cry and said, "I'm crying about the baby". I assumed it was something to do with a sibling not letting him hold Brig, but he shook his head 'no'. I said, "Are you just happy that he's here?" He nodded "yes" and ran to me and hugged me while he cried. It was such a sweet moment, and I realized how emotional this must have been for them.

Brig is such a sweet, calm baby and we are very grateful to have him here.