Annika's Birth Story

For months it was a joke that I would go into labor on my dad's birthday, and then it actually happened. On October 29th I woke up at 6:30 with some horrible back pain and cramps. Sadly I was pretty used to this, but somehow this time it felt more real. I got up and walked around for a while and the back pain would come and go but wasn't unbearable so I thought it was just the next stage of pregnancy. 

At 7:30 I woke up Curtis and asked him for a back massage because it was really hurting. We were supposed to meet my family for a birthday breakfast for my dad so we started talking about when we would need to leave for that. The back massage didn't help, and then it hit me that I was probably in actual labor. I got up and made some toast to see if I was just hungry, and told my family we wouldn't make it to breakfast. The pain just kept getting worse, but I was still in denial. 

Around 8:30 I looked at Curtis and said we would probably need to go to the hospital just to get checked and make sure everything was ok but that I didn't want to rush it. I knew if I was in labor I would be stuck at the hospital until baby came so I should just wait as long as I could. I jumped in the shower to see if the hot water would help and Curtis finished packing the hospital bags and making sure everything was good to go. For the next hour I laid in my bed with a timer, timing the "contractions" as best as I could. They didn't feel like what everyone said, but that's because I was in back labor. My back constantly hurt, but every 3-7 minutes it would hurt even worse for about a minute. I went with it and it was looking pretty consistent so I told Curtis that we would have to go to the hospital a little later because this was the real deal. 

At 9:30 I decided I needed a hot chocolate and a scone from Starbucks real bad! The plan was to drive there and grab it and come back home, but the second I stood up the contractions got worse and I knew we wouldn't be coming back so we packed the car and grabbed the carseat. We made it to Starbucks only to see a line and right before we got in the drive thru lane I realized how much pain I was actually in and told Curtis to turn around. I still wanted something though so we went to the gas station so I could get Cinnabon :) I don't know why I felt so strongly that I needed it but I did and there was no stopping me. It worked out well because Curtis was able to grab some energy drinks and snacks for him while we were at the hospital. The guy that was helping us at the Cinnabon booth knew something was up and hesitantly asked if we were having a good day so far. A contraction hit so I hunched over on the counter and Curtis said, "uh yeah so far so good" in a pretty shaky voice. The guy was obviously not satisfied by that answer and continued to ask about our day and if we had any big plans. I looked at him and said "well I'm pretty sure I'm in labor so we are just on our way to the hospital to have a baby". He smiled and went on about how this time of year was a great time to have a baby, and continued to make small talk like it was no big deal that I was hunched over the counter just waiting for him to hand me my cinnamon roll. Once we got everything we drove across the street to the hospital. 

At 10:30 we arrived at the hospital and I made Curtis sit in the parking lot with me while I finished my mini cinnamon rolls. I knew they wouldn't let me bring it in, but I also couldn't eat it while I was in a contraction. So I had to keep taking breaks and then scarf it down in between. Meanwhile Curtis was laughing and taking pictures of me because of how determined I was to eat every last gooey bite. We made it to the labor and delivery floor and I was put in a triage room while they tracked my contractions. I guess I was too lively when I got there because the triage nurse was shocked and didn't really believe me when I said my water just broke and I was in another contraction. She ran two tests to check and make sure my water did in deed break, as if the gross fluids under me weren't enough. Once confirmed she just laughed and said, "well you're for sure not leaving now! When you came in I thought we would be sending you home after an hour." Note to self: next time you're in labor, don't try to be overly friendly to people, they won't believe you and will leave you in triage for almost 2 hours. 

Finally around noon we were officially admitted to the hospital and moved into the delivery room. When I got there the nurse came in and asked if I wanted my epidural or if I wanted to wait. Waiting was not an option for me and I jumped at the opportunity to take away the pain! I was pretty worried about getting an epidural but it was nothing, and started working so quickly! At last, I was pain free and hyped up on drugs, now just the waiting game....

The next 12 hours are somewhat a blur. At first everything seemed to be happening so fast. Nurses were constantly checking on me, tubes and IV's were put in that I didn't even know what for. The doctor was called, and I thought to myself that it was just happening too fast and I wanted it to slow down. A phrase I would come to regret. My family came over and we all just chilled in the room making fun of it being my dad's birthday, and watching the Ute's game on phones and tablets. That's when everything weird started to happen. My contractions were never consistent. I would have 5 strong one's right on top of eachother and then nothing for 4 minutes. The doctor and 3 different nurses just stood there watching the monitor's trying to figure out what was going on and if they should put me on pitocin. They came in with the pitocin 3 different times and then changed their minds each time. It was something that they weren't used to seeing. At one point baby girls heart rate dropped and they had to hurry and put a monitor on her head and try to calm her down. For hours and hours, we all just sat there and watched her heart rate and my contractions wondering when the big moment would come. Jokes started happening that she just wanted her own birthday so of course she was going to make us wait until midnight. (Little did we know that was the reality). 

Finally at 9:30 PM the nurse came in and said it was time to start pushing! We had 2.5 hours until midnight and I was confident my baby girl would share a birthday with her pops. I started pushing and then there were more problems. She was posterior which meant that she was facing up looking at my stomach instead of down at my back. For her to be able to fit past my pelvic bone she would have to flip. Of course she's my stubborn little girl and everytime the doctor would get her flipped she would flip right back over. After about an hour of holding her facing the wrong way the doctor stood up and said he was worried we wouldn't be able to get her out if she flipped again, and said that he would be back to check again after a few more contractions. As he walked out I heard him tell a nurse to prep an OR. I lost it and started balling, I didn't want a C Section, and it had already been such a long night. I think I said more prayers in that moment than I have my entire life. I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and hot! They had to bring in a fan to keep me cool. Finally the doctor came back to check her position and his face looked so shocked, which worried me at first. But then he said that she had stayed flipped and had moved down a lot! I felt so relieved and got a little bit of my motivation back. The doctor stayed around for the rest of the time which also motivated me that we were close.  Right near the end my epidural started to wear off which was definitely not ideal and I had another melt down. I went from only feeling pressure to feeling intense pain in a matter of seconds. I was so happy to have a good support system there with me to calm me down as best as anyone could in that moment. I found myself saying I can't do it anymore in my head over and over, and having to remind myself that quitting wasn't an option. Then all of a sudden I heard the doctor yelling at me to hurry and look down, and there she was my sweet baby girl had finally made her grand debut at 12:27 AM on October 30th, 2016 (just 27 minutes after my dad's birthday)! To say I was emotional in that moment is a HUGE understatement. I think every single emotion was running through my body. I was proud, excited, exhausted, sad, relieved, worried, confused, happy, everything. They immediately put her on my stomach and I got to grab her little hand for the first time. She came out with a black eye swollen shut and a popped blood vessel in the other eye, she was a tough baby through being flipped so many times. The best part was looking up at Curtis and seeing pure joy on his face. We had officially started our little family and it couldn't have been more exciting. They took her to get weighed and cleaned off and then it was just us. The doctor left saying, "Congratulations, I really thought this was going to be a C Section. You did great!" I'm glad that I was literally the only one giving birth in the hospital that entire time. Who knows what would have happened if it was a busy night. 

And here are the pictures that my sister in law, Anna Harrison, took for me. I love them all and am so happy that we got that moment documented! I didn't think I would want anyone in there (besides Curtis of course) let alone pictures taken, but when it was time I knew I needed to have my mom by my side, and my sister taking those pictures so that Curtis and I could just enjoy the moment.

My Favorite <3