Ruth’s Birth Story

When the doctor scheduled me to be induced on my due date, I was a bit surprised. I figured she would make me wait at least three days, probably four. But she didn’t have any problem with it, and I didn’t see any reason why not. Knowing we already had someone to watch Raylee that day made it seem like a great plan. But Friday, my due date came, and we didn’t end up in the hospital. It turns out that the hospital has been plum full with deliveries these past two months. They didn’t have a bed available, and there were 10 other women in front of me waiting to be induced.

On Saturday, I called again to check on my status. This time there were still five women in front of me waiting to be induced. I was to call back that afternoon. I didn’t expect to get in that day either, but when I called back they said I was third in line and that I would probably get to come in that night or the next morning. We decided to go ahead and have Travis’ aunt come down to pick Raylee up. She would be staying at their house (an hour and a half away) while we stayed at the hospital. My mom, who was going to be in the delivery room this time, was already at our house. I still didn’t expect to get in that day, but I was told to call back that evening.

Once Raylee was gone, Travis and I decided to go to a local street fair. As we were pulling up to find parking, I got a call. The charge nurse said, “I have a bed for you!” She asked how soon we could get there. I was shocked! We drove straight home, grabbed our things, and headed to the hospital. I was feeling excited but also nervous. Travis sped there and I said, “You know I’m not in labor, right?” I think he was excited to get the show on the road so he could meet his daughter!

We arrived at the hospital at 8 p.m., on Saturday, August 3. The first hour was just checking in, doing paper work, and changing into a gown. We met our nurse, Missy, who was nice as can be. She put my IV in right away, and I couldn’t believe how fast it all seemed to be happening. When she checked my cervix, I was 4 cm dilated. Because my cervix was already ready, I was able to start Pitocin right away.

Once everything was started it was just a waiting game. We talked, updated people on our phones, and watched some TV. I started to feel contractions, but nothing too bad. The nurse told us she would up the Pitocin levels about every 30 minutes. They start you at one and the highest level you can get is 20. It all just depends on your body on what level you may need. When I was at a two, I could feel the contractions a lot more. That’s also when my body started shaking uncontrollably. Travis kept asking me if I was cold, but it wasn’t that. I just couldn’t stop shaking. The nurse explained that it was “labor shakes” and totally normal.

She went ahead and bumped me to a three when the time was right. At this point, I was 6 cm dilated. At 11:30 p.m., during one of my contractions I felt like a punch to my vagina. It was a strange feeling, and I wondered what that was about. But it didn’t take long to figure it out. The next thing I knew liquid was pouring out of me. I said, “I think my water broke … Yeah, my water definitely broke!” I called the nurse, and sure enough she confirmed it did. I was so surprised my water broke on its own! I am glad it did because now I know what that feels like. I was also surprised when she told me it would keep leaking until I delivered. For some reason, I thought it would only last an hour at the most. The nurse asked if I wanted an epidural yet, but I said no. I thought I could still handle the contractions. They hurt, but I could breath through them.

Then I had my next contraction, and holy moly what a difference. After my water broke, my contractions were a zillion times stronger. I immediately said bring on the epidural! Unfortunately, it took awhile for the anesthesiologist to come in. I was definitely feeling the pain, and it made me wonder how anyone could do it without an epidural. Power to you if you did it naturally!

At midnight, I got the epidural. Unfortunately, they made my mom and Travis leave the room. I was not a fan of that. I really wanted Travis there to support me like he had last time. But Missy, my nurse, was great and held me through the whole thing. I did cry a little when he numbed the area. That needle does not feel good, and it just freaks me out too. But the rest of it was not painful or anything. He knew I was in a lot of pain by my moans and groans and breathing, so he worked fast. He said he was giving me a strong dose because he could see how much pain I was in and knowing I was already 6 cm.

Once it was done, Travis and my mom came back in and the anesthesiologist left. Missy stayed in the room to keep an eye on me and make sure it was all working. It wasn’t long though before I started feeling like I was going to pass out. My blood pressure was dropping – too low. Lots of nurses started coming in, the anesthesiologist came back in, and I was trying to stay awake. I remember hearing the nurse say, “Try to keep your eyes open.” Everything was happening fast, and I just remember worrying that I was going to have to have a C-section.

My blood pressure got down to 80/40 and my heart rate was down to 50. They were giving me lots of fluid and medication in my IV to try to even things out. They were worried about Ruthi’s heart rate and blood pressure. After about 20 minutes, they were able to stabilize things and I started to feel normal again. Once baby and I were in the clear, they turned down the lights and just let us all rest. I had my birthing playlist going, and I enjoyed the rest after such hard contractions.

I was just about to fall asleep when the nurse came in to check me. She said I was a 10, and I couldn’t believe it! I was ready to take a nap, not push! They immediately began to set up the room for delivery. I told the nurse I wasn’t ready to push because I was so sleepy, but she said we would have to wait on the doctor anyway. They called my doctor and told her to come in. She was 20 minutes away. When the nurses left the room for awhile, Travis prayed with me.

Once the room was set up, Missy reminded me how to push – deep breath in, push for 10 seconds, let out my breath – and she wanted me to do a couple practice pushes. I did it once and she gave me a few tips. When I did it again, she stopped me and said, “OK, we have to wait. I don’t want you having this baby without the doctor. That’s a lot more paperwork!”

By the time the doctor arrived, I was so excited and ready to push so I could meet my little girl. Everyone made me think this girl would be here before we knew it. They said they could see her head and lots of hair. But after pushing for awhile, I was worried that everyone was lying when they said I was doing good. I was worried that I would end up having to have an episiotomy again and would end up with another terrible tear. I kept asking if I was doing it right or if I was really making progress. The doctor told me to reach down and feel her head. When I did, I couldn’t believe it! Her head really was partially out of me and it felt so weird! That gave me motivation, and I think I started pushing a lot better after that.

It took a total of 30 minutes of pushing, and I could feel myself making progress. Then she was out! She was very purple. Everything happened in a blur after that – Travis was cutting the cord, nurses were suctioning her mouth, doctors were working down below – but I just saw my little baby laying on my chest. I stroked her head full of hair and calmed her with my voice. She had pooped while coming out and just kept pooping. The nurses joked they had never seen so much poop before. It was everywhere, so a lot of time was spent just trying to clean it all up.

I did end up with a second degree tear, so the doctor was working on stitching me up. Once everything settled down, I was able to just hold Ruthi on my chest for probably over an hour. We did skin-to-skin and she breastfed right away. They weighed her and swaddled her and then Travis got to hold her.

About that time, my dad arrived at the hospital. He had decided to come down when he heard Ruthi would be making her arrival soon. He got there just at the right time. My mom and dad were both able to hold her before they wheeled us to the mother/baby unit.

Ruthi was born at 3:27 a.m., on Sunday, August 4. We named her Ruth Ann and plan to call her Ruthi. We spent Sunday trying to rest as much as possible. On Monday, Raylee came to the hospital to meet her sister. It was so precious – memories I never want to forget.

Tuesday afternoon, we were finally discharged. I remember feeling terrified to go home with Raylee. But this time around, I couldn’t wait to leave.

Ruthi was 8 pounds, 5 ounces. She was 21.5 inches long. She had a head full of dark hair. Now, we are home and transitioning into a family of four.

You can read Raylee’s birth story here.

If you have a vaginal tear from delivery too, check out my list of great recovery items.