Holland’s Birth Story

I’m excited to have a place to share the details of Holland’s birth! She was born on November 5th at 3:47 PM at 7 lbs. 15 ounces and was 19.25 inches long. Her birth was a hospital induction and honestly was an interesting process to go through for the first time. I had been extremely nervous about giving birth and spent hours watching birth videos and googling everything that could go wrong. I can now look back and happily share what turned out to be a great experience!

I had been struggling physically during the final weeks of pregnancy with contractions. I got Braxton Hicks contractions starting at 24 weeks, but the ones in the final weeks of pregnancy were strong and consistent. I monitored contractions for hours at a time but they would always end up fading away. Another horrible symptom I had was real contractions at night. One night I woke up in so much pain that I told Reed it was time to go to the hospital. By the time Reed got the car ready I was back asleep and never progressed into real labor.

October 27th

At my 38-week doctor appointment, I got a membrane sweep. I was hopeful that it would work and tried walking around the neighborhood in an attempt to go into labor. About 48 hours after the sweep, I had consistent contractions for about 3 hours. We went to the hospital in hopes that I would dilate further than a 3, but I did not progress and ended up being sent home.

November 3rd

At my 39-week doctor appointment, my measurements came back as already having a 40-week sized baby. My OB asked me if I would like to schedule an induction. Due to the baby measuring fairly large throughout the pregnancy and all of my issues with false labor, I asked to move forward with an induction. I had another membrane sweep done just in case labor might happen beforehand, but planned to go to the hospital on the night of Nov. 4th to start the induction process. I wasn’t expecting to be scheduled so soon and quickly let my work know that I would only be able to work for one more day. Reed and I went to the store together that night to get some snacks for our hospital stay.

November 4th

My membrane sweep once again did not push me into real labor. I worked from home for a couple of hours during the day but had handed off nearly everything by the afternoon. I spent the day trying to catch up on laundry and get our bags packed for the hospital. Reed and I were both anxious but excited to finally be going to the hospital to meet our baby!

I checked into the hospital at 8 pm. We were pretty tired and once my iv was placed, we both rested in the room. I thought we would be watching movies or on our computers, but I ended up reading on my Kindle some and sleeping. I was supposed to start Cytotec around 10:30 pm, but there was an emergency in labor & delivery, and I didn’t start the medication until 12:30 am. I also woke up uncomfortable from my iv which the nurse had difficulty placing so it was in my right hand. I asked for them to place it in a different spot, so I ended up having my iv in place after 5 attempts. I had a low dose of Pitocin at a 1-2 going through my IV that started sometime after midnight.

November 5th Happy Birthday, Baby!

By the morning I was having regular contractions on the low dose of Pitocin with Cytotec. I could see on the monitor that I was having contractions, but I was not feeling them individually. Instead, I had a dull cramping feeling in my pelvis. My OB came to visit me at around 8 am. She checked my cervix and I was disappointed to still only be dilated to a 3. The Cytotec was given to help my cervix thin out and not necessarily dilate further, but it made me feel like I had a long day ahead of me. It was recommended that I have my water broken to progress labor. My OB gave my husband and me time to have breakfast and for me to get my epidural placed.

Epidural and Active Labor

I questioned if I should wait to have the epidural since I was not in pain, but after some quick googling I decided it would be better for me to get it before having my water broken. I didn’t realize it at the time, but getting my epidural early was the best decision. I did not feel much while getting the epidural since the anesthesiologist numbed the area first, but Reed later told me it was scary to watch the procedure.

My water was broken around 11 am and my catheter was placed. I was very thankful at this point to not feel pain. I got some medication for nausea and dozed off into a deep sleep. I woke to an alarm going off due to my blood pressure dropping to 75/48. I was really out of it, but I could tell that Reed was worried. The nurse rushed in and placed something in my iv to get me stable.

By 2 pm, I was offered a popsicle and the nurse said she would check my cervix when I was done. I felt more awake and could feel my contractions. I noticed my Pitocin had been bumped up to an 8. When it was time to be checked, my nurse said “oh wow” which is not exactly what I wanted to hear with her hand inside of me. She went on to say “you’re complete”. I couldn’t believe I was already dilated to a 10 after only a couple of hours in.

Pushing Time

The doctor recommended that I sit fairly upright for an hour to help the baby drop. After an hour passed, I was checked again and was ready to try some practice pushes. My nurse showed me how to breathe and she and Reed held my legs. After a few pushes, she checked me again and said, “we have a baby” and called the doctor to come to my room.

We waited for the doctor to arrive to continue pushes. At this point, I was so eager to push. I had been resting up for this moment. I started pushing and all of a sudden my baby’s heart rate dropped. The nurse quickly had me roll from side to side to try and get her heart rate back up. I was taken off of Pitocin and given an oxygen mask. I was worried that I might not get the chance to push and have to move to a C section.

Once the baby’s heart was back to normal, I was able to push with my oxygen mask on. Since I was no longer on Pitocin, my contractions had moved from 2 minutes apart to about 4 minutes. It felt like I was waiting for forever to be able to push. Before the final push, my doctor had me feel her head! I could feel how close I was to have her out and pushed with everything I had. All of a sudden, my baby was being placed on my chest!

Holland is Here!

I watched a lot of birth videos and I  always felt emotional when the mom held her baby for the first time. For me, there were so many things going on that I didn’t feel emotional or cry, but I felt more of a state of shock. I couldn’t believe I had a real baby on me! The doctor was removing my placenta and trying to explain things and Holland was crying. It was overwhelming and I still couldn’t believe that I birthed a baby. I meant to add that I blew out my IV while pushing, so I ended up getting a shot in my leg and had bruising on my arm where the IV was.

Reed was the best birth partner! He was right there with me for all of the pushes. I was wondering how he would feel about birth and explained all of the things that seemed gross to me to help prepare him. When it came time for Holland to arrive, Reed found the process really interesting, especially watching the doctor remove the placenta. We were both surprised to find out how strong and rubbery the umbilical cord was. I was way too out of it to remember all of the details so it was nice to have Reed explain some of the things I couldn’t see afterward.

I feel very fortunate that Holland’s birth was better than anything I pictured. It was so special for me to have Reed by my side. With the covid pandemic, Reed wasn’t allowed at any of my prenatal appointments. It was so exciting to have my husband finally meet my doctor. We are very thankful to have Holland finally here with us and be parents to a perfect little girl!