My Birth Story

Birth Story

So the week before my due date I started having the Braxton Hicks contractions. Never hurt and totally fun to watch! Big ole abdominal balling up and down all the time, lol! Due date came and no, real contractions yet! Cervix tight and closed!  Arggghhhhh! So frustrating! Esp. since all types of people are telling me that I was going to be early. Mmmmm….. (No one really knows what’s going to happen to you but GOD!) Then it’s the week of my due date and no changes! Finally that Friday, I had some show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!! Then the Braxton Hicks started that weekend to progress slow slow slowly into mild contractions! But nothing real enough to be hospital bound! L Then, Saturday night, I knew that I was going to be induced the next day. (Sunday night if nothing changed!) And I decided to praise God no matter what was “not” taking place yet! I had Louis drive me through Redding while I blasted worship music, singing….. Alleluia, Our God Reigns---over my situation! I got home and took a shower and started singing in the shower……Alleluia, Our God Reigns…… and the words….” God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed, give the vision, to see things like you do… God I look to you, you’re where my help comes from, give me wisdom, you know just what to you…… I will love you lord my strength, I will love you lord my shield and I will love you Lord my Rock forever, all my days, I will love you Lord. Alleluia, Our God Reigns, Alleluia, Our God Reigns!” Just started declaring over my labor that Alleluia, Our God Reigns!!!! I have learned that when you are frustrated or feel a spirit of heaviness, Praise Covers the situation and lifts your spirit upward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And then while we were sleeping I played that worship cd over and over as we fell asleep and guess what!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the morning around 5am, the real contractions started!!!!!!!! Pre-labor had begun! My contractions that Sunday were around 8, 7, 5 minutes inconsistently apart! Since none were that close together we stayed home until that evening when we were scheduled to arrive at the hospital. We were hoping to make it up there before that day but as the Doctor said, don’t take here up there unless she is huffing and puffing at 5 minutes apart. Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So around 6:30, we got to the hospital. We were scheduled to be there anyways at 7pm to be induced. J So when I got there, I was a 3!!! And 80% effaced! So at least something had taken place at home! So the Dr. said that I could try and see what happened naturally that night and be induced the next day if needed or go ahead and get the Pitocin to kick things into gear! We decided that who knew when I would actually go into active labor myself; we could still be pre-laboring on Thursday for all we knew lol! So Pitocin it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Started it around 8pm! My amazing doula and friend Scotti Gleason was there with me through it all…. ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND INTO THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First let me say, I highly recommend having a doula during labor! (If you desire it of course!) Without Scotti, I firmly believe I would have had a C section! She is and was amazing! Not only is Scotti a trained doula, she is an amazing spirit filled woman of God. She has endurance also, that I needed to get through that night! Louis and I both were so glad she was with us! So, under the Pitocin, everything started to progress! The contractions started getting stronger and stronger! I decided to not have an epidural, so I began to be in an enormous amount of pain. Around 11pm/12am that night, I almost gave in and took the epidural! But with the help of Scotti and the nurse, we decided that I had progressed so much (I was a 7 at this point) that I should wait and continue without the epidural. And we prayed and prayed and prayed and Louis prayed and prayed and finally I got back in control of the contractions. Scotti walked me through EACH contraction from start to finish! AMAZING RIGHT?!!! Louis was AMAZING TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The nurse was fabulous too! And then it was around 3am then 5am and no Gabriella yet!!!! And I still wasn’t really for pushing yet! Then the sun came up and still no pain relief and no baby!!!!!! I had been in active and transitional labor for around 10 hours at this point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s just say it was very intense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Interesting enough, the Lord kept speaking to my spirit through the night psalm 46….the verse that said… “God is in the midst of her and she will not be moved and just at the break of dawn I will help her”….. And guess what? HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The nurse shift had changed and in come an angel! This nurse had sun and light all over her! She was truly one of the greatest servants I have ever met! Also, at this point our Dr. came in to see how I was doing. He said I was still only a 9 and the baby was high up and needed to be turned!!!!! He said that he was going to try and turn her and if not, we would have a C section! What!!!!!!!! I had no idea all through the night that she was in the wrong direction!!!!!! However she was up high enough that I did not have back labor! Amazing right! My back never hurt all through the night! So, at this point, I decided that I needed the epidural! And the doctor AGREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (THERE WAS NO WAY HE COULD HAVE TURNED GABRIELLA WITHOUT HAVING SOME PAIN RELEIF AT THIS POINT, NO WAY!!!!!!) So I got the epidural!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it was amazing!!!!!!! Our nurse got me into a position that helped Gabriella turn on her on! Louis also prayed that she would turn and we asked Gabriella to go ahead and turn….. AND SHE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also the doctor came in and turned her as well after he had broken my water! (What a mess it all was, lol) We were all amazing! Gabriella had turned and the nurse was able to keep me in a position that got her to get lower as well! Then we started to push! 45 minutes later…. Gabriella was here! Best moment of my life!!!!!!!!!!!! She was perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apgar score=9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was 9.72 pounds baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She sneezed on the delivery table and began to nurse! Latched on first try! The nurse said that she could survive in the wilderness! I love it! She was absolutely beautiful in every way shape and form! Louis, Scotti Gleason, Dr. Van Kirk, Ali and Jill…. Thank you so much for helping me through this labor! Thanking God for each contraction and continuing to worship and pursue him through the entire labor is what got me through. Scotti and I are convinced that if I had taken the epidural early on, Gabriella would have gotten too low and we would have not been able to turn her---- and that would have led to a C section! Thank you God for giving me the strength I needed to resist getting the pain relief early on and allowing me to use the epidural as a tool! I am forever grateful! Gabriella is a masterpiece created by God and for his glory! May she know that she was created to love you Lord and be loved by you all her days!

~thankful forever for my baby girl

I truly feel that I have everything, I have ever wanted! Louis and now Gabriella!

 Thank you Jesus!