Charlie's Grand Entrance!
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WARNING: There is absolutely NOTHING glamorous about birthing a baby, no matter what the story. So if you are not okay with somewhat graphic terms/explanations I suggest you not read! Nonetheless, this story, like many more, is miraculous and beautiful and something I will treasure forever and ever.
40 weeks came and went faster than I could have imagined. Looking back it was the longest day of my life. But now it seems like forever ago. Yes I spent 26 hours laboring on my DUE DATE! At least most of it. I did not for a minute, of my entire pregnancy, expect this boy to come a minute early or even on time...and I guess after all he was still technically late!
Backup: Ever since getting to a point in my life of thinking about having children I decided I wanted to have a very natural labor and delivery. I have a very high pain tolerance and have dealt with "high pain" situations well throughout my life. I also have a very firm belief that everything happens for a reason and that people come into our lives for a specific reason.
After a week of having off and on labor pains, it OFFICIALLY started at 5:20 in the morning on my exact due date! October 9, 2014, the day I looked forward to and had marked for 9 months. I never wanted to get too excited for it to finally come in the chance that he didn't want to come until a couple days late. Well I was pleasantly surprised! I had some water leaking happen, enough to wake me up from being sound asleep (TMI sorry). I ran to the bathroom and was trying to figure out why this liquid was falling out and wouldn't really stop. I looked at the color and realized it was perfectly clear. The definition of my water breaking, without the HUGE gush, which normally doesn't happen anyway. I didn't want to panic so I used the restroom (because I did have to pee) cleaned myself up and tried to somewhat ignore it before feeling another little water leak and having to basically do it all over again, use the potty, clean myself up, but this time I didn't really ignore it. I woke Nu'u up and told him I thought my water broke and he very shockingly exclaimed "WHAT?" and I repeated myself. Noticing what time it was (5:20am) he said, well go look it up and see! hahaha So I went and got my phone and looked up a couple things about water breaking and what to expect/do when you think that's happened. Most important was that baby should be born within 24 hours if that's what it is because baby is losing those liquids in the placenta. Within the next 20-30 minutes I started contracting consistently at about 7 minutes apart. HERE IS LABOR!
I knew it was happening so I was trying to be patient and not get to excited or anxious. We both tried to go back to sleep and get some more rest and I decided I would wait until my doctors office is open to call them and explain to them what I experienced and see what they suggest to do. Nu'u and I both, of course, couldn't go back to sleep. I couldn't get comfortable as I was still contracting every 7 minutes or so and Nu'u was too anxious, excited, nervous, etc. Since we couldn't sleep I had Nu'u get up and throw the things he planned to pack in a bag finally and get everything together. By the time 8:00 rolled around we were very much prepared to walk out the door for the "real thing!" I called the doctor's office and told them what had happened and they told me that it is routine to have me go in to labor and delivery because they obviously can't check anything over the phone and they would check there if the fluid that leaked was amniotic fluid and from there would decide what to do.
We arrived at Labor and Delivery at about 9-9:30 and my parents met us there. They checked my fluids and dilation and whether or not my water had broke. They informed me that I was dilated to 3 cm and in early labor but my water had not broke. There was no real explanation as to what I was leaking or why but she assumed it was my mucus plug. She knew of my efforts to have a natural labor so she gave me the option to be released and labor at home or to be stuck in a bed for the rest of labor. Of course I chose to go home and labor their where it was more comfortable. It was always in my original plan to stay home and labor at home as long as possible. We had friends driving through to California and it was or plan originally to have lunch with them that day. Since I was being released when they stopped by the hospital we continued with our plans since I needed to eat anyway. We went to canes and I continued to have contractions every 7 minutes or so. Some stronger than others but none bothering me more than the worst cramps I've ever had. And I get pretty bad period cramps.
When finished eating we headed home and continued to do what we were doing. I had a doctor appointment already scheduled for 1:30 that day so when they released me they said unless you have a reason to come back before then go ahead to your appointment and she can check you then just like we would here. I made it to my 1:30 appointment having contractions closer to 5 minutes or less apart. She checked my dilation there and I was at a 4. I had progressed a little but not a ton. So she also instructed me to go home again and continue doing what I was doing.
We went home and I tried to get some rest. I laid down in bed and tried to get comfortable while watching a show with Nu'u. It was IMPOSSIBLE. With contractions 5 minutes or less apart I was far from reaching a nap. So eventually I just got up and was hanging out on my birthing ball and having Nu'u apply some counter pressure. It wasn't long until that wasn't working either and I could do absolutely nothing to get comfortable. I was STRUGGLING through every contraction and it didn't help that it was ALL in my back! I have absolutely horrifying minstrel cramps, on a normal basis, and I knew in labor I would find one of two things, they were either really good perpetration for the pain I would feel in labor, or a warning. They were DEFINITELY a warning. And I have extremely high pain tolerance! So needless to say I was having a pretty hard time. We had everything packed up and ready in the car so I knew I could literally stay home until the last second of being able to handle things! It wasn't long until I was feeling too overwhelmed to manage and I told Nu'u it was time to go. I was feeling very uneasy and in need of a priesthood blessing to answer some unsure feelings about whether or not to get an epidural. I was still planning on not having one at this point but I was never apposed to one and I wanted some guidance on what to do, should the decision come up in the hospital. We stopped by my parents house for a blessing before heading to the hospital. In my blessing my dad said some very comforting words about listening to the doctors and nurses and having the spirit with me throughout it all and making decisions off of what feels right rather what is planned. At this point my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I was really having a hard time getting through them. It is easy to think of labor pain on a scale of 1-10 considering that is how they measure how far along you are, dilation 1-10, 10 cm is done and pushing baby out! So in my mind I correlated each cm of dilation to the amount of pain I was feeling. Earlier that day when I was at a 3-4 I was definitely uncomfortable but far from unmanageable. After receiving my blessing and heading off to the hospital for the 2nd time with my parents close behind I told myself if we got there and I wasn't as far along as I thought (pain wise I felt like I was at a 6-7 and could handle 2 maybe 3 more "degrees" of pain).
When we got to the hospital we went straight up to Labor and Delivery, just like before, and they put me in the same room. The nurse that was there that morning was on her way out and jokingly mentioned she hoped she would make it back before I had the baby! So we got into a room and they checked my dilation, I was at a 5! :| The first thing to go through my head was that I was halfway! And I was excited for a second. Until I realized that meant half the pain, half the time, and I was going to be double as tired by the time I was pushing! I quickly mentioned getting an epidural and asked a little about the procedure and what goes on. Since I was always planning on having a natural labor I didn't really look into an epidural at all..the nurse was very calm and comforting in her simple explanation of what an epidural is, how it's put in, how it works, AND the best guy in town was working that night and would be the one to do it. I was still a little bit iffy about it and she told me she was gonna go call my midwife to see what she wanted me to do. In the time that she was gone the contractions got more intense and more frequent. When she came back she informed me that since I didn't want pitocin or an epidural and wanted to go natural that Angela wanted me to walk for an hour and check again before admitting me. I was not happy. But of course I had to do it. Nu'u and I walked around the hospital for an hour trying to get this baby to move down some more! By the time I was done walking I was able to get 10-15 steps in before I had to stop and breathe through a contraction..they were REALLY close together. So when we got back up to the room and she checked my dilation again....I was STILL at a 5! Little bit discouraging. But definitely still progressing. My contractions had got more frequent and some were now 1-2 minutes apart. I informed her that I had finally 100% decided that I wanted to get the epidural and that I just couldn't take it anymore. So with that new plan in place she called my midwife again and asked her if she could admit me. She approved it and I was admitted at about 9:30 that night. In the time that it took her to call again I was really struggling through contractions. And it did not help to be tied up to the bed awaiting everything. They came in and hooked me up to an IV with liquids before putting in the epidural. By the time the guy came in to put the epidural in I was having contractions at about 2 minutes or less apart and was really at my wits end. The nurse came in and briefed me on what I was to do when the anesthesiologist came in and before I knew it he was there. I sat up straight and turned my whole body to my left. My feet were hanging off the bed by the nurse and my back was to the doctor. As soon as I sat up I felt a gush of water come out and it felt like I was peeing myself. Then I realized it wasn't stopping and said to the nurse, "am I peeing myself right now or did my water just break?!" She lifted up my gown and said nope your water definitely just broke! I started having the strongest contraction I had yet and thought that the doctor was about to try to put the epidural in. Something the nurse told me when explaining the epidural was that I really needed to make the decision before I was uncontrollable because I had to stay completely still for it to be put in. So as this contraction started I said wait wait! Can you wait till this is over?! He said yeah I'm just finishing setting up. Once that is over I should be ready. And just that happened. The contraction ended, I was able to bend all the way over like a mad cat and lean on the nurse standing in front of me. There was a pinch and a stick, then pressure, then it was done! He put a big thing of tape on my back to hold it in place, I laid back down and he came over to plug in the medicine. I had 3 or 4 more contractions that slowly got easier to deal with then all of the sudden the nurse came in to check my dilation again after my water broke and said how's the epidural? I had to look up at the monitor to realize I had even contracted and told her it must be working cause those last two showing up there I did not feel! haha So she checked my dilation and I was already at a 6.
The worst part about getting an epidural was I knew I had just put myself back in the waiting game. The pain was not fun but at least I knew I was progressing as it got more intense. So they checked throughout the night about every 2 hours where my dilation was. My parents went home and Skylar and Karyssa came in to the hospital to wait it out with us. The next two times they came in to check my dilation I was to a 6-7. The next time I was checked they told me if I hadn't dilated again that they were going to have to give me a shot of pitocin. I was dilated to an 8! This was at about 4 in the morning and at almost five they came in to prepare the area where baby gets weighed measured and taken care of just after he is born. I texted my parents to let them know it was getting close and to get ready to head down. I also sent a text to my friend Chauntelle who I had coming to take some birth pictures. Skylar had to leave a little before that to get some sleep before work. Karyssa was still there and stayed until about 6:15 when she had to leave for a hunting trip with her husband and his family! My parents and chandelle got there and I was dilated to a 9 in no time. I had been 100% effaced for a while at this point so it wasn't long till I was ready to push! Just then guess what it was time for? SHIFT CHANGE! Which meant the nurse I really bonded with the morning before would be back having this baby with me! Just after she came in it was time for some practice pushing. She briefed me on what to do and after one practice push she decided it was time to get this baby out! Nu'u had been sleeping for about 2 hours so we had to wake him up and let him know it was time! Kind of shocking to him! haha I pushed most the time with the nurse, Diane, and my midwife was only called just before having the baby. I pushed for 30-45 minutes with the nurse and once Angela, my midwife, got there I pushed 3 or so more times and baby was out!
My mom <3
My mom and dad were not able to have children. I was adopted at the age of 10 days as was my older brother. My mom has never experienced what it's like to be pregnant or give birth. Ever since we first told my parents we got pregnant my mom was nothing but supportive and so involved in it all. I absolutely loved it, most the time, because I felt like through me my mom was able to experience this whole thing and really understand what it's like to be pregnant. So in that delivery room, aside from all the nurses, was my husband of course, my mom and Chauntelle (taking pictures). My mom asked a million questions in that room. She wanted to know every little thing that was going on at every minute and you could tell the nurses were a bit confused and maybe a little irritated like she was questioning them, she really just didn't know. So I said at some point, my mom's never had a baby before, out loud so they all kind of understood why she wanted to be so involved. She loved it. And I loved nothing more than hearing the joy my mom felt, through tears, seeing her grandson for the very first time when he was born. It was magical. And of course at the sound of my mom's tears came my own. I cried the most happy tears I ever have in my entire life. It was the best moment of my life so far. With my tears came my husbands and once my dad came in we all cried again. The happiest tears of course. I could not have asked for a better labor experience. Not because everything went as I planned, but because I let everything go the way it was meant to. Heavenly Father had a plan and I, of course, think it was PERFECT.
He was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my whole life. And the second he came out I heard every single nurse and my mom rave about how strong he is, as he lifted his head right up off my chest to look at me. This boy is a miracle. Not because we had a hard time getting pregnant, or I endured any insane trials throughout my pregnancy, but simply the fact that he came out of nowhere. That my body grew this baby human starting from practically nothing. I couldn't believe, and still can't really, that my body MADE this. That the last 9 months this beautifully perfect being was in my belly and without knowing it my body was working like crazy to make him. We named him Charles Tolilo Aho Pome'e.
I'm in love. And I never want him to grow up.
One of the best decisions I ever made was having a friend come photograph for me during the delivery. I still, 3 months later, can't go through these pictures and not ball. I instantly feel back in the moment in the first minutes that I finally met my perfect little human. I would recommend it to ANYONE especially for your first baby. It was absolutely unbelievable. Sometimes I feel like can remember every detail as if it was yesterday and other times I feel like I don't remember anything because it was so long ago! There are a couple things I mentioned in my story that were captured on film and there are lots that weren't in my story. Take a look at the pictures from one of the best days of my life so far and definitely my biggest accomplishment!
