Brycen William came into our lives on February 9, 2009 at 1:59 a.m. My labor was fast and intense, as he was obviously in a hurry to get here! But now that he’s here we love him more than anything, and can’t wait to see what each new day brings…
My day had been pretty normal - it was one of those beautiful warm days we’ve had lately, and I wasn’t feeling too much different. I went for a long walk in the middle of the day, and was a little tired by the time the evening came. I was feeling a bit “crampy,” but nothing too intense, so I thought it was maybe something I ate. Around 9:00 p.m. my husband, Ryan, and I were laying on the couch, and all of a sudden with a loud “pop” (that Ryan said sounded like my hip was popping) my water broke. We called my midwife, Nicole, and she said to lay down and get some rest, and that I probably had about 12 hours of laboring to do, but to call her back if anything happened. We also checked in with Leslie, and she also said to keep her updated.
So after a quick shower, I got in bed and tried to rest, but Brycen was having none of that. My contractions started almost immediately, and were never very far apart. The first hour was bearable; I just concentrated on breathing, and resting in between. But after a little while, they got much more intense, and I knew we had to start thinking about getting to the hospital. It was hard because, this being our first baby, I had nothing to compare the pain to, so I wasn’t sure how far along I actually was. Luckily we had our bags mostly packed, and Ryan rushed around trying to put a few last minute things in them.
By about 11:30 my contractions were very strong, and after a call to Nicole and Leslie, we knew it was about time to head to the hospital. Leslie met us at our house, and helped get me to the car. Thank goodness we only live 5 minutes from St. Francis! I had a couple strong contractions on the way into the hospital, and was so glad when we arrived so we could be around people who knew how to support and take care of us. Nicole checked me within a few minutes of our arrival, and said I was fully dilated and asked if I was ready to push! I couldn’t believe it, but was so glad we were going to meet our son soon. I pushed for about 45 minutes on the birthing stool, and then our 9 lb. baby boy was here! I was shocked when they told me he was 9 lbs! There wasn’t time for an IV line, or even a consideration of any drugs or interventions. Afterwards Nicole said to me, “Beth, you did in 5 hours what most first time moms do in 12-16.” It was a hard thing to grasp at the time, and was just glad to be holding my son!
So, now looking back, I’m so happy with how everything went. Our support team of Leslie, Nicole and our wonderful labor nurse were amazing. We couldn’t have done it without them. Everyone at St. Francis was so nice, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.