The birth of Hosanna Eden

Labor is like nothing I have EVER endured, but I've never really challenged myself until then. I never joined sports or signed up for marathons or really stuck to a challenging workout regimen. Nor did I know my tolerance for pain, because I have never broken a bone, sprained or tore anything. It was the most physically, mentally and spiritually trying event of my life to say the least, but ABSOLUTELY worth it.

My labor began Tuesday (1 day past Hosanna's estimated due date) around 2p. I had gone swimming at the YMCA per midwife orders. 2 weeks prior I had gotten the case of edema and my midwife wanted me to get that fluid back in the right place and swimming was the cure (: My contractions were far apart and not painful at all, but consistent. Swimming helped to get me comfortable and relieve some tension I had in my back, neck and shoulders. After, I took a very long hot shower (which I would soon find out offered much more relief than I could imagine; I LOVED hot showers during pregnancy and during my labor). At this point I still was not aware I was in real labor. I had been having contractions like this off and on for weeks, but those contractions were also not consistent and as close as these were (these were every 10 minutes). When Samuel got home, I had confided my anxieties about our labor. I had deeply wanted a natural birth and we had prepared for such for more than half our pregnancy. Because I was 1 day post the estimated due date, I started doubting I would go into labor naturally before the 42 week mark. This scared me, because that meant our birth plan would be completely void and I would have a labor and delivery in a hospital with interventions I did not want. Of course it was only a day after the EDD, and we were taught to expect to be late since I was a first time mom. BUT I WAS SO ANXIOUS!

I then remembered our Bradley Method instructor sent us a list of how to induce labor naturally. Some of the things included acupressure points, massage, teas, and of course sex. And so I was DETERMINED to try all the things I had access to do. All the while, I'm still having those nagging contractions every 8 to 10 minutes. That night, Samuel and I ended up falling asleep around 1:30a. Wednesday morning around 6:30a I awoke to stronger contractions. These were every 5 to 6 minutes apart. I went to use the restroom and I had some spotting and my mucus plug had passed!!!! I was flooded with joy! I kept thinking, 'this is it! this is it'. I then immediately went to wake up Samuel because we had some work to do. My first priority (which now I look back and think how ridiculous) was to go to target to get some last minute hygiene things like witch hazel, pads, cotton balls, alcohol, a brush for the baby (like I said, ridiculous:) ). And so, as I'm getting ready to go to the store, Samuel starts spring cleaning our house! I'm thinking in my head, 'what the heck?! He had all week to clean the house and he chooses now to start'. I remember being grouchy towards him because of that and right before leaving he held me and said, "honey, we're about to have a baby. Let's make this enjoyable". I melted...and realized how mean I was actually being! We packed ourselves into the car and off we went to target (: While at Target, I realized just how ridiculous it actually was to be there while in labor. You see, I am such an introvert. I like to keep to myself. And I'm EXTREMELY private. Privacy is a BIG deal to me. So when I would feel a contraction come, I would hide in an empty aisle. It was quite comical. I quickly grabbed what I needed and soon we were home again. When I got home, I started packing for our soon departure to Blossom Birth and Wellness Center (this reveals how much of a procrastinator I really am ).

Coincidentally, I had an appointment to see my midwife at 4p that day (Wednesday, April 24th). As time passed, I became more and more excited to visit the midwife and see how far along I had progressed. When 3:30p arrived, my contractions were still 5 to 6 minutes apart but they were getting much more intense. At the appointment, my midwife had said I was 3cm dilated and could stay if I liked, or go home and rest. She strongly advised us to go home, take some Tylenol PM and rest. And so we stopped at a CVS, bought some Tylenol PM and went home. At this point, I needed to rest but my contractions were so intense (or so I thought) that I couldn't. I desperately wanted to take the Tylenol PM to knock me out, but Samuel and I had strong convictions about taking any type of medication that I didn't. Soon it was 10p and the contractions were increasing in intensity. I was so tired that I could not bear it anymore. I took 2 Tylenol PMs and took a warm bath to help me relax. Well, that didn't work. Our tub just made me feel constricted and the water just could not get hot enough! So I then tried to lie down in bed and fall asleep. Samuel said I was able to fall asleep in between contractions. And just a little tribute to Samuel, all this time he has been the MOST supportive and encouraging light to me; he nurtured me and did everything in his power to make me as comfortable as possible.

Then it was 6a Thursday, April 25th. My contractions were VERY intense and were every 2 to 3 minutes apart. These contractions were my worst during labor until transition. Not only did they feel like strong menstrual cramps in my pelvis and lower back, but now my hips felt like they were being stretched. It hurt! Poor Samuel was exhausted and had only been able to sleep maybe 2 hours when I woke him up and told him we needed to call Mary, my midwife we had seen the day prior. As Samuel described my contractions to her, I felt SO relieved and reassured. He was so in tune with me that I didn't need to reach for the phone and have to talk to Mary, he knew exactly what to tell her. The conversation was short and within minutes, Samuel was packing our stuff in the car and we were on our way to Blossom! During the ride, I started to relax more and more. Knowing that I was going to be cared for was so reassuring. Literally, I could feel my shoulders and neck relax as we got closer and closer to our destination. When we arrived, Mary (my midwife) and Sommer (my doula) ushered me into the private room where they had already drawn a bath for me. After checking my progress, Mary had said excitedly, "Your cervix is so ripe and paper thin. Although you are still 3cm dilated, don't be discouraged by that because your body has done all the hard work in stretching your cervix. Your bag of waters is bulging beautifully and will help to dilate your cervix slowly". I was so happy at that news. She then assisted me into the tub, where I was able to finally relax all my muscles. Once I felt relaxed enough, I went to the bed to try and get some sleep. Sommer, massaged my feet while Samuel caressed my back and I was thankfully able to get 30 minutes of deep sleep.

When I awoke, my midwives had switched shifts and instead of Mary and Sommer, I was blessed with Nichelle (midwife) and Jacqueline (doula). Throughout my prenatal care, I had developed a relationship with all three midwives employed by Blossom and Nichelle was just the perfect one to birth Hosanna. Mary and Diane were very nurturing and peaceful. I think had they attended my birth, it would have gone much longer and I would have ended up in the hospital. Nichelle, however was very determined and deliberate. As soon as she arrived, she wanted to get things rolling, since my contractions had significantly slowed down and were now 6 to 8 minutes apart. She had Jacqueline feed me oatmeal with berries and honey (YUMMMM) and tea and water. Then she said, “it’s a beautiful day out! Let’s get dressed and take a walk”. And so I got dressed and Samuel and I took about an hour and a half stroll.

 It was so pleasant outside, unlike normal Arizona weather. There was a cool breeze and because blossom is located in a coldesac, our walk was very private and peaceful. With each contraction, Samuel would assure me that God was with us and that our labor was perfectly normal. He would distract me with encouraging scriptures and asked me to watch the birds. Every time we passed Blossom, I wanted to go back in and be in the comforting presence of my midwife and doula, but Samuel encouraged me to walk down the cul-de-sac one more time. This got my contractions going again and soon they were back to every 3 to 5 minutes apart and the intensity picked up once again. Samuel asks me, “do you think we’re in late first stage yet?”. I didn’t think so, because I was able to talk during my contractions and was still walking around (our instructor had told us I wouldn’t be able to do those things in late stage). We then went back to Blossom and Nichelle checked my progress. I was 4cm dilated! This made me SO sad, because I knew we were in for a very long night. She then had me eat roast beef with mashed potatoes and green beans. I’m thinking, “this is crazy! I can’t eat this! I’ll throw it up! I don’t even eat these portions normally”. But Nichelle was very stern in telling Samuel to get me to eat all of it so that I would have energy for later. Meanwhile, my doula is kindly holding a straw to my mouth and encouraging me to drink more tea and water (I had never drunken SO much liquid in my life! There were cups everywhere ).

Laboring after coming in from our stroll.

My contractions were getting intense again and I could feel my hips stretching again. With each contraction I would run to the bathroom and lean over the sink, for some odd reason I felt more comforted being in the bathroom. Samuel would recite scriptures to me and sing along to the worship music he had playing for me (we had a special playlist specifically made for our labor and delivery). Soon, it was 5p and Nichelle wanted to check my progress again. Samuel was hesitant because he didn’t want me to get discouraged again, but I wanted to know! This time I was 6cm dilated and with this check my bag of waters burst. I was so elated, because this meant I could get in the tub again. With our birth classes, they informed us that getting in the tub before your amniotic sac broke could slow down labor significantly, but could speed labor up after it broke. So my doula rewarmed the water for us and Samuel helped me back into the tub to help ease up the intensity of my contractions.

All I wanted to do was sleep! I was SO tired! And so I lay back with Samuel supporting me from behind and I was able to relax a bit. All the while, my doula is giving me more water and tea.

After a couple hours, Nichelle encouraged us to try other positions to get my pelvis to open up and move things along quicker. And so I moved to the squatting bench in the shower. This would be the most relief I felt throughout my pregnancy. The hot water on my back relieved much of the tension I felt with each contraction (Hosanna was occipital posterior and so I had back labor and felt most of the pain in my lower back and hips). Sitting on the bench was comfortable too, but soon my legs went numb and I had to stand to relieve yet another uncomfortable feeling. My contractions got much more intense, and these were definitely the worst of them all. I started crying and Samuel again would hold me, caress me and apply pressure to my back (which relieved a lot of the pain – these were the ones I could really say were painful). He would tell me how strong I was and how beautiful I looked. He would tell me soon we would meet Hosanna and that uplifted me and reminded me that what I was doing was normal and possible (unlike all the feedback I had received during my pregnancy). 

Sommer had come back and I was so encouraged to see her; her presence was so comforting and reassuring. I started to make high pitched-small noises with each contraction and she told me to deepen my voice. I did and it helped a bit by distracting me. Nichelle then wanted to check me again and by this time it was almost midnight. I remember stepping out of the shower and looking at Sommer’s feet. She had these really cool tattoos of her baby’s footprints and I said, “I love your tattoos” (which later she would confide was comical to her because I was in such deep labor and the one thing I noticed was her tattoos ). After checking me, I was 8cm dilated. I thought, ‘my goodness Hosanna is gonna be born tomorrow night at this rate’! I was progressing so slowly! And I was extremely tired at this point. Immediately after I went straight to the shower. With each contraction I moaned deeply and loudly while facing the corner of the shower as if to hide away from the world. I didn’t want anyone to see me in pain and it was embarrassing for me to be so vulnerable. I started crying again with Samuel and I alone in the bathroom. I looked at him and felt so sad because I knew how tired Samuel was, and how much I needed him! I knew he needed rest but I just could not do labor without him! 

Jacqueline told me when I started to feel like pushing to go ahead and do so. I went back on the squatting bench. Maybe an hour later I felt like I needed to pass a bowel movement and went to the toilet. Jacqueline said this could be my ‘urge to push’ feeling but I didn’t trust it. I then went back to the tub and tried pushing to see if it would bring relief, and it did. So with each contraction I started pushing while in the tub. Nichelle then entered the bathroom and wanted me to lie flat on my back in the restroom to try and get Hosanna to pass under my pubic bone. This hurt me so much! The pressure on my lower back and tailbone was so intense that I could not stand lying on my back. We then moved to the bed. At this point, my contractions spaced out a lot and were every 15 minutes. I was exhausted. Nichelle asked Jacqueline and Samuel to hold my legs so I could conserve as much energy as possible. She then suggested I drink black cohash tea to speed up my contractions. Samuel, as my protector and advocator, said no. He saw how exhausted I was and told her, “look at how tired she is, she needs the break in between”. To my surprise, Samuel said I would pass out into a deep sleep between each contraction and pushing and would snore! I had no clue…I was so tired and delirious that everything became a blur to me.

My eyes became so swollen from pushing that my vision was blurry and I was unable to see much. My jaw was also swollen and sore from clenching down with each push. After each contraction, I feared the coming of the next one because I didn’t know where I would get the energy to push. I started to doubt my ability to birth Hosanna. After 3 hours of pushing I heard Nichelle tell Samuel, “"her contractions are very far apart and per protocol, after 2 hours of pushing we are to transfer to the hospital". I started crying, because I knew if they transferred me, I would be an emergency c- section. Then she said, "but baby's heart rate is beautiful and mom's vitals are great". Then Samuel petitioned for more time for me. 

That's when my doula said to talk to Hosanna. To tell her we love her and want to meet her and that everything is OK. I couldn't talk because my jaw was so swollen from pushing so long and so I just cried. Samuel started singing Hosanna and my midwife and doula joined in. They encouraged me to reach down and feel Hosanna’s hair. I sobbed with joy and mustered the energy for the next pushes. Literally, 2 pushes later Hosanna was born.

The moment after she was born!

 They placed her on my chest and from moments before I had absolutely no energy to now, I felt like I was on cloud nine. My energy shot right up and I felt SO much relief and joy. The happiness that flooded me was UNBELIEVABLE AND UNWORLDLY. I had my baby girl and she was healthy! I held her for a long time just saying, “my baby, my baby. I hear you. I see you. YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL”. I kissed her everywhere and did not care that she had mucus and blood all over her, she was perfect! Then I turned to Samuel, who was sobbing and staring at us. I thought, ‘oh my gosh he hasn’t held her! How selfish of me’. But he was happy to watch us. He cut the cord and then held her while I birthed the placenta and received care from tearing. After, Hosanna latched on and we were able to successfully breastfeed. 

Nichelle, our midwife I greatly appreciated her knowledge and direction. I felt she had Hosanna's and my best interest at heart throughout my pregnancy and labor.

Jacqueline, our doula for most of Hosanna's labor and delivery. She was such a light. When I felt like I was facing a mountain and started to feel an inkling of doubt, she would sense it immediately and start praying aloud for strength, protection and endurance. She kept telling me I was a warrior, when I felt the exact opposite. I am so grateful to have had her support and encouragement!

 

Right before we departed from Blossom

 It was 3:43, April 26th when Hosanna was born. We then rested and at 10a we awoke again. Jacqueline made me breakfast and served me orange juice, tea and water. After eating, Hosanna received her newborn assessment by Nichelle. Samuel packed our car and soon we were in the comfort of our own home. My mother came over to finish ‘spring cleaning’ the house while we slept and adored our precious daughter. Everything was perfect.

Samuel adoring Hosanna shortly after arriving home.

Hosanna at 13 days old

Hosanna at 3 weeks old!