Nolan's Birth Story: The Perfect Ending

Every person has a birth story. Whether yours was a long drawn out labor, an emergency C-section, or you were born in the car on the way to the hospital...every person has a story. Growing up, I remember my parents telling me mine (2 weeks early, snow storm, emergency C-Section). I've decided to write out each of my children's stories, so they will have them forever. This is Nolan's.

As most of you know, on Tuesday, August 19th I had a midwife appointment. I knew she wanted to "strip my membranes" since I was full term, very dilated, and had a "favorable" cervix. After my appointment I came home and sat on a birthing ball for a long time. After lunch, I took a short nap and waited for my friend, Brooke, to arrive.  She was REALLY hoping to meet Nolan, but he just couldn't be bothered with coming out yet. She and I walked with the kids down to the park in our neighborhood, it was good to catch up as the kids played.

I went to bed Tuesday night around 11:30 - feeling like nothing was going to happen. Then at 2:45am I felt a gush. I was pretty sure I hadn't peed the bed, so I got up and ran to the bathroom. Sure enough, it was my water breaking. I yelled for Tyson from the shower and he sprang into action. We both showered and dressed...I woke my mom up to tell her we were leaving. We were in the truck by 3:15. I called Nancy to let her know what was happening.

As we got closer to Ann Arbor, my contractions got harder and faster. I was timing them at 6 minutes apart. For the record - riding in a "Monster F&%$" on Michigan's pot-hole filled roads, while having contractions is VERY unpleasant. We made it to triage by 3:45am.

Around 4:15 the L&D nurse came to take me to my room. It was a long walk, but I was able to get there in between contractions. I sat on the edge of the bed while she entered my info into the computer and the tub was being filled with water. My body was shaking, which I knew meant I was in transition phase. At 4:45am I got into the tub. The water was hot, but it felt good! I sat up on my knees and leaned forward, resting my head on the edge of the tub. Immediately contractions got stronger and I started feeling a lot of pressure in my back. I won't lie - this sent me into a panic...thinking I was having another posterior baby.

My midwife walked in around 5:10. She applied pressure to my lower back as I was contracting and I felt immediate relief. A few contractions later I asked her if she could check my progress...and in the very next breath I was screaming that I was ready to push. She checked and sure enough, the baby's head was crowning. I got in all fours (instinctively, because I never imagined I'd deliver in that position) and 4 pushes later - the midwife passed Nolan under the water, between my legs, so I could lift him up into the world. He was born at 5:34am. It was amazing.

He never cried, just looked up at me - calm and alert. He was perfect. I was on an oxytocin (birth hormone) high afterward. I felt great. Tyson and I were blessed with our third child and we knew our family was complete.

If I would have written out the way I hoped Nolan's birth would go (before he was born)...this story, his story, would have been perfectly written.