My Birth Story
It all started on Wednesday, April 14th at 10 pm as my husband and I were about to fall asleep that I experienced my very first contraction…
We had been staying at my parent’s house in Orange County, CA since we bought our first home in Utah halfway through my pregnancy. We decided to live with my parents instead of moving right away so I didn't have to switch my OBGYN, doula (Tawnya), and hospital at 5 months pregnant. Heck no!
Now back to the story…
Around 10 pm, I sprung up from the bed with terrible shooting pain in my back. It was a pain I never felt before! I looked over at my husband and said, “My back is killing me right now and I’m not sure why?” Then, I began frantically pacing the room trying to breathe through the pain I was experiencing in my back. I was doing all sorts of yoga poses to stretch my back and ease my mind. Within 10 minutes, the pain increased and moved to my stomach. I was positive I was having contractions. I told my husband to call Tawnya to let her know I was having contractions and she should probably head over to my parent’s house. This baby was coming!
Tawnya arrived at my parent’s house a little after 11 pm and started her magic by massaging my lower back and hips. I felt a lot of pain in my hips which I would never have expected. However, having someone press on your hips during a contraction really makes a difference!
It was important to me that the mood in the house was peaceful so I could keep a calm mind and spirit. So, I had my husband grab the big bluetooth speaker to begin the tunes. We had my labor & delivery music playlist on from Spotify, my favorite natural electrolyte drink Kinderlyte, dim lights, lavender essential oils, and a medicine ball for me to roll/bounce on. Staying hydrated is very important since the uterus functions most properly when it’s fully hydrated. Also, bouncing on the medicine ball really helped minimize the pain during a contraction. My contractions were now 2 to 5 minutes apart and lasted 60 seconds each time. We knew it was time to drive over to the hospital and check in. Oh, I almost forgot....breathing exercises. Tons of breathing exercises.
My husband got the car ready with all our bags and the baby seat. I'm a planner so the bags had already been packed for weeks. We even did baby "fire drills" leading up to this day to perfect timing and packing. When we got in the car we continued the Spotify playlist to help distract me from the painful contractions and also called our family to tell them we were heading to the hospital. I’ve never seen my husband drive so fast! Thank goodness there was no traffic.
We arrived at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach just before 1 am. The nurses checked me into Triage where they would assess me and my vitals by checking to see how many centimeters I was dilated. Luckily, I was 4.5 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced so I was able to stay and labor at the hospital. I smiled at my husband and said, “We are having our baby!”
Shortly after being checked into Triage, I was wheeled over into the labor & delivery room where I would have my baby. At 3:30 am, I was checked again to see how my labor was progressing. I was now at 6.5 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced! Even though the pain was horrible I was grateful my labor was progressing naturally.
By 5:55 am my water broke on it’s own when I got up to go to the bathroom. I remember collapsing into my doula’s arms as she assisted me to the bathroom. My husband almost fainted and had to lay down after seeing my water break all over the bathroom floor. It was a sight to see! I was now close to 9 centimeters dilated and shaking out of control due to the excruciating pain of the contractions. I now know why a lot of women get epidurals! LOL
Within a few minutes, I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to start pushing! Again, this all happened naturally! The doctor on call came into my room, suited up, and ready to deliver our precious baby girl. I pushed for about an hour and Oh. My. Goodness was that tough! I’ve never felt so much pain in my life but right before I wanted to give up, Hazel Harte Swerdlow was born at 7:10 am weighing 6 lbs 13 oz.
I did hemorrhage after Hazel came out but I had such an incredible doctor that moved quickly to get Pitocin in my IV to stop the bleeding. Next, I delivered my placenta which I didn’t feel at all. All I remember was looking at my sweet Hazel resting on my chest skin to skin.
My birth plan was to have my baby unmedicated and I was able to do it because of my incredible doula, encouraging nurses, and skilled doctor. I never stopped praying about my birth plan throughout my pregnancy and staying positive. I really believe in the power of prayer and the power of positive thinking. Now I am a Mom and falling more in love with our precious Hazel every day.
