I had Braxton hicks contractions throughout the last half of my pregnancy. They started to get a little stronger about a week before she came and we knew that she could be coming soon. Dave’s birthday is on the 9th of June, our anniversary is the 10th of June, but Eilley didn’t want to share her special day with any other special occasion so she, thankfully, waited until the 11th so that she could keep the party going. So back to the 10th of June, our anniversary. It was that evening when my contractions started getting to be the real thing. Dave and I dropped Jesse and Benson off at Grandma Kocherhans’ house so that we could go out to dinner. Grandma and Aaron were planning on taking the boys over to the Orem Summerfest to ride some rides while we were at dinner.
It was just before and while we were at dinner, we were trying a new place, Sushi Ya, for the first time, that I started having a few contractions. We picked the boys up at the summerfest after dinner and watched them ride a few more rides and I had a few more over there. I knew it could be soon but I had had contractions for about 3 days like that with Benson so I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
When we got home that night I did feel the need to get things ready to go to the hospital just in case but went to bed and only had 3 or 4 more contractions that night. I woke up at 4 AM and was unable to get back to sleep. I was just restless and my mind was racing. I laid in bed listening to my Hypnobirthing relaxation tracks trying to get back to sleep, but I never did. I started having some more contractions at 7 AM and they were starting to get more intense but they were still far apart. 20 mins, 15 mins, back to 20, etc.
Just before 8 AM I had a couple that were 10 mins apart and decided to get up and get ready just in case. I went into the bathroom to shower but pretty much as soon as I got up my contractions started coming right on top of each other and were VERY intense! I told Dave it was time to get up and get ready. I texted my Mom to start getting ready to come over. The plan was to have her come watch the boys when we went to the hospital. After a couple contractions though I texted her again and told her to hurry over ASAP!!! I knew I’d better forget the shower and just get some clothes on and go but I was so nauseous I didn’t dare leave the bathroom. Also, I couldn’t do anything but lay there while I was having contractions and I only had a few seconds between contractions.
I was lying on the bathroom floor trying to get through contractions when I opened the door to tell Dave that we needed to hustle. I will never forget his reaction! He commented that he needed to text a lady in our ward about subbing for him at primary music tomorrow. Ya, Dave’s the new primary chorister in our ward and it’s a calling that he has taken very seriously and that has added a great amount of stress and anxiety in his life. But still….I’m lying there thinking, “You have got to be kidding me!!! This is not the time to be worrying about that!!!!” :)
It was a slow process but somehow between clinging to the body pillow on our bed through contractions and having those few seconds in between I managed to get clothes on and get out the door just as my Mom was getting there. It’s funny how I never use that body pillow but during this time it was my everything!!! I didn’t want to let it go. I hugged it all the way down the stairs, into the car, on the way to the hospital, and as Dave pushed me in the wheelchair up to labor and delivery.
Once again I managed to get into the hospital gown between contractions. When the nurse came in and checked me she told me that we needed to get right into delivery because I was at a 9 plus. They called the Doctor (Dr. Allen) and told him to hurry over. They wheeled me into the delivery room on the same bed and I basically just tried to wait for the Dr. to get there. It was hard though because I felt like I needed to push. Just before the Dr. got there they even grabbed a midwife that was there and told her to just come deliver but the Dr. got there just before she got started.
This was my first un-medicated birth (maybe my last). J I was actually wanting to go natural with Eilley and had done some hypnobirthing study to prepare myself. It’s a good thing that I was planning on no epidural because I wouldn’t have had a choice. Everything happened so fast. Dave had told the nurse that I was doing the hypnobirthing method and she kept telling me how impressed she was with how it was working for me. I really couldn’t talk and I had my eyes closed so it must of looked like I was in hypnobirthing mode but most of the time what I remember thinking is, “lady….hypnobirthing went out the window a long time ago, I’m in survival mode.”
The Dr. broke my water and it was time to push. It was weird because after he broke my water my contractions actually slowed down so I remember waiting a while between contractions and I wanted them to come faster so that I could push. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting the pushing to be the most painful part, but it was. There was a moment while I was pushing that I started thinking, “Wait!…No! Go back in! I don’t want to do this anymore!” Basically after 3 contractions and about 10 or 15 mins she was here!!
I’m sad to admit that when she arrived and they put her up on my chest I kind of didn’t want her yet. I was still in pain and out of it and didn’t realize what was going on. Ya, that makes me sad and for that reason I might not be up for another un-medicated birth again. I really enjoyed that moment so much with Jesse and Benson. Dave was very emotional when she arrived. He said that you could just sense the veil being very thin at that moment. Again, I was sad that I was too out of it to recognize that, But it didn’t take too long before I came to and was excited to be cuddling our new, beautiful, tiny daughter. She really was a girl….that was one of the first things I checked. :) Eilley was 6 lbs 14 oz and 18.5 inches. Our biggest and shortest baby so far. We’re anxious to get to know this sweet little girl as we go from here.
Her brothers already are in love with her! It’s going to be “fun” protecting her from Benson’s love. It was very fulfilling as a parent to watch Jesse interact with her for the first time. He just had this maturity about him as he realized that he was her big brother and was going to need to help and protect her. He was very conscientious and sweet, and gentle with her.
We’re so grateful to our Heavenly Father for giving us this opportunity to be Eilley’s parents and helping her come to our family safely and in good health.
