Keanan's birth story

Before I forget, here is Keanan's (very short) birth story...


On Labor Day (September 5th), I woke up and discovered that I was having somewhat regular Braxton Hicks contractions. At 7:30 a.m., I texted our doula, Lara, and told her that I was having "light" contractions. I wasn't at all convinced that I was actually going in to labor, but I wanted to make sure that Lara wasn't planning on going out of town for the day or anything.


At 8:00 a.m., I texted my midwife, Aliza, and told her that I was having contractions (still not painful) every 10-11 minutes, lasting 30-45 seconds. Aliza said to just go to the hospital whenever I was ready, which I found odd since I still didn't feel like I was in labor.


At about 8:30 a.m., Damian and I went for a walk around the block and ended up talking to our neighbor for about 15 minutes. My contractions started becoming more painful and were about 7 minutes apart, but I was still walking through them and felt like I probably had several hours before it would be time to go to the hospital. After one lap around the block, I decided that breakfast and a shower sounded better than walking. Luckily, my contractions got intense enough that the shower was skipped and we decided to head the hospital. I felt like we were going too early (contractions were still about 7 minutes apart), but I didn't want to freak out the kids by laboring in front of them and for some reason, I just felt like it would be a good idea to head in. I had called Hillary earlier and given her the heads up that "today might be the day" and asked if she could come help Eric with the four kids so Jamie could come to the hospital with us. I don't remember when I told Hillary that it was "go time," but Jamie, Damian and I left for the hospital at 9:00 a.m. On the way, Jamie called Aliza and told her that we were heading up there and asked her to have the nurses get the bathtub ready.


By the time we arrived at the hospital, I was quite uncomfortable and definitely didn't want Damian driving over the speed bumps in the parking lot! I still tried to stand at the admission desk to fill out some paperwork, but after signing two forms, I asked if I could do the rest from the hospital bed. At 9:15 a.m., I was examined and the nurse immediately said "oh, you're complete -- the baby is right there!" At which point, I started begging for the epidural (and the room instantly filled with nurses -- seeing the pediatric nurses show up and start prepping the warming bed for the baby was absolutely shocking!). She said it was too late and the epidural wouldn't kick in until after the baby arrived. Damian asked her what our other pain relief options were and she calmly said "uhm, let's get in the tub" (her way of saying there were no options at that point).


The bathtub was a lifesaver -- I can't imagine having a natural birth without the tub! The nurse immediately said that I could start pushing, but I was still in complete shock. I just couldn't believe that the baby was coming so quickly...and that I was going to feel every last pain and contraction. ;-) It felt like it took ages for me to accept it and finally use my energy for having the baby instead of panicking about it...but given the timeline, I know nothing took ages! At one point, one of the many nurses said "Adrienne, the only way to make the pain stop is to push the baby out"...it was the only thing that resonated with me and I finally felt like I could accept that this was the way it was going to happen. Aliza arrived and I started pushing in earnest. I don't remember exactly when Lara arrived, but I know I was already pushing. At 9:48 a.m., my water broke and at 10:01 a.m., Keanan arrived. To say it was a whirlwind labor and delivery is a complete understatement! The nurses and Aliza agreed that if I had opted for the shower instead of heading to the hospital, I would have had the baby at home or in the parking lot. I've never been so glad to be in public with sub-par personal hygiene! ;-)