Our sweet little Eve was born Friday, April 25th at 2:13 am.
She weighs 7 lbs and is 18 inches long.
Eve's Birth Story:
When I got my epidural with Sophia there was a problem and I had spinal headaches for months after her delivery. The chances of this happening are extremely unlikely, but the anesthesiologist said that my scoliosis may have complicated the epidural and could make it more likely to happen again. I decided risking that pain again wasn't worth it so my goal for all future deliveries became natural birth. When I found out I was pregnant back in August I started researching birthing methods and learning more about it. It hadn't ever been interesting to me, but I felt that a drug free delivery would give me the most optimal chance of a smooth recovery which is what I wanted. I watched documentaries, read a hypnobirthing book, talked with friends and family members who have natural birth experiences, and read the Bradly Method book. I practiced relaxation and breathing techniques and was determined to go natural. Eve's Birth Story:
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| 5 days before Eve was born |
Wednesday the 23rd I was having painful contractions in my back that kept me awake from 3:30 am- 6:30 am. They went away so I knew I wasn't in labor, but again hoped they were doing something. Wednesday night I went on a long brisk walk with my friend. When I got home the contractions continued, but weren't getting any more consistent. Thursday morning I continued to contract and they were strong, but I just cleaned up and tried to go about my regular routine without getting too excited. I went for another walk and felt miserable after. I thought I might have overdone it. I was getting a little nauseous and actually struggled through a few painful contractions while I was with the girls at the library. When we got home from the library around noon my contractions were 5-6 minutes apart and were definitely taking my breath away. I called Gustavo to warn him that I really thought the baby was coming that day. I then called my friend Taelor who is a labor and delivery nurse to ask her a few questions. She told me that the true test to see if I was in active labor was to see if the contractions persisted and intensified if I laid down or got in the tub. After I got Sophie down for a nap and sent Ella out to play with friends I took Taelor's advice and relaxed in the tub. I only had 4 contractions during 40 minutes. As I got out of the tub the contractions came back strong, but died down as soon as I rested. I figured I was just in early labor and would stay home.
Every time I got up the contractions picked right up and they were started to really increase in intensity. In the evening I was having to get on all 4's and rock my hips back and forth to get through each contraction. They weren't coming as often as I thought they would though so I just tried to relax. After I got the girls to bed I laid on the couch and tried to rest. I was only having about 3 contractions an hour if I stayed off my feet. They were incredibly painful, but again, I figured I shouldn't be getting too excited because I was waiting for them to be between 3 and 4 minutes apart. I went to bed around 11 thinking she'd probably come on Friday and I wanted to be rested. At 11:30 I woke up to my worst contraction yet. I called for Gustavo to come try to apply counter pressure to my back. After I got through it I went back to bed. I had another contraction about 10 minutes later and again asked for Gustavo's help. At midnight I got up and was feeling a ton of pressure. I was nauseous and thought that maybe I just needed to use the bathroom. I knew it couldn't be pressure from the baby yet because there was no way I was that far along. I continued having really painful contractions and started shaking. I got some Zofran for my nausea and decided to get in the tub. It was about 12:40 and the tub didn't take the edge off of my next contraction and the pressure was getting unbearable. I quickly got out of the tub and crawled to my closet floor to try to work through the contractions. I was so frustrated and in intense pain. I just felt like I wasn't cut out for natural labor and wanted to get an epidural. I figured I was still only about a 5 or 6. I yelled for Gustavo (about 6 times) before he woke up. I asked him to get my phone (I was in so much pain and shaking so badly that I couldn't stand up). I called my mom and told her how I was feeling. I explained that I just wanted the pain to stop. She told me that I probably needed to go to the hospital because maybe I was farther than I thought. We decided it would be best to meet there instead of having her come to my house. I had Gustavo call his sister Yolanda to come stay with the kids. At this point it was about 1:20. Gustavo helped me get dressed and get out to the car. The pressure was so intense I wondered if I could be farther along, but just doubted myself. As we got to the hospital it was probably about 1:45 (I don't really know though) and I told Gustavo that I needed him to get a wheelchair. He grabbed one and my mom met us at the entrance and offered to park our car. When we got up to labor and delivery I was dying! They asked me a few questions and slowly took me back to put on a gown. Two nurses came in and one checked me. She was feeling around for what seemed like FOREVER! I was in so much pain I asked what she was doing. She said that she could just feel a bulging sack and no cervix. She asked the other nurse to check me. That nurse said she thought she felt the lip of my cervix so they entered that I was dilated to a 9. I knew once my water broke Eve would come and I would be done. I was trying as hard as I could not to push, but the pressure was so intense as was the pain. The nurses were rushing to get me into the delivery room while asking my medical history and wheeling me down the hall. I was surrounded by nurses who were each trying to quicken the process because they knew the baby was going to be here quickly. I was hanging on to the side of the bed with my eyes closed just trying to breath through the pain. I said aloud a few times, "I can't do this!" My mom was massaging my back and I was squeezing Gustavo's hand as hard as I could while trying to breath and relax. Everyone kept reassuring me that I was doing it and that I just needed to focus on my breathing. After what couldn't have been more than 5 minutes in the delivery room the doctor had just entered and I yelled, "MY WATER BROKE!" At that point I didn't feel like I had any control of the pressure. As the water broke my sweet Evie made her appearance. I just remember feeling 3 distinct surges- the water, her head, and then the rest of her body. It was all within seconds and Gustavo and my mom told me the doctor was still putting on her gloves and told me to wait (to which I responded- "I CAN'T") while Evie came. My mom later told me that Eve landed on the bed (which hadn't been broken down yet). No one guided or delivered her, she just came on her own. My mom said it was like watching a baby on a slip and slide. I wasn't sure what had happened, but was so relieved to be done! Gustavo was up by my head because I was squeezing his hand and so he didn't have a clear view, but didn't feel like anything too crazy happened. We both felt like everything happened really fast, but didn't feel like it was very dramatic. We are just glad we delivered her at the hospital and not at home! Immediately after delivery Eve was placed on my body and the doctor introduced herself to me as the nurses broke the bed down so I could be stitched. The situation was comical to all of us. We were stunned at how quickly it happened. In fact a few of the nurses asked Gustavo if he had a camera and reminded him that he could take pictures. He went and found our camera so he could snap a few pictures as Eve was weighed and measured. In the meantime Dr. Cloward and I got to know each other while she assessed my tearing (second degree) and stitched me up. Eve was exactly 7 lbs, almost a whole pound smaller than Ella and Sophie were. She is tiny and perfect.
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| All of my girls meeting for the first time |
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