Halle Jane Carter (Birth Story)

Let me just say... I wrote this late at night when I was alone in my hospital room and Halle was sleeping. I wasn't trying to be super "on-the-ball."  I just couldn't sleep and figured I might as well document this while it was fresh in my mind.

Halle arrived on Wednesday, May 2nd at 4:02 AM. She weighed 6 lb. 15 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She is so sweet, and we are so excited that she made it here safe and sound. Her birth is definitely an experience I will never forget...

On Tuesday the 1st I had a doctor's appointment and was almost 5 cm dilated. My doctor stripped my membranes again. I told him I had been having lots of contractions since Friday, but they were not getting regular. He offered to admit me that night and break my water. If that didn't work, he would start some pitocin. I had planned not to be induced, but since I really wanted her to come well before our move, I said "yes." He said I could come to the hospital at 8 PM on Tuesday.

All afternoon and evening I was having lots of contractions. Nate and I walked around our neighborhood a lot. For quite a while the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They were getting painful, but not unbearable. Then at around 6pm I got a call from Labor and Delivery saying they were understaffed and I would not be able to come in that night to break my water. I was bummed, but also felt like maybe it was for the best. But I also told the nurse that I was having contractions 5 min apart, and that I might be heading to the hospital either way.

At around 11 PM my contractions seemed to be getting farther apart. I thought, Oh great, it was false labor. It's all gonna stop. So I decided to get some sleep. I laid in bed and timed contractions and they were more like 10-12 min apart. I eventually fell asleep, but then woke up at about 2 AM in a lot of pain. I knew it was the real thing at that point. The pain was getting intense really quickly, and my contractions were only about 2 min apart! Then I started shaking and threw up. I knew from my past 2 labor experiences that shaking and throwing up could mean I was really far into labor. I was pretty scared at that point. Nate and I rushed out the door and he called the hospital to say we were coming. I was freaking out the whole drive because it was incredibly painful and the contractions were coming so fast. We both thought I might not make it to the hospital. Luckily, we did.

Since it was the middle of the night we had to go in the ER entrance. They pulled up a wheelchair and walked me to L&D. I was embarrassed because I was so not in control of myself. I was in so much pain that I was sort of crying and hyperventalating with each contraction. Eventually I stopped caring, but it just sucked being in so much pain in front of a lot of people. I felt like everyone was staring at me.

It was 3:20 AM when I checked in at L&D. When the main nurse saw how much pain I was in, he sent me straight to a delivery room. I quickly changed into a gown and he checked me. 8 centimeters! Oh my gosh. I knew it was probably too late for an epidural. I have always wanted to try giving birth without any drugs, but I didn't think I would actually do it. One of the nurses said it was most likely too late, but then another one said they may be able to get one in time. I don't know what came over me, but I said, "I would like to do it without the epidural." I figured this was my one chance to do it drug-free since I was already 8 CM and I knew she was coming soon. I also thought there was a good chance that they could put the drugs in and then it would not kick in before she came out anyway. Plus, I know that there is NO WAY I could have held still for that epidural. I was in waaaay too much pain and the contractions were so close together that I hardly had a break at all between them.

My doctor arrived really quickly and he checked me again and said I had just a little bit of cervix left. I asked him how much longer he thought I had because I felt like I couldn't handle any more. He said maybe a half hour at the most. I thought, that is way too long! Luckily, I didn't have to wait that long. Within 10 minutes or so I was screaming and crying during each contraction. I knew I probably seemed like a crazy lady, but I didn't care anymore. It was like an out of body experience. I had no control. Nate was pressing on my back as much as he could and I was squeezing him and crying. He said he felt so bad for me and it was hard for him to watch me go through that when there was nothing he could do.

At 4 AM (just 40 min after arriving at the hospital) I felt extreme pressure and the urge to push. I said, "she's coming!" The doctor and nurses gathered around and I pushed my hardest one time. Her head was out. I screamed as I was pushing, and my doctor said, "try that again without screaming."  Ha ha. Easy for him to say. He knew I needed to focus my energy on the pushing though, so I'm glad he said that. Knowing that she was almost out and wanting the pain to end so badly, I pushed again without screaming as much, and she came right out! I will never forget that feeling of relief. The pain was over. Well, it still burned for a few minutes, but that was nothing compared what I had felt for the last hour.

Nate and I were so happy to see our little girl. She looked great. She was pink and crying and a good size. What a relief! She looks a lot like Paige did as a newborn. I'm so glad she is here and everything has gone really well so far.

P.S.  Her name is pronounced Hal-ee, like the actress Halle Berry. :)