Passionate Homemaker: Josiah William Barrows

First of all, I just want to say that this was the most beautiful experience ever, the birth of my son.

It all start on Wednesday early morning around 4am, I was having contractions regularly, 10 min apart being about 1-1:30 long. They were very painful to the point that I couldn't talk, or walk during them. Ben was at work already so around 7:30am I had him come home to take me to the hospital. We get to the hospital around 8am, they check me, and to my mere dissappointment, I was only 2.5cm dialated and 90%effaced.

So then I was sent home, with some medication to help me to relax and get some sleep, and maybe when I wake up I would be in real active labor and then I could have my precious little one.

When we got home, I tried to sleep, I tried to relax, doing things like getting in the tub and letting the water run over me, the contractions just seemed to get worse and worse every time. I was super tired, and so I ended up sleeping in between the contractions, and not through them like I wanted too. Waking up with a contraction worse than the last was getting harder and harder. I then gave up sleeping and started walking around swaying my body to help me to relax.

Just about when I was on the verge of tears, I woke Ben up from his nap and we went to the hospital again.

Arriving at around 3pm, my midwife checks me and again...I progressed a little (3cm 100%). I literally thought that I was going to cry, because I was in alot of pain because not only were the contractions getting more painful, I was starting to have back labor. So I had no relief in between the contractions. And the hospital dosen't admit you unless you are 4cm.

So my midwife, knowing that I was in alot of pain, gave me three options 1.) Go home and relax like I've been doing(yeah right, like I can relax) 2.) Get in the hospitals jacuzzi tub and hope that I can relax and progress that way(which is what I already basically did at home). 3.)Go for the epidural, and get help from pitocin if I needed it.

Thinking that because my body was so tired from being up so early, not getting enough sleep for the last couple of nights anyway, and the stress from not progressing and the contractions getting worse. I opted for the epidural.

"Honestly," I said, "I just want to sleep, and I want to enjoy this experience when the time comes."

So then around 4pm I was admitted, but I still had to wait awhile for the epidural to come in, so they gave me some kind of really cool/weird drug, that made me really dizzy and loopy. Took the edge off my contractions...so I was still feeling them but at least I wasnt cringing at the back labor I was still haivng.

After the dizziness wore off 2 min later, I asked Ben if he could walk with me through the halls, before I am confined to a bed with no feeling in my legs.

So we walked the hallways of the hospital for what seemed like only 10 min, much to my surprise 30min really passed and I was ready to go back to my room. My midwife was ready to check me again, she wanted to before I got the epidural, Good news! you are 5 cen now, yes! so walking around was doing something at least!

About 10min later the anesthesiologist came in, and he gave me the epidural, which is a very long process by the way...I had about 7-8 contractions pass before he was actually finished.

Few minutes later I was in happy land, after being poked a few times and having nurses come in a out of my room constantly I was ready to sleep.

So I made Ben go home, so that he can take care of himself-take a shower, eat something. I didn't know how long I was going to be, and I would rather have the soon-to-be daddy be well rested.

Nothing really exciting happened after that, I was sleeping just about the whole time.

My midwife checked me at sometime but I don't really remember, I was so tired and sleepy still. I guess I went from a 5-6 in about two hours, and from a 6-10 in about three hours.

I think that I felt my water broke before they all came in to check me again, and I was feeling alot of pressure in my bum, like I had to have a bm.

So I was checked, and joyfully my midwife said, "Well hun, you have no cervix left, you ready to push?" Half asleep, looking at her with tired eyes, I said probably too lazily, sure!

Pushing was weird, I mean I could feel it, and it felt like I had some control over what I was doing.

I was able to push out my son in 30min, in which Ben says was probably less because I started pushing at 11:45 and had him at 12:05.

They laid my beautiful boy on me, he was screaming, turned pink right away, they let me hold him for awhile on my chest before they took him to be checked. He is so beautiful, Ben was so proud, we just stared at each other for awhile with the love and affection of being new parents.

They then took him to check his breathing and all that, everything was perfect! A healthy newborn! I was so happy just for the thought of he was ok, he was healthy! After pushing out the placenta, which was a little weird, I was almost immediately being stiched up, I guess I tore a lot cause it took them a good half hour to finish that part, they also said something about him coming out with his hand right next to his head…wanted to be superman when he came out I guess.

After being cleaned up, and after I was able to walk again, we were able to go right up to the recovery room, I was already wanting to sleep again. Ben and I just stared at the little one that we have made, I had so much joy and happiness in my heart just looking at them. Ben finally getting to hold his son, the love just overflows you.