Two weeks ago on a day that will forever feel like one of the best days of my life, my son, Ethan, was born.๐ My husband and I are thrilled to call this little guy our son and we’re so happy to be home with our two little boys as I write this. What a truly amazing week itโs been.
Itโs been a whirlwind since we went to the hospital that day – but I wanted to share Ethanโs birth story in case itโs helpful (or fun!) for any other mamas who are expecting and for anyone who loves reading these stories.
I know birth stories encompass a wide range of experiences – but for anyone reading this, just know before jumping in that this is a positive/uplifting birth story. It was honestly a complete shock to me how well it went – so Iโm happy to share this story.
I hope you enjoy reading about the birthday of our familyโs newest, tiniest miracle and for any expecting or future mamas, I hope you feel reassured reading this birth story. โฅ๏ธ
birth plan:
Due to some medical issues & my doctor’s recommendation, I was scheduled for a labor induction for my son’s delivery. On the bright side, it was nice having a date to look forward to and plan for…
As I approached my induction date, things were looking great. The week before being induced, I was very slightly dilated and Ethan was in a great position during his ultrasound – so I felt really good heading towards my induction date…
Hereโs how the big day day went down:
- 5am – Checked into the hospital. My doctor ended up being tied up in the O/R right as I was getting settled into my room, so I had to wait about an hour or two until she could check me prior to starting the induction process. On the bright side, I was encouraged to eat breakfast since it would be a long day. An omelet, roasted potatoes and a protein bar powered me through the big day!
- 8am – Iโm administered Pitocin to initiate contractions. Every 30 minutes, the nurse checked my progress and gave me more Pitocin as needed.
- 8am-10am-ish: Contractions started – For anyone who’s never experienced contractions before and is curious – the closest thing I can compare it to is monthly cramps in terms of how it starts out. Itโs that kind of deep, familiar pain which is intermixed with breaks in between them. Over time the โcrampsโ intensify and begin to occur closer togetherโฆ
- 1:30pm – Doctor breaks my water. I was a little nervous about this because I didnโt know what to expect, but it wasnโt painful thankfully. (My doctor timed it during one of my contractions, which apparently helps make it as painless as possible.)
- 3pm-ish – Received an epidural. (Let me start by saying I totally understand we all have our own opinions and hopes about whether or not to get an epidural and I completely respect everyoneโs decision on the topic. Ultimately, itโs your body – so I feel itโs important to please do what’s right for you. I just wanted to share openly about what it felt like receiving an epidural since that was my experience.) To give some context, a few years back during labor with my older son (who was in a less favorable position during delivery), I received an epidural and I’m very thankful it was an option with him. Because of that experience I felt comfortable taking an epidural again. The nurse told me that contractions after oneโs water breaks tend to be more intense (because there isnโt as much cushioning since thereโs no water to act as a buffer) and after breathing through contractions since 8am, I felt like it was a good time to get an epidural since I didnโt know how much longer Iโd have before delivery. Iโm glad I chose to get it at this point.
- 4pm – My doctor checked me and saw great progress! About 6cm dilated & baby was low and my doctor guessed it would be just a few hours until delivery!
- 5:07pm – Delivery of Baby Ethan!!! Wow – I cannot believe how quickly Ethan came following that last check-up! Also, Iโm amazed how much the epidural plus Ethanโs favorable position made such a difference in how manageable the pain was and how quickly pushing took! Honestly, from the time I received my epidural to the time I delivered, I donโt think I was in any pain greater than a 5/10โฆ which is absolutely amazing!! And I think I pushed less than 10 times before he was out. Incredible!!!
So, all in all it was about 8 hours from the time I started contractions to the time I delivered our sweet baby Ethan – and honestly, this is the best outcome I could have hoped for. Our baby was born healthy and well, and I feel tremendously lucky that my delivery went so well too.
Like many, I’ve often heard that second labors (and beyond) often go much quicker than your first labor – but I didnโt really believe it until I experienced it. I checked online and it turns out that for second births and beyond, the average labor is 4 – 14 hours shorter! (Source: Cleveland Clinic). Such great news for anyone who plans to deliver more than once!
Also, I never would have guessed that the babyโs position could make such a big difference in making delivery that much easier. It was pure luck that Ethan was in such a great position, so Iโm incredibly grateful for that too.
Ethan is such a wonderful baby – heโs so calm and sweet, a great sleeper, and truly is such a little joy. We couldnโt be more happy to have him as part of our family. ๐
I hope you enjoyed reading Ethan’s birth story and I hope his story was encouraging to read. I know there are all types of birth stories out there and no one knows how their own labor will goโฆ but at least in my experience, I think it helps heading into labor feeling generally positive and optimistic – so I hope that reading Ethan’s birth story is reassuring and helps put other moms a little more at ease. ๐ย
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