The delivery and post-birth process was truly the perfect ending to such an incredible journey. Knowing I was being induced, the IPs came the day before to make sure they were there on time. On induction day, we all met at the hospital at 6:00 AM and were taken back to the room to get set up. Blood work was done, and when they checked me, I was already 3 cm dilated. From the very beginning, this birth felt fun, calm, and exactly how I expected it to be. I started Pitocin at 8:30 AM, and before long, my contractions were about 2.5 minutes apart. My nurse looked at me and said, “How do you not feel these?!” As they got closer, 2 minutes apart, then 1.5 minutes apart, I still didn’t feel pain. When they checked me again in the afternoon, I was only 5 cm dilated, so they decided to break my water. I knew once they did that, I would really start to feel things, so I told them to call for the epidural.
What I didn’t expect was that after they broke my water, I was almost instantly fully dilated. For about 30 minutes with the epidural, I was fine, breathing through contractions. But for the next two hours, I kept saying, “I feel pressure.” The nurses watched the monitors and reassured me that the baby’s head was just dropping. I had been so excited for an “epidural nap,” like I had with my first daughter, but that never happened. About an hour earlier, they had asked if I wanted to be checked, and I said no, because in my experience, the longer you wait, the quicker the delivery goes. I wasn’t in pain, just breathing through the pressure, and I truly felt like she had been trying to come that entire time. Eventually, I said, “Nope, please get a nurse back in here.” The nurses came in with the OB and checked me right before 4:00 PM and said the words I already knew were coming: “You’re ready to push.”
Delivery was amazing. I pushed for 2 minutes and 42 seconds. My first delivery took 36 minutes, so I knew this one would be quicker, but I didn’t expect it to be that quick. At 37 weeks, the baby girl was born healthy, and we were both doing great. The IPs were in the room and watched the entire delivery. Seeing the look on their faces in that moment is something I will never forget. I instantly felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness knowing I had helped bring this moment to life for them. After delivery, I felt great. My boyfriend went to get me food, and even though I thought I’d want Jersey Mike’s, all I really wanted was Chick-fil-A. Lol. While he was gone, it was just the nurses and me as they wheeled me to my recovery room. It was quiet, almost surreal. I was exhausted, updating everyone on the baby and myself, and mostly just waiting for my food. After we ate dinner, the IPs came down with the baby once they had time for skin-to-skin. We finally got to meet her, take pictures, and sit together going over everything that had just happened. We talked, laughed, and honestly just stared at her while holding her. It was a truly special and calm moment, one where everything finally felt real. Once my boyfriend got back, we talked about everything: how grateful we were to be able to do this for a family, and how special the entire journey had been. I truly couldn’t have done any of this without him. He was my biggest supporter from start to finish, helping me through every emotion, every stressor, and everything that came my way. We talked about how amazing the IPs were and how adorable the baby was. After we ate dinner, the IPs came down with the baby once they had time for skin-to-skin. We finally got to meet her, take pictures, and sit together going over everything that had just happened. We talked, laughed, and honestly just stared at her while holding her. It was such a special, calm moment one where everything finally felt real. I was exclusively pumping for the parents, so I started pumping right away to get them milk while they were still in the hospital. Over the two days we were there, I was able to get a couple of ounces. After the IPs were discharged and before they left to go home, they stopped by my house to pick up the milk I had pumped the day after delivery. That first night home, I cried over milk. Literally. My hormones dropped fast, and the journey ended just as quickly. I had a whole plan: a pumping cart next to my bed, a mini fridge so I wouldn’t have to go to the kitchen at night… and instead I was staring at disorganized bags and just sobbing. Ten minutes later, I was completely fine. The drama! When the IPs left to go home, and I came back inside, I cried again. That’s when it really hit me, my job was done. A job I loved. A job where I protected a baby for a family. A job that took nine short months (37 weeks) of appointments, care, and dedication. I felt sad knowing we might not talk as often anymore because we had grown so close I talked to them more than my own siblings throughout this journey.
Healing has been going well. I have my 6-week postpartum appointment in a couple of days, but overall, I feel healthy and fine. My blood pressure hasn’t seemed like an issue, my body feels good, and I’ve gotten into a routine with pumping, freezing, and shipping milk. I would do this again in a heartbeat if I could. It was the best feeling in the world.
