Chase’s Birth Story: Part Two
Ryan and I arrived at the hospital at 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Ryan dropped me off and as he went to park the car, I waited for him in the lobby and paced around since it felt much better to walk around and move during my contractions than it did to sit down. The hospital security guard wished me luck and when I told him I was just really hoping this was the real deal, he laughed and told me about one woman who came to the hospital with labor pains three nights in a row before she had her baby. At this point, my contractions were strong enough for me to feel quite confident that I was in labor, but I was still nervous I’d be sent home because I wasn’t far enough along. The security guard’s story didn’t exactly give me a boost of confidence!
After we checked in and I signed some forms with the most wobbly signature in the world, we made our way to a delivery room and I was instructed to change into a hospital gown. My contractions continued to intensify and before the nurse came in, I told Ryan, “This seriously better be labor because I want these contractions to count toward something!”
I was then hooked up to a monitor and the nurse told me what I already knew: My contractions were very strong and coming every two minutes (or less) at this point. When the nurse asked me to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10, Ryan laughed because in the past, I told him that to me a level 10 on the pain scale is someone cutting off your finger. Ryan told me not to use my “severed finger scale,” but I told the nurse I was at around a seven and explained that the pain was increasing quickly. She then checked my cervix and told me I was only two centimeters dilated. I felt so discouraged and worried this would mean I would be sent home but the nurse told me she wanted to give me an hour and check me again since she had a feeling things were progressing quickly.
I spent the next 60 minutes walking around our room, groaning as the pain of my contractions started to completely overtake my body. (Do not be fooled by the smile in the above picture!) I never expected to be so vocal during labor but I could not stop moaning! I did my best to deal with contractions that began to feel closer and closer together and increasingly painful and while I always thought I’d be all about back massages and the birthing ball during labor, in the end, I wanted to be totally left alone to walk around and deal with the pain. Ryan kept asking what he could do to help but I was in my own little world and just wanted to groan my way through everything and try to figure out some way to make the pain less intense. (Not possible.)
An hour later, the nurse checked my cervix again and told me I progressed two centimeters over the course of the past hour. I was up to four centimeters at 6 a.m. and she assured me this was “go time!” HOORAY! Ryan then sent texts out to my family and our friends to keep them in the loop. Going into labor, I was already comfortable with the decision to have an epidural if I felt like I needed it at some point, so when the nurse brought up the option, I said yes and was given an IV and told I had to wait until the bag of fluids drained before my epidural could be administered. This took a while and I continued to do my best to deal with seriously painful contractions until around 7:30 a.m. when the anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural. The pain relief was unbelievable and I was able to relax and rest for the next few hours after the nurse checked me again and told me I was up to 6 centimeters dilated.
At one point, I asked Ryan if I was allowed to just let myself pee because of the catheter they put in and he laughed and told me I already peed a few times now. Clearly I wasn’t feeling much down there at this point!
After a few hours, I spoke with my nurse and told her I thought my epidural might be wearing off a bit because I could feel my contractions again, though they were significantly less painful than they were before the epidural. My nurse told me this was a good thing and said that I’d likely soon be pushing whenever I felt a contraction coming on to get our baby out. I asked her a billion questions about what to expect, how to exactly to push (she said, “Like you’re trying to pass the biggest bowel movement of your life… Up and out!”) and how long she thought I could expect to push. She then checked me and her eyes lit up when she said, “Yep, you’re ready! Ten centimeters!”
At 11:20 a.m., my nurse encouraged me to try three “practice pushes” when my next contraction came on and after I did, she said, “Whoa! He’s coming right now!”
With that, more nurses began rushing into the room, along with my midwife who immediately sat down in front of me and, along with my nurse, coached me through more pushing as my doctor hurried into the room to join them.
I looked up at Ryan during a brief reprieve from pushing. He was gripping my left hand and we both said we could not believe this was happening. Ryan stayed up at my shoulders but when he told me he, too, could see our baby’s head, I saw his eyes absolutely light up and I felt a rush of emotions that were truly indescribable. I knew I was minutes away from meeting our baby and I felt more alive and alert than I ever have in my entire life. Our baby was right there. Ryan could see his little head and told me he had blonde hair! I couldn’t believe it!
At one point, my midwife told me to stop pushing and I heard her talking lowly to my doctor but I wasn’t focused on what they were saying, as I was wrapped up in talking to Ryan and my nurse. Apparently this pause in my pushing was due to the fact that the umbilical cord was wrapped around our baby’s neck. This was handled calmly and efficiently – so much so that I didn’t event know it happened until Ryan told me after birth.
When it was time for me to push again, I could feel significant pressure and knew the head was coming out. I pushed again and could feel our baby come into the world as I heard his cry. I immediately started to cry as I looked for my little boy and looked up at Ryan to see his eyes fill with tears.
Our baby was here!
At 11:35 a.m., after 15 minutes of pushing, I was holding Chase in my arms. I could not believe it and am pretty sure Ryan and I repeatedly turned to each other and said some variation of, “He’s here! He’s perfect! I can’t believe our baby is here!”
Immediate skin to skin contact was really important to me and I spent some time with our little boy on my chest as Ryan and I soaked in the sight of our beautiful baby boy. I kissed the top of his head more times than I could count and stared at his sweet face until it was time for him to get checked out by the nurses.
Ryan stood over him and watched everything while snapping pictures for me to see later. I asked him repeatedly how everything looked and both Ryan and the nurses assured me that Chase was alert and healthy.
Chase was then placed on the scale and when I asked how much he weighed, I was surprised to hear 5 pounds 10 ounces. A little peanut! I knew I was measuring small throughout my pregnancy and a 36-week ultrasound told me our baby was on the smaller side, but I was shocked to hear he was so teeny! I couldn’t help but feel a little concerned, but the nurses said he looked fantastic and his head was a normal size for his gestational age. Plus, he was 19 1/2 inches long! (Fun fact: Ryan was 6 pounds and 20-something inches when he was born!)
We spent the hours after Chase was born holding him, kissing him and talking all about our incredible baby boy and his journey into the world. Chase came two weeks early and he came out fast and I could not have been more thrilled to meet our beautiful baby boy.
I wish I could truly capture in words what I felt the day Chase was born and the way I’ve felt every day since his arrival. He is an absolute miracle and the love I have for this little boy is so consuming. I feel more vulnerable than I ever have in my entire life as Chase has quickly become my entire world. I cannot wait to watch him grow, learn and play and know I will only fall more and more in love with him every single day. I can’t believe we have a baby!!!
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Did your water break naturally? What was that like?
Yes! It actually broke naturally after I had the epidural so I didn’t actually feel anything or even know it happened! My nurse actually told me it broke when she came back to check how far along I was and the bed was all wet!
15 minutes of pushing, wow! Sounds like you had the ideal quick progression! My mother-in-law was in labor for 50 hours with my husband… it makes me nervous for future babes haha.
Congrats! He is just perfect and you look amazing <3
50 hours — oh my gosh!! She is incredible! My mom actually had a really fast labor, too, which makes me wonder about the correlation between a mother & daughter’s labor experiences.
I’ve heard there can be a correlation between mother and daughter’s labor! I think that was true for me except for the delivery. Mom ended up having a C section. It took me three hours, but I finally did push my little one out bc we were both doing fine.
You are going to make me start crying at work! Thank you for sharing your birth story! As someone who is so nervous about giving birth (years from now) and knowing that you were nervous beforehand, reading this has calmed my nerves knowing that everything went well for you. He’s adorable!
Oh my goodness you have such a glow! Congrats mama 🙂 If I look like you when I give birth someday I’ll be a happy lady. Thanks for writing this out and sharing it with us!
Oh my god, Julie, that’s so awesome! I’ve been following your blog for several years now and so your pregnancy-journey right from the start and now I’m actually sobbing while reading Chase’s birthstory. 2 months ago my husband and I found out that we are also expecting a baby 🙂 It’s really nice to read your blog and your experiences during your pregnancy.
I wish you und your little family all the best, may god bless you!
Greetings from Germany,
Kristina
Congrats on your baby!
He is beautiful Julie! So glad you had a smooth and fast delivery. Wishing you all the best!
Oh my god, Julie, that’s so awesome!
I am following your blog for several years now and so I was following your pregnancy-journey right from the start. Actually, I’m sobbing right now while reading Chase’s birthstory. 3 months ago my husband and I found out that we are also expecting a baby 🙂 It’s really nice to read your blog and your experiences during pregnancy 😉
I wish you and your little family all the best, may God bless you!
Greetings from Germany,
Kristina
I am so, so excited for you and your husband!!! You are in for the most amazing journey. Chase is truly the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me.
Beautiful story, Julie! I have tears in my eyes after reading this. Becoming a Mother is such a wonderful gift. Each day I am amazed that God has entrusted me with His children. (And you may have just given me a tinge of baby #3 fever).
I have tears in my eyes reading this beautiful story. Your son is absolutely adorable. I am due in November and I am definitely nervous about the labor, but this story made me even more excited about it. Did you end up using your playlist at all? And do you have any recommendations for what to bring and what not to bring to the hospital? Thanks 🙂
Oh my gosh, I didn’t even THINK about music during labor! Ha! And I ended up using practically nothing I brought with me to the hospital — they really do have everything you really need there! I’ll definitely share a post about this though in the future. I have a post about my hospital bag in my drafts to publish but really want to edit it before sharing now that I know more about what was actually useful and what was not worth packing. I hope to have it up soon!
This made me cry. Julie, I am beyond thrilled for you. <3
Congrats! He is perfect! Our little guy was exactly 2 weeks early and weighed 5lbs 8oz, 19.5 inches long. They grow fast! He is now 3 months old and weight 13lbs! Enjoy every moment with him.
This is so encouraging to hear! Chase is doing well in all of his exams and his first pediatric appt yesterday went well, but I still cannot help but be concerned because he’s just so tiny! He is gaining weight well so far though and is already over 6 pounds!
My little boy named Chase came 15 days early last year and weighed 7lbs, 9 oz. He’s blonde haired and blue eyes and both my husband and I have brown hair, brown eyes! Funny how that works out!
Reading this makes me tear up with happiness. I’m so happy for you guys and it makes me even more excited to meet our little one in a few short months! Congratulations again!
OMG this was so beautiful! I cried reading it!
Aww congratulations, Julie! He is so perfect and you look glowing and amazing!! Thank you for sharing your birth story; I am terrified of that process, even though I know that nothing is more worth it, so I really appreciate you sharing your journey! I hope you, Ryan, Sadie and Chase have a wonderful week. Can’t wait to hear about big sister’s response to Chase :).
Congrats!! Hes so stinkin cute. My tiny newborn turns 6 months next week- it literally goes so fast! Can’t wait to hear all about how your first week at home is going. Snuggle him up!
I’m 12 weeks away from having my first baby boy and have LOVED reading your updates and this birth story! I’m so nervous but excited at the same time. Thanks for sharing all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) details about pregnancy. I’ve share many of the same emotions and thoughts as you. Congrats on your new addition! He’s perfect!
So happy that he’s here safe & sound. He’s a cutie pie.
And I am bawling my eyes at my desk at work! I am currently 23 weeks along and have loved reading (and rereading =p) your pregnancy posts! Chase is absolutely perfect. Congrats to you and Ryan!
I am so thrilled for you!! Holding your baby for the first time really is the most incredible feeling. <3
I cant wait!!
Congratulations, Julie! It’s great that both you and Chase are healthy! My due date is August 9th and we are waiting for our first baby’s arrival too! I wish to have a quick and healthy labor as yours 😀 Wish you, Ryan and Chase a life full of health and joy! Chase is adorable by the way!
Geez, thanks for making me cry at my desk! 😛
It’s wonderful to hear that you had a relatively simple/fast labor, and Chase is beautiful! You all look so happy. Congrats!!
Hoping for a labor/delivery even half as easy as yours in a couple short months!
Im at work, in tears. What a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing this special part of your life with us. I love birth stories and am hoping to be a midwife soon. So much love for you and your beautiful family. What a blessing!!! I cant wait to watch Chase grow!!
This is truly a beautiful story. Congrats on the little bundle of joy!
I just wanted to congratulate you and Ryan on your precious addition! I’m a long-time reader and expecting a boy this fall myself! I teared up reading about your beautiful experience; I can’t even begin to imagine the emotions that I’ll experience when mine arrives! Thanks for sharing your story, and enjoy your little miracle!
Thank you for sharing your story and pictures. Your little peanut is so beautiful and I couldn’t be happier for you and Ryan (even though you don’t know who the heck I am! haha) I have a 23 year old and an 18 year old and so I love hearing and seeing bloggers’ birth stories and pictures of their little ones. Crazy how tiny your little guy is …..my oldest was 9 lb 9 oz and younger was 10 lb 1 oz — almost twice the size of yours! I can’t believe how short your active labor was either!! Congrats on that! 🙂
Congrats to the Fagans! The love you have for your son will be the strongest you ever know. I still struggle leaving my son for work and he’s 15 months. It’s crazy how quickly and how strongly you can love suh a tiny being. Congrats on a quick delivery, hope everyone is and stays healthy!!! Just wait until he calls youama for the first time, your heart will truly melt!!
Oh man, your story made me have a good snotty cry! We had our baby boy 4 months ago via c-section (he was breech) and it happened early and fast too! You’re awesome, and boys are the best! Chase is absolutely adorable! Wishing you all the best 🙂
Congrats to the Fagans! The love you have for your son will be the strongest you ever know. I still struggle leaving my son for work and he’s 15 months. It’s crazy how quickly and how strongly you can love suh a tiny being. Congrats on a quick delivery, hope everyone is and stays healthy!!! Just wait until he calls you mama for the first time, your heart will truly melt!!
I swear I never get tired of hearing peoples birth stories. My first son was born at 4 weeks early in December and weighed 5lbs 14oz. His birth weight scared me too but I was so thankful he never spent a second in the NICU. Enjoy every second. I’m still so shocked my son is already almost 8 months old. Time flies when you have a sweet baby boy to share your time with. Congrats again Fagan Family!
I’m in tears reading this as I sit here on my labor ball (the only comfortable seat in my house right now!) I’m 38.5 weeks along and I love reading labor and delivery stories. I’ve been following along during your pregnancy and a lot of the time I find myself saying “Me too!” out loud haha. I am so happy your experience went smoothly and that Chase is finally here! He is so beautiful. I cannot wait for my baby girl to arrive.
Enjoy your newest little family member 🙂
xo
Ah!!! You are SO, so close! And I was living on my labor ball in my final weeks, too. 🙂 I’m so, so excited for you!!!!
Yep, crying at work!!!! I’m 29 weeks along and can’t WAIT to experience the birth of our baby girl!!! I’m so glad you had a great labor experience and everything went smoothly! God is good!
This is a beautiful recap Julie! Congratulation on your perfect little peanut!
Congrats to you and Ryan! Chase is absolutely precious! I have been following your blog since your wedding and can’t wait to see what has to come from here!
Oh, Julie, I am so very happy for you! This brought tears to my eyes as I read it. A beautiful baby boy. You and Ryan are so very blessed. Many wishes for a wonderful life for you and your sweet baby!
Tears halfway through, and now I’m a mess. He’s adorable, and I’m so happy for you guys!!! xoxo
I’ve followed your blog for a long time and have followed your pregnancy journey from the start – such an incredible journey! You have me tearing up at work! He is absolutely beautiful Julie and you will make an amazing mother! I wish you all the best.
Such a beautiful story. So glad everything went well for you! Best of luck for a happy, healthy baby and mama through out this journey. <3
Congratulations!!!! I definitely teared up at work reading this. He is so handsome!!! LOVE the name!!! 🙂
Welcome to the world little Chase! I hope I have a birth story like yours someday! It sounds like it went great!!
Beautiful story, beautiful baby, and beautiful family! I’ve followed your blog from the beginning and I am just so happy for you guys!
Thank you, Katherine! And thanks for reading for so long!
So so happy for you! You’re little peanut is so adorable! I cried reading your birth story. I’m due in 4 weeks and get more scared as I get closer. It’s nice to hear a story of a good experience. Congrats!!!
Congratulations! He is so beautiful and handsome! I can relate to the moaning. My midwife even encourage me to moan really low in my chest because it helps to push. And it sure did! It felt like a natural part of the process. 🙂 It’s amazing what our bodies can do!
Aww, yay!! I’m not sure if I want kids but your story is great! –And I might be starting to think twice about wanting kids 😛 Congrats again to you and Ryan!
There are no words to capture the joy. None. My kids are both teenagers and I can absolutely recall each detail of that moment when I first saw them, held them and called them by name. It still brings me tears to read birth stories and see newborn babies. We had the added excitement of NOT knowing the sex, so there was an extra layer of joy and surprise when they were born (we have a daughter-17 and a son-14).
Thank you for sharing your story and those precious first moments with your perfect child of God. Enjoy every high and low, burn it all in your mind. They grow so (way too) fast. Congrats to you both and God bless your sweet family.
What a wonderful story! Congratulations and keep on posting pictures of Chase – he is just adorable!
Oh my word, he is precious! I am sitting here at work sobbing! Congrats to you and Ryan! How does Sadie feel about him?
She’s not so sure about him yet! She’s curious but not exactly psyched. 🙂 We’re doing our best to give her lots of love as she adjusts!
What a beautiful story! Chase is so gorgeous and I know you two must be so thrilled. Congratulations!
Omg I am crying. SOOO happy for you guys! I told my husband “Julie had her baby!” And he was like “umm…who’s Julie?” I am so excited for you! He is beautiful!
Aw, I love this!! <3 Thanks so much, Anna!
Your story is beautiful! My son came 3 weeks earlier and also came hard and fast. It all happened so fast and yet it was so amazing and beautiful! I loved those moments after he was born when I was just holding him and it was just us! This story brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy!
Your a true champ Julie! So glad everything went well and it was a short labor and delivery! Can’t wait to hear more about your sweet little boy and follow along as he grows! And how is Sadie doing with him?
She is a trooper! She’s tolerating him at this point… They’re definitely not BFFs (yet?) but she’s getting braver around him every day and will sit next to me when I nurse him. When he cries, she is NOT a fan — haha!
Wow Julie! What an incredible birth story! Congratulations on the arrival of your son, he looks absolutely precious.