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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What a great story! I’m so glad it went so well for you. It’s nice to hear a good experience!
Congrats! What an adorable little peanut!
What a beautiful story! So excited for you and your family!
I loved reading Chase’s story. Congrats.
Thanks so much for sharing – I loved reading this! Hope you’re enjoying lots of newborn snuggles! 🙂
Oh my gosh reading this made me cry!! Im so happy for you guys, and cant wait to experience this for myself! He’s so incredibly perfect (and looks just like you I think!!)
Happy Birthday Chase and Congratulations to you and Ryan =0)
All through my pregnancy I had nick named out son Peanut, as I was measuring behind. He too was born two weeks early Via C-section as he had stopped growing at 37 weeks. My son was also tiny weighing in at 5lbs 8onces but was perfectly healthy. Now he’s almost 2 and I miss him being so small. Enjoy every second of him being tiny, Chase will grow so fast (in a blink of an eye)!
There are no words that can express the amount of Love and Joy you feel the moment you meet your child for the first time, as it is just so beautiful =0)
Congratulations
Thank you for sharing this with me! So happy to hear you have a happy and healthy two-year-old! I’m definitely doing my best to cuddle up with Chase and give his tiny little body tons of love right now. I can’t get enough of him!
So beautiful. Every baby is a miracle!! What a blessing!!
This is amazing and made me tear up. I can feel the joy through your writing. Congrats to you and your family <3
Tears here too….. so happy for you guys. He’s adorable. <3
Congrats Julie and Ryan! <3 I loved your sweet story.
Thank you so much for sharing, Julie! What a great story. I can only pray for a delivery like that next month. My gal isn’t in the ready position yet though. I keep telling her to get that head down, ass up…I hope she listens! 🙂
Sending turning wishes your way! Congratulations on your little one!
Chase is absolutely adorable, congrats Julie! Your story got me all choked up and I can only imagine the level of emotions you felt! It’s so reassuring to hear a positive birthing story since the ones you do hear about are usually terrifying. I hope that you’re all happy, healthy, and enjoying plenty of love and cuddles with your little bundle!!
Congratulations! You look absolutely radiant, and Chase is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story 🙂
Have you seen House? The blonde, hot male dr is named Robert Chase :-D!!! It’s a good sign!!
Beautiful story! He is absolutely precious! Becoming a mommy is simply indescribable! Congrats!
I love your story. So nice to hear that everything went smoothly. It can be so overwhelming — in good and bad ways 🙂
Your birth story is so similar to my second child. She came fast and furious and also had the cord around her neck. I would have never known that if my mom hadn’t told me afterward. It is amazing how God takes care of our little ones. Enjoy this beautiful time!
I am shocked at our similar Chase’s birth is to my daughter’s! I too had contractions all night, unsure of what was really going on, calmly made my way to the hospital about 10 am and was holding her by 4 pm! She was 5 lbs, 9 ounces! Congratulations. I remember exactly what you are feeling right now. Joy, amazement, contentment. Enjoy!! He’s adorable!!
Congrats, I’m so happy for you and Ryan! I’ve been reading your blog since before your wedding, I’m so happy to hear that you had a quick and (relatively!) easy delivery. My husband and I are going to be starting our family soon and I’m so happy to have been able to follow your journey! Thanks for sharing with us!
Your post totally made me cry as I relived my baby’s birth story which was similar to Chase’s, right down to the cord around the neck. Congrats to you and your family! Enjoy the most incredible joy you will ever experience!
congratulations! Chase is adorable! Thank you for sharing your birth story. I really enjoyed reading it!
Congratulations, Julie! Your birth story made me cry. It is beautiful. We are 5 weeks away from our first baby and it has been so comforting and fun to follow your pregnancy. Thank you for sharing! I’m pretty scared for labor and delivery, but reading about your first kisses and cuddles with Chase has helped ease my anxiety and increase my excitement. Can’t wait to read more about your life as a new mom!
Congrats!! I was just thinking to myself while on my honeymoon (okay, I was on the beach & had a lot of time to let my mind wander!) ‘When I get back, Julie will only be a week or so away from having her baby!’ But he’s here already!! He is so precious & you & your little family all look over the moon. What a special time!
Chase certainly is cute with his blonde hair!
Thank you for sharing! I had a few tears in my eye reading this!
A big congratulations to you!!
Awe he is beautiful! This will open up a new world! No matter how much you have read and prepared be ready to still be bewildered and sometimes confused but know the beauty will far surpass anything else. Blessings!
Congratulations!!! So precious
Congratulations!! Chase is adorable. I’m due on October 1 and I have loved reading about your pregnancy and now delivery experience. It has definitely put me at ease for what’s to come for me soon. Thanks for sharing!
You brought tears to my eyes – happy tears for sure. Congratulations to your family. Being a mom is the best thing EVER.
What an amazing story! Congratulations to you and your family!!
I love the name Chase, it is my husbands name (although he spells it Chayse). Before we got together I always told myself that I would name my son Chayse. But I think two Chayse’s would be a little too confusing! This is such an exciting time for you both, enjoy the precious little moments.
Congratulations! He is beautiful! I have 3 kids and they are my world. Each birth is so special and amazing! Enjoy every moment, they grow up fast!
Congratulations on your newest addition to your family! He shares a birthday with me. I can assure you July 29 has been a great day for all 33 years of my life. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your story. I am due in 10 weeks and all your updates have been so helpful, including this one! Your baby is ADORABLE! Enjoy every moment!
Congratulations!! Wow I’m sitting here crying happy tears for you, so wonderful and excited about your new baby boy!!
Congratulations! Baby Chase is absolutely adorable. Reading your birth story brings me back to the birth of both my sons, in October 2012 and March 2015. I had tears in my eyes reading this post. Pregnancy and childbirth is truly an incredible experience, and I am so happy it went so smoothly for you. Wishing you and your family all the best during this magical time xox
Congrats Julie! The exact same things happened with my epidural. I started being able to feel my contractions a bit and freaked out that it was wearing off, but what really had happened was I was at 10 and ready to push!
He’s such a cute little peanut!
Congrats Julie on your new baby boy. Your birth story was similar to mine, and I relived that moment again while reading this post.
So nice to read such a lovely birth story!
I was wondering if you used any natural methods prior to giving birth to help things along? (i.e. primrose oil, red leaf tea, an exercise ball etc.)
I can only hope my labor will be as quick as yours!