As a first time Mom you don’t really know what to expect from labor. You hear stories, you watch videos, but still there is the unknown that lingers in your mind. Everyone has opinions and suggestions, but at the end of it all it’s your decision and experience. Which is why I chose Sweet Child O’ Mine to begin with. I knew what I wanted from my first pregnancy and labor. I knew I wanted a water birth and knew I didn’t want to go the traditional route most women go through in their pregnancy. From the moment I stepped into Sweet Child O’ Mine, I knew this is where I’d deliver my baby. As a first time mom, you also gear yourself up for the big event…the day baby arrives. From week 37 on every little pain or movement I thought, “Is this it? Is this labor?” The midwives kept telling me, you’ll know when it’s real. And they were right. On Sunday, November 8th, 2020, I woke up around 6 am to contractions. Now I didn’t know they were contractions to begin with. But after about 30 mins I realized “hey, these are co ming in a pattern, maybe I should time these”. As I did, I noticed they were already 4-5 mins apart. So I continued to time them and they weren’t slowing down or going away. So I messaged the midwives about 8 and within the hour I was on my way to get checked. When I reached the birthing center, everything was becoming real. This was it. Labor was upon me, but after getting checked I learned I was only 3 cm dilated. So they sent me home. However, baby girl was ready to come out because after walking through my door and trying to lay down, the contractions only got stronger. It got to the point where I just knew I had to go back in. There was just something inside me that felt I can’t keep doing this here or I might have the baby in the car. And I wasn’t too far off. By the time we called the midwives and got back in, it was around 2:30. As they got me up on the table to check me, Kim was almost stunned as she said you’re fully dilated. You’re ready to push, we’ve gotta fill up the tub! And it was off to the races. They got their team together and got the tub filled up. Then after getting into the warm water, and some help from the amazing birth team, within the hour my daughter was in my arms. It was the most surreal moment, as I finally laid eyes upon the little human I had grown to love in my belly over the last 9 months.
The next hour was spent just loving each other, and learning how to latch and feed. Everything about the day was amazing and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I can’t thank the team at Sweet Child O’ Mine enough for an incredible first labor experience. I will be back, that’s for sure.
