The Birth Story of Nora Evergreen

4/14/2021

It all happened on a Wednesday. My water broke at 4:30am with a big gush, movie-style. I wondered tentatively if this could be the big day. The next several hours passed somewhat uneventfully, as Tom and I tried to mask our excitement and simply relax and let labor progress naturally. Tom picked up breakfast while I took a nap. I texted our doula, who encouraged us to enjoy the day and relax as much as possible. I remember having contractions at uneven intervals, sometimes every 20-30 minutes, and sometimes one right after the other. I was tentative to call them contractions, and told Tom I was having "cramps," but he knew better than that. :) I think deep down I was not giving myself full permission to acknowledge I was truly in labor just "in case" our baby still wanted to wait a few days to come. I also think I was slowly emotionally preparing myself for what was to come. Our doula came to our home at 4pm, and had me do some exercises to help Baby get in even better position and encourage labor to progress. It definitely worked, because by 5pm contractions were coming consistently every 5 minutes! Calm music played in the background while Tom helped me labor as I leaned over the couch, the birth ball, the kitchen counter, whatever was closest! A song called "For Once in My Life" (covered by JJ Heller, originally by Stevie Wonder) had become dear to our hearts as we played it for weeks leading up to the due date. When it played in the background as I experienced the hardest contraction yet, all of my emotions caught up with me and I quietly broke into a sob. I can't quite explain the emotions I was experiencing, but it was a mix of awe, anxiety, and the weightiness of the childbirth I would soon experience. Laboring with the support of Tom made me grateful beyond words, and I remember standing upright after the contraction and laying my face into his chest as the tears fell. What a gift to bring a child into the world with my husband, who was a rock throughout the whole journey. 

Emotional moments aside, it was time to get practical about things. During the couple moments I knew I had between contractions, Tom and I packed last minute items into the hospital bag and got ready to go. I'm sure everyone uses this phrase at some point in their birth story, but it was definitely a blur, and let's just say we maybe should have prepped those bags a bit more before that day. :) 

At 6pm we got into the car and headed toward the hospital. From then on it was one surreal moment after the next. My body was starting to go into a different mode as began to cry and shake involuntarily while our doula pushed me in the wheelchair to the triage area. We found out I was 5.5 cm dilated, and proceeded to wait about 30 more minutes in triage before I waddled across the hall to the delivery room. 

Contractions continued to build in intensity. I labored first in the tub, then on hands and knees, while lying down, and while squatting on the bed. And.... it was painful. My plan was to experience an unmedicated birth, and for a few moments I seriously doubted my ability to do so. It was a mental battle, and my mind was slipping as I began to inwardly "re-write" my birth plan to include an empowered Janie who decided to get an epidural and/or C Section (which I am ALL FOR if needed or desired! Seriously, birth is birth is birth is birth! It’s all amazing.) And yet... natural birth was something I had wanted and prepared for for months, and in hindsight I'm so very glad that it was too late for me to get any sort of pain intervention by the time I shakily voiced my desire for an epidural. And so... onward we went with each raw contraction bringing us closer to meeting our bay. At one point the midwife came in and checked me, and i was a glorious 10 cm dilated and ready to push! At this point I was probably the most stripped down version of "myself" I have ever been. There were no pleases or thank yous as I demanded "blankets on!" then a few minutes later "blankets OFF!" My body was the boss, and my mind was trying to keep up. 

I squeezed Tom's hand for about the whole hour of pushing while he whispered encouragement into my ear and kept me updated on every piece of progress I was making amidst my moaning. With the pragmatic encouragement from the doula and midwife ("I need you to give this next one your all!"), and the unwavering support from Tom, I was able to "flip the switch" and start giving those pushes 100% effort instead of the half-hearted pushing attempts I was doing before. Things really progressed at that point, and before I knew it Tom was telling me our baby had hair!! A couple pushes later and the most searing pain and...... Nora Evergreen was born into Tom's hands and placed on my chest at 11:32 that night.  

Fast forward to almost a month later, in which we are more sleep-deprived, but more grateful than ever. Little Nora is beautiful and is a delight. Plus, she is adorable when she stretches and makes us gush over her on the daily. To God be the glory.