Hey everyone! I know that most of you know my recent daughter Fallyn's arrival into the world, but most of you didn't know that I had another daughter two years prior. I really didn't know that birth stories really existed until I started seeing and reading a lot of mama's out there tell their story and how things went for them. Upon reading them I soon realized I would love to tell my story for both my daughters so that looking back I can remember them and share with them when they get older. So here is the story of how we got little Miss Freya into the world. (NOTE: you are warned that this might be TMI!!) also grab a snack you will be here for a bit! its a long story!
It all started when the month of August of 2015 had hit. I was due the Sunday August 23rd. I can honestly say that I didn't feel anything different, but all I know from previous ultrasounds that Freya's head was down since month 5. I did feel some pressure in my vagina, but mostly they were the Braxton Hick's (period cramps) super annoying. So I went to see my doctor on August 20th and she told me that we were going to set up an appointment on August 27th (my wedding anniversary) awww! Because if my due date came and went and I still didn't have my baby they were going to do what is called a "sweep" which is in medical terms sweeping of the membranes in your vagina! (yup it hurts and super gross!) But I have to mention this the night before my sister, my dad and I with my nephew went for a bike ride to help get this baby out we rode our bikes for like 2 hours lol, and yup nothing happened (of course!) So off I went to my doctors appointment that Thursday and met with my doctor. She did the sweep at my appointment which was roughly around 1 or 2 pm. That evening no joke while in bed I got contractions. Wow were they ever intense to me! I thought oh my gosh this is happening! So that night I downloaded a contractions app that helped me determine if they were consistent and frequent. So basically Friday early in the morning at around 3am. My husband Jeff and I go to the hospital we get a hospital band etc go to triage and a nurse puts on the rubber glove and checks me (my vagina) she literally just tells me I'm only 1cm dilated....! THATS IT! WHAT! How could this be? In my mind at the time I'm thinking that this pain is superrr intense I couldn't possibly be only 1 cm! So the nurses said you should go home take a bath and come back when the contractions get more intense and more frequent. So off we went home I took a bath, I literally tried to sleep and I absolutely couldn't that day, it was around supper time that to me the contractions were getting more intense and it was the time that i truly felt that this was happening and that we needed to go back and get checked out again! We go thru the whole process again with triage and the nurse "checks" me again and tell me Im roughly 1-2cm dilated only! OMG WHAT!!! I'm about to loose my mind! The nurse advised me to go walk around the hospital and come back until you feel anymore pain or if your contractions were getting anymore intense or worse. So my husband and I go take a walk, and we are walking and walking, I think we stayed there for about 3 hours just walking to the point where I was still the same. So we went home I had another bath and we try to go to sleep. Of course I couldn't and neither could my husband. But the real crazy part to this story is that my brother in law was getting married on Saturday August 29th! :o Yup! My husband was in the wedding party so you can only imagine the stress he was feeling! So anyways... I start keeping track of my contractions with my app and to me they are so intense like I am freaking out with the pain. I tell Jeff this is it! Lets go! Saturday morning at around 4am, my hubby and I are back at the hospital I'm to the point that I can't even talk. We go back to triage a nurse "checks" me again and tell me I'm still only 2cm dilated!! I just couldn't believe it! My heart broke! I couldn't deal with this intense pain, for seemed like an eternity! The nurse offered me morphin! I said hell no! I want this baby to come out not to prolong it! So I was so mad and so distressed that we went home! My husband had to be at his brothers house for 10am! You can only imagine how he felt that morning! Geesh! But I was so thankful that my sister & nephew who were in town visiting from Calgary for most of the summer, but they were leaving Sunday August 30th in the morning. You can imagine how I felt being in pain and not having this baby, for them to eventually meet, anyways... that day my husband went to his brothers house! My mom, nephew and sister are with me at my house helping me out making me food, etc. At this point I am overdue, in labour, in so much pain and missing a wedding because I'm about to give birth anytime now. I truly had to start breathing really hard thru my contractions! If it wasn't for my sister I honestly don't know how I would have gotten thru this. She pushed me to go for a walk, we walked so much! We walked around my neighbourhood for hours! My legs were hurting I had to stop so many times during my contractions, I walked so slow I was so large and super overdue! My mom suggested to me to go to her place so that she could make me food and to bring the hospital bag just in case! We get to my moms place and I could hardly eat anything because it was so bad! I honestly felt like I was going to puke. (Which I didn't) So again that afternoon around supper time, my sister takes me for another walk around my moms neighbourhood and I'm too the point where tears are flowing thru my eyes like I can't take the pain anymore, and according to my app my contractions were 5 mins apart and super intense I cried thru all of them. My sister is like Leslie you seem to be farther along lets get checked at the hospital. So off we go, by this time my husband has witnessed and seen his brother get married, he got to stand by his brother, they have taken pictures with his brother like the whole wedding party duties. LOL Jeff was checking in on me with my sister by texting back and forth if anything is happening! In that sense I was super happy for Jeff, just disappointed that I couldn't attend or see anything from the wedding. So my sister and I go to the hospital, my sister has to basically talk for me. We get to triage and its full no available beds, my sister is someone who will not back down and she's gonna get what she wants! She is like demanding someone check me for how much pain I'm in. A random nurse tells me to go into this room that is basically empty just a bed. She checks me and WOW! That hurt so bad! The words were magic to my ears! You are 4cm dilated! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! YAY! I get to stay at the hospital! I cried of pure joy so hard I screamed! I was so happy! By this time its 8pm I am staying at the hospital Jeff is listening to speeches at the wedding, he gets the text message and everyone at the wedding knows that I'm in labour since I was not around at all that day. Everyone is wondering and waiting to see if and when Jeff is going to leave or get the call to know that a baby will be born soon! Jeff puts on his jacket and tries to leave all sneaky. Once Jeff leaves everyone knows that baby is coming! Jeff raced so fast to come see me I'm seriously surprised he didn't get a speeding ticket! At this point, I'm getting hooked up to IV's, I was GBS positive and I had to get an antibiotic drip at least an hour before baby is born. And for me by having contractions for basically 2-3 days I absolutely needed an epidural I just needed relief and I wasn't going to be a hero and do this without drugs! I had an open mind the whole pregnancy but that was definitely my tipping point! Jeff, well you can say doesn't do well with needles and thankfully my sister is there I told her please stay and don't leave and she was so thrilled to stay and help me get this baby out! When Jeff got there they were starting the epidural so Jeff waited outside. Wow not gonna lie the anesthesiologist was in a hurry or something, because when he put the needle in my back... OUCH! I screamed so loud! There a sharp pain to the right of my spine. He tried to fix it but it still hurt until he did something else and then finally I didn't feel anything. I could finally lay down and finally the cool freeze which he didn't tell me about made it to my legs, now I was super numb! It was the moment I craved so badly! Relief! I did have to get a catheter for me to pee, because I still felt the contractions. Once the catheter went in! I was so happy. I could finally get some rest for the upcoming events that was going to happen. Pushing!! eek! But not so fast, once I got hooked up with the epidural it was roughly 10pm at night and at around 11pm or so I was only dilated 5cm. The doctor came in and told me that I wasn't progressing and that they were going to give me Oxytocin a drug they use to induce labor or strengthen labor contractions during childbirth, basically to speed up the delivery process. I said absolutely lets do it! I'm ready! After the days that I had lol. So anyways I barely got any sleep because I was so happy and excited that my sister and husband are with me and I get a private room. But the fact of the matter is that my sister has a flight to catch early Sunday morning. so that night I told my sister to change her flight and I would pay for it since she has been here for so much and I wouldn't want her to miss anything. She did she ended up taking an evening flight! YAY! That morning Sunday August 30th, 2015, I feel pressure like Freya is in my vagina. At around 6:30am I'm telling the doctors this is happening! I feel something! The nurse calmly checks me and is like oh yes you are 10cm dilated! WHAT!!! OMG! This is happening! I can start to push. The nurse tells me sure! So everytime I felt a contraction I pushed! My sister and husband are holding both my legs and I'm pushing on them! But seriously, pushing was hard! Its basically 3 pushes every time. The first push I felt like I could get her out no problem, the second push was alright but by the third push, I could barely keep it together! I for sure gave it everything I could! The nurses and doctors are setting everything up for me for when baby arrives. I truly believed that since this was my first child that they didn't think that I would be able to push out a baby quickly or something. They were literally taking their sweet ass time to set up! So the nurse is directing me to push hard in my vagina! So I am pushing like I'm taking a huge poop! My vagina unfortunately is small (lol) and baby was coming but my opening wasn't big enough and to that point that I was pushing for roughly 45 mins. The baby's heart was dropping and i was so busy pushing that the doctor had to cut me! Basically an Episiotomy, also known as perineotomy, is a surgical cut made at the opening of the vagina during childbirth, to aid a difficult delivery and prevent rupture of tissues. My sister looked at me and was like you got this leslie! My husband was the counter of my breaths and encourager and my sister was the one who told me if anything was happening! She was a little traumatized to see the cut happen lol. So anyways... by then being cut the doctor told me you have to push now and hard! Which I did and omg the head was out! My sister was like the heads out keep going! So I did and omg then the shoulders and then the whole body she came out!! I screamed so loud I started to cry and they put her on me! It was instant pressure relief and then I heard Freya's cry! Our baby girl was born and she was perfect. She of course came out looking exactly like my husband red head and all! It was the best feeling ever! The little turkey pooped all over me! I didn't care I was so happy! My husband got to cut the cord and I waited until they cleaned me up etc. But to be honest I owe it all to continue working out while I was pregnant because I think I would have been there for hours, in my opinion. Its crazy to think that your in labour for so long and you get so discouraged that you start to get doubt in your mind that this baby isn't coming. But I pushed through that and I would do this all over again in a heart beat for that little girl.
A big shout out to Jeff and my beautiful sister! They were there through the good, the bad and definitely the ugly! This definitely brought us all so much closer than we were. I love them so much!
To all the soon to be moms out there or hope to be moms, you can definitely do this and God has a plan for you and your baby to come into this world! You are unbelievably more strong than you know! It is so worth it in the end!
The bike ride the day before with my sister!
Baby Freya arrived, I'm in discomfort as my blood pressure bag is going on! UGH!
I owe this picture of Little Freya to my sister! Jeff is holding her!
Freya after having her bath and having real clothes on!
Some other cute photos from her newborn photoshoot!
More of the other photos are in my previous newborn photos blog post!
Xoxo,