Cherokee Women’s Health patient, Chelsea, delivered her first baby boy and candidly shares her personal pregnancy and labor journey. Chelsea is a rock star and shows, once again, that women can do anything!
Induced with First Baby
I was induced with my first baby, Piper, where I had a long, painful and unpleasant experience. I wanted so badly to be able to work closely with my midwives to do all we could to have this baby without being induced. They reassured me that if there was anything slightly concerning or if I end up needing an ultrasound, they could arrange it at the hospital.
Real Contractions or Braxton-Hicks ?
I was 39 weeks and five days pregnant and around noon on a Monday, I began experiencing cramping, which I assumed were Braxton-Hicks contractions. I timed them and they were 6-8 minutes apart and they kept happening so the possibility that they were real contractions definitely crossed my mind.
The cramps were uncomfortable but not painful, so I proceeded to go about my day playing with Piper and doing chores. Staying busy, I barely noticed them so I continued to tell myself they were not real contractions. As the discomfort grew, I drank extra water, took a shower and layed down to see if they would go away. They slowed down but continued. I barely mentioned it to anyone, not even my husband Caleb. I was in complete denial.
After I put Piper to bed, I watched a movie with my dad and grandma and continued timing the contractions. They were 30-40 seconds long and 5-6 minutes apart for one hour. At 10 pm that night, they were intensifying and I think I started to realize that these were in fact, real contractions.
These Contractions are Real
I assumed I would go past my due date so I wasn’t fully prepared to have a baby that night. I started getting ready just in case. I thought I had at least until the next day but I kept preparing. I threw in Piper’s laundry, finished packing the hospital bag, and got things ready for Piper’s grandmas to watch her.
At 11 pm that night, I crawled into bed and was extremely uncomfortable. I told Caleb that I was having contractions. We timed them and they were 4 minutes apart. I got up and got in the shower. I draped myself over the yoga ball because I was too tired to stand and it hurt to sit. The hot water on my back felt great but nothing dulled the contractions at this point. I got out of the shower and called the on-call midwife at Cherokee Women’s. The contractions were back-to-back and often less than 3 minutes apart.
“Oh honey, you’re having a baby tonight. It’s time to come in and see us.”
– The on-call midwife at Cherokee Women’s
I started panicking a little. I changed the laundry and then went to wake up Caleb. He started gathering things and I went to let my mom know.
I asked my mom, “What if this isn’t labor and they send me home?” She said, “So what! It will be okay.” “But what if this is really labor and they don’t send me home?” I asked. She laughed, “Then you’ll have your baby!” These questions may not make much sense but the realization was setting in and I was honestly a little scared.
Having My Baby at Northside Hospital
We drove to Northside Hospital Cherokee, where the intensity of the contractions quickly increased. While checking in, I could not sit down. Once in the room I changed and went to the bathroom where I saw that I had lost my mucus plug and had what is called a “bloody show.” That’s when I knew I wasn’t going home.
When the nurse checked me, I was only dilated to 3 centimeters, and they decided to have me stay. They started me on antibiotics because I was GBS+. GBS (group B strep disease) is a common bacteria that is present in one quarter of pregnant women. You can be positive with one pregnancy and negative with another. There is no way to cause or prevent it and it’s not harmful to the mom, but can be harmful for the baby. The goal of the doctor and nurse were to have two rounds of antibiotics given before the baby arrived.
I grew incredibly uncomfortable and needed to get out of bed. They wanted to monitor the baby for 15 minutes before I moved around. Once that time was up nothing could keep me sitting there. My body ached with each contraction. There was barely a moment in between each of them, making it hard to function. I asked to get into the tub and I sat in there for five minutes. It felt great but at some point that didn’t even help.
Epidural, Please!
Caleb stood behind me and tried different pressure points on my back and hips to try and help me through. This is when I told them I wanted the epidural as soon as possible. I could no longer catch my breath because the contractions would not stop. As one would end the next would begin. We had been there for only 45 minutes at this point. I couldn’t stop shaking. They checked me and I was 6 centimeters dilated. They told me I was shaking because my body was dilating so fast. I couldn’t stay lying down so I spent the time waiting for the epidural as I leaned on Caleb or the bed.
I’m Scared, I Can’t Do It!
I remember telling my wonderful nurse to shut up at one point. I think she was explaining something to me in the middle of a contraction. I was definitely not my most pleasant. But Mandy, my nurse, was so good at centering me and reminding me to breathe. Caleb was such a rock star too and super supportive.
“I’m scared. I can’t do it,” I said to my husband. He replied, “Don’t be scared, you are doing it. You got this.”
– Chelsea and her husband Caleb during labor
Regardless of the support, I started to panic. I felt such immense pressure, I started worrying that I wouldn’t get the epidural in time. I felt my water start to leak down my leg. I told them I need to use the bathroom. At that moment, the anesthesiologist came in and started getting me ready for my epidural.
They told me I had to stay completely still as I sat, but sitting was the worst feeling. I leaned over, and Caleb stabilized me and tried to help me stay still. My legs would not stop shaking. I kept yelling at the anesthesiologist to hurry and then to wait so that I could finish a contraction before he started. Once the epidural kicked in I apologized to the poor guy.
They checked me, and I was completely dilated. They paged Dr. Pushpa Phillips of Cherokee Women’s Health. The second she checked me my water completely broke and there was meconium in it. Dr. Phillips and my nurse told me to tell them when the pressure wouldn’t go away and when I wanted to start pushing.
I got to take 15-30 minutes to relax a little and prepare to bring my baby boy into the world. While the pain of the contractions was gone, the immense pressure was still there.
I informed everyone that the pressure was at an all-time high. We did a few practice pushes, and then it was time. The neonatal staff came in because of the meconium and because Sawyer’s heart rate was dropping during the contractions. After about 15 minutes of pushing, Dr. Phillips was concerned that they would need to use the vacuum to help the baby come down faster due to his heart rate dropping. Gratefully, that intervention was never needed.
Welcoming Baby Sawyer
Another 10-15 minutes of pushing, and our baby boy was here! His heart rate was fluctuating because the cord was so long and had wrapped around him — each contraction had compressed it. But he was perfectly healthy and they handed him right to me. We got to have our golden hour of skin-to-skin contact. He was so small and wrinkly. He latched on perfectly. He remained strong and healthy, so we got to go home that evening.
Blessed in So Many Ways
My body is sore and tired but I’m grateful that I didn’t tear. Recovery has been smooth. Sawyer is such a patient baby. He eats and sleeps well for a newborn. Piper is obsessed with him. If she can’t see him she’s constantly asking about him. She wants to hold him nonstop and thinks he’s so cute.
Thank you Dr. Phillips and Cherokee Women’s Health! I felt supported throughout my pregnancy and you helped me feel prepared. We are so blessed to have a sweet daughter and to welcome our little boy safely into our family.
