my birth story

at peace in daddy's hands

my parents and I had a crazy birth experience. both my mom and dad were dedicated to having a totally natural birth. they even took bradley classes to prepare best for the big day!

the original birth plan was to labor and deliver at mountain midwifery birth center in denver, colorado, where we live. but after 44 hours of prodromal labor at home and 12 hours of active labor at the birth center (where my mom stayed at 7 cm for over 6 hours), my parents and the midwife decided it was in my best interest to be transferred to swedish hospital where my mom could have an epidural and get some rest, allowing her body to recover and hopefully progress. this was a very tough decision for my parents because it was not the way they wanted me to enter the world. my mom had done an amazing job enduring what she had so far and dad was such a great coach for her (he would have made dr. bradley so proud!), but it was time for us to relax a little in order to still have the best chance for a vaginal birth and not go for an emergency c-section.

thank you dr. godina...you're awesome!

unfortunately, due to my position (i was sunny side up - my back was to her back), labor was very painful for my mom. the doctor who stepped in for us at the hospital, dr. godina (a wonderful, patient, and funny man), also determined i was asynclitic - basically, i was coming out a little crooked...there was no way my head would fit through mommy's pelvis if i wasn't straight on. so the nurses began having her lay in different positions to see if i would turn. mom tried pushing for 3 hours, and even let the doctor try the vacuum in the hopes that I would turn just enough to slide out. but nothing worked. what can i say, i’m stubborn!

our first family photo

so, with lots of tears and sad hearts, my mom ended up needing a c-section. it was not the calm, peaceful environment my parents were hoping for, but in the end, we still ended up with “healthy momma, healthy baby”...all that we truly wanted. and my dad was awesome - he never left me alone. he went everywhere i went after i was born, and then was able to take me to see mommy in recovery where i nursed for the first time. after all that, everything was better when i got to snuggle with mommy and daddy afterwards in our room!

during our three days in the hospital, i had to go to the nursery every few hours to get my vitals checked by the nurses. daddy always went with me so I was never alone. when mommy was feeling better, both of them started going everywhere with me. with all the strange faces i saw throughout the day, it was comforting to know that either mommy, daddy, or both, were always by my side. i have a feeling they always will be. they are the best!

so although it wasn't the birth experience mommy and daddy anticipated, we are all very grateful to aubrey and tiffany, the midwife and nurse at the birth center, as well as dr. godina and all the wonderful nurses (mary, lori, ivy, nancy, and mary jo) we came to know and trust at the hospital. our experience was long, sad, and heartwrenching, but at the same time, amazing and rewarding, too. thanks to everyone for making my entrance into the world such a success!