First I want to say, if you haven’t read my blogs about my fertility journey, check them out! They are part of my whole story. ❤️
Day of Induction.
On November 12, 2019, it was a Tuesday morning. We woke up to a winter wonderland. It had snowed all night. It felt like a kiss from Jesus for our special day. That day, Caleb worked from home while I relaxed and prayed for labor to start. I remember wanting so badly to go into labor on my own. I bounced on my yoga ball, did squats, drank red raspberry leaf tea, and diffused Clary Sage all day. Around 3pm, we started packing our stuff and getting the house ready to bring our baby home. Since I knew the hospital wouldn’t allow me to eat or drink while in labor, Caleb and I went to a Japanese restaurant and had a feast. It was the sweetest, little last date as a family of two. After our feast, it was time to get checked in at the hospital. We arrived at our hospital here in Knoxville, TN at 5pm. We were SO excited! I got my gown on and got into the hospital bed. Caleb and I took some time in that moment to pray for me, Judah, and our hospital staff. By the time we wrapped up our prayer, our first nurse came in. She asked me if I needed to empty my bladder before she gave me the IV. I remember not having the urge to pee, but told her I would go try. As soon as I stood up, I felt a warm trickle of fluid start puddling in the floor. My water broke. I told the nurse and she laughed and said, “oh honey, that wasn’t your water. You peed.” I was SURE it was not pee. I hadn’t peed on myself the entire pregnancy! Fast forward a bit. My doctor arrives around 6pm. He checked me, at which he told me that my water did, in fact, break (I knew it!). I was so excited that my body did this on its own. It was an answered prayer!
Side note: I went into this wanting everything to be as natural as possible. However, I wasn’t opposed to medication if I needed it. I just wanted to experience what contractions felt like (I know I’m crazy).
Dr. V put in my foley bulb, which was a bit painful. Foley bulbs are a more natural way to induce labor. It’s basically a balloon that goes into your cervix and it slowly blows up as it opens up your cervix. When your cervix gets to a 4-5, the bulb falls out.
As the doctor was wrapping up, my family started to arrive. I had a room full! They were all so encouraging! During the time while they were there, my contractions started to pick up, and quick. They started getting so painful we had to ask everyone to say good night.
After everyone left, about 8:45pm, it was just me, Caleb, and my parents. About an hour or so later, the folly bulb fell out. We were so excited! That meant that I was progressing, and fast.
The doctor came back and checked me again. He said that I was at a 5. He was also pleased with how quickly it was happening. Like my body was ready for this. He left, and we kicked on some worship music and started diffusing some essential oils (another blog for what we used). My contractions started to get very painful. Every time a painful one came, Caleb would push against my feet as I tried to breath. It was getting unbearable, and they were so fast that I had no time in between them to breath. So I asked for the epidural. They came in right away. I remember on the edge of the bed I was sitting crisscross applesauce, hugging the nurse as they stuck the needle in my back. It was so hard to stay still because I was having so many contractions. But once that epidural kicked in, I felt like a million bucks! The doctor check me again and I was at a seven! I was so pleased with my progress and feeling much better. I was able to sit back and enjoy myself. I was able to laugh and enjoy the moment. It was nice. All until Judah started to show signs of distress. They rushed in and gave me oxygen. Labor had slowed down. After awhile, I can’t remember what time it was — probably midnight, they came to tell me that they may need to perform a Caesarian. I remember being mad at my nurses for not having the same faith I had. I told one nurse, “ I will do whatever’s necessary for Judah, but a C-section is NOT what I prayed for.” They left me alone for a little while to rest. I remember praying and napping on and off. Every time I woke up, I would pray in tongues under my breath. Caleb and my mom also prayed with me. Early in the morning, the nurses came in and started prepping me for a C-section. They even put me on one of those blankets with the handles on it to get me from one bed to another, since I was numb waist down. I continued to have bulldog faith.
11/13/19 – Dr. V came in early that morning and said, “Little one, I prayed for you the whole way here today. Jesus told me that we are NOT doing a c-section today. We are going to labor down.” I cried with joy. I was so thankful to have a spirit filled doctor who listened to me and prayed specifically for what I needed. At that point, they slowed down my labor, gave me a peanut ball, and told me to switch sides back and forth. There was still some tension in the air, and from some of the nurses. In their minds, a c-section was still a possibility. Not in my mind. I had peace. I was getting so excited and I was so happy. It was more than happiness, it was pure joy. I kept thinking, I am about to do something so amazing. I’m about to bring our boy into the world. I kept saying out loud, “Thank you Jesus!”
My best friend, Fallon, showed up and at about 11:45AM ish, it was time to push. I pushed for about 45 minutes. Pushing was the hardest thing I had ever done in my whole life. However, it was also the coolest thing (I felt like a superhero). I remember pushing with everything I had. My mom was such a great coach. She helped me so much through the entire process. I pushed until 12:24pm, when I heard the sweetest sound I had ever heard—my baby’s first cry. 18 wonderful hours of labor later— Judah was finally here. I ugly cried.
