We have a winner!
Camille Yoder, be watching your mailbox. š
Thanks so much to everyone who entered! I really enjoyed doing this series and even more enjoyed interacting with you all about your birth stories. I wish I could send everyone a pack of cards. š
_________________________________________
Just a reminder that my birth stories giveaway is ending soon! I'll be drawing the winner on Thursday, June 15. š It's not too late to enter! I'll leave the details below again, and if you missed my birth stories, I'll link them as well. Thanks to everyone who has entered so far! I've had a lot of fun reading your comments. š
https://www.michaylaroth.com/2023/birth-stories-alec/
https://www.michaylaroth.com/2023/birth-stories-sebastian/
https://www.michaylaroth.com/2023/birth-stories-emmett/
Here's how to enter the giveaway.
Leave a comment with your birth story, as long or as abbreviated as you like. Length of labor, how early or late your baby was, size of baby, hospital birth or home birth, number of births, whatever you like! Feel free to leave more than one comment. š
OR
If you don't have any birth stories or aren't comfortable sharing the ones you do have, tell me which of my stories you most enjoyed reading!
The winner will receive a pack of Alec's rose cards (pictured below) and an Amazon gift card. If the winner doesn't have a US address, I'll send the gift card via email and will not include the rose cards.
If you leave more than one comment, I'll enter your name more times. š And if you'd rather email me your story, my email address is michaylabaer@gmail.com.
I can't wait to hear from you!
(I'll be updating this blog post with the winner after the drawing, so check back here on Thursday.)
Mindy Krabill
Adelyn Jean
My first baby.
I was ready at 38 weeks! Maybe this baby will be early! 4 weeks later at 42 weeks I went to my grandparents 50 wedding anniversary 2.5 hrs away. The next morning at six we planned to try castor oil as I barely had a Braxton hick contraction. I woke up at 5 and knew this was it! Called the midwife, we lived in the middle of nowhere, and hr to any hospital out on a ranch and the midwife was 2.5 hrs away. She came getting my mom on the way! I remember laying on the chair demanding someone to fan my face, counter pressure on my back, hold my hand, I canāt breathe cool washcloth on my face, pray, pray harder! Mom my sister and terry and sherry the midwife rushed at my beck and call.. 7.5 hrs of labor and by now I didnāt have breath and relax in between contractions time, sherry said they came like waves harder and harder and then a mild one so I hung on and waited for the mild one! One I could actually get a real breath with! Then sherry said I could get in the birthing pool, the moment I sank that monster baby belly underwater , pain cut in half, I could breath!! I could do this! But oh it hurts like your body is slowly ripping apart from the inside out! I could push whenever I felt like it, how to know what you want! I pushed for 30 min a tiny head full of bark hair crowning and going in ,on and onā¦ā¦. I can wrap the hair around my finger sherry told me! ā grab it and pull ā was my exhausted reply! And then a push and a head and another and a whole baby and the instant release your body feels as that baby comes out! Itās a girl! Beautiful dark hair so tiny so perfect and I held her and she didnāt breath, but why? The midwife rubbed her feet I rubbed her , her big dark eyes blinked and stared at me and never closed but she didnāt breath! I was crying , sherry took her held her upside down, spanked her , squeezed a tiny chest , blew in her face and then sucked her throat out again and then her little rib cage expanded and she made a tiny cry but poor girl was so content to be out she just wanted a quiet moment! She was here our first baby, 7lbs 12oz beautiful ,and I was crying.
Chayli
Post authorAw, thanks for sharing this! So scary she didn't breathe at first, but sounds like your midwife knew just what to do. And a short first labor! You described labor so well. š
Mindy Krabill
Leslie Mae
Two year later I was trying to remember that babies donāt come on their due date once again! 40 weeks and normal ppl have babies! 9 days later I was walking , waddling more like up the road pushing a stroller holding my first child and my back was cramping slightly! Was this it? I called the midwife and she said to take calcium and a hot bath and see what happened, then before bed here was bloody show! Yay but was it? Nothing was happening now! We went to bed,I woke up around 1:30 and knew it was time to call! By the time she arrived I was miserableā¦ā¦. Still having contractions three min apart but very painful. I was at a sixā¦.. I was so ready to get in the water. But I waited until I had been in labor for 5 hrs and then got in, I wanted to push! At least I could fight the awful tearing pain with something , something productive! But sherry said to wait , the cervix was not quite openā¦ā¦. Finally it was time, but oh the pushing wasnāt as relieving as I was remembering just hard the contractions still gave me up to 5 min breaks between them which is lovely except when your pushing with them and then your body stops helping for 5 whole min! But finally we settled in to a rhythm of pushing and it wasnāt 15 min later our second baby daughter joined us in the birth tub! This one didnāt wait , she yelled! And boy was I glad she was here as my sisters wedding was in a month and I was maid of honor! Narrower face , more prominent nose our beautiful baby was in my arms and I was sure it was a boy for 9 months! She had been so feisty in the womb, but no she was a girl, I had them check twice š¤£ I didnāt mention above but with both girls I passed out after placenta came and cord was cut, when I tried to get out of the tub! Terry was horrified aS was my mom and sisters, Nothing horrifies sherry and terry always ends up carrying me to the bed. Our second beautiful daughter was born 40 weeks 10 days.
Chayli
Post authorOh my goodness, what a story! You poor thing going overdue that much. That's so funny you had them check twice to make sure she was a girl. š And oh wow about the passing out, that's crazy! I don't blame you, birth is so hard. Thanks again for sharing, I love reading these. š
Mindy Krabill
Mercy Lael
I promise Iām almost done.
We hit 40 weeks again, our last baby had just turned one two months before. I had nursed her until she was one and now I was done, done nursing , done being pregnant, just plain exhausted! And the summer was hot that end of July! 40 weeks but my babies donāt come at 40 weeks I reminded myself! I get huge, at 20 weeks ppl think the baby should be born this month, 30 weeks they ask if itās twins, and never tell anyone your 40 weeks or over, they are sure your about to parish, or say unkind things like ā maybe your date is offā ( if I knew it was donāt you think Iād have adjusted my due date!?!) Or ā oh I hope babies ok!ā By this time Iām on the verge of believing Iāll be too fat to ever hug my favorite man close again, or bend over, or roll over in bed. 41 weeks hits! I canāt believe we are here a third time! Well one more week and baby will be here! 42 weeks, not sure why I thought 42 was the cutoff! Pregnancy does crazy things to your brain! 43 weeks and finally something tiny contractions , cramps, I call the midwife always at the first sign of labor things keep rolling for me. The first labor was 8 hrs, the second 6 hrs , so we got a four on our hands right? Donāt predict , donāt guess, keep in mind that no matter how long your labor is it feels too long! All day the painless tightening , the little girls went home with my dad, two younger sisters and mom joined us. Sit and talk walk and talk ā¦ try to sleep, rest up baby will be here some imaginary day! All night with each contraction id flash awake is this harder then the last is this really it? The next morning and nothing except that now contractions are 15 min apart and still doesnāt hurt, I try to take a nap but canāt rest because contractions have picked up and arenāt hard but closer together! Iām so tired! we go shopping and buy fish because that sounds kinda fun! Get home cook it, as we are eating find a whole worm in the cooked fishš³ They bring my precious other babies home because they miss mom and mom missed them! They take walks with aunties and go to bed, sherry checks me the cervix seems tipped so babyās head canāt put pressure on it to help dilate , not a pleasant experience while she straightens it ! Then letās get more sleep because I am sooooooo tired and still no baby! Itās been forever! Where are the four hr labor, the get started and get done, are we even started? Iām so frustrated! I lay down ,another time of trying to relax trying to rest even though these contractions tighten the mound that is our baby every 3 min, not really pain but not really the recipe for relaxation either! By 12:30 I know itās getting harder and ask terry to wake sherry and check me, by the time she comes in I need my cool cloth! She says I can get rt in the pool! No check, we climb in and I just want to rest my head and sleep at the comfort. Sherrys and I can push whenever I want! One hr of painful labor and Iām ready to push? But the days of contractions that didnāt really do much have taken all my strength I can hardly open my eyes and beg to rest! 10 min later sherry says to try a push and I need coaching I canāt remember how! Keep your eyes open, grab the handles and goā¦. Min later a very round baby slides into the world Iām happy but can barely focus! Itās a girl and we laugh. She cried and wakes her big sisters in the upstairs bedroom! Everyone is relieved! She has the tiniest little nose and the fattest cheeks! Big big lips and is so dear! The placenta comes terry cuts the cord the way he has with each baby! Iām holding her when I feel the world begin to spin! I let stronger arms take that perfect bundle even as I struggle to speak without slurring. We have done this fainting before , try to get my feet up , focus donāt leave , I beg for baby to be held rt above my face to remind me I have another daughter! We sing ,me muttering a word as I can ā¦ for hrs, it was around 3 hrs I struggled for clarity in that pool, mom and sister holding baby and praying , terry the most necessary support and encouragement holding me up. Finally i feel better and ask to go to bed but as he helps me stand I once again need carried and a trail of red marks the way to the bed. In bed I canāt open my eyes , I canāt talk , sherry suggests calling the ambulance , my blood pressure is very low! I hear them call I must be strong, I donāt want to leave my tiny daughter who needs me! 30 min later the ambulance arrived we have been praying, me quietly , them aloud. The paramedic comes in , sherry explains , he smiles at me and asked how I am , I smile and say better, he takes my blood pressure itās quite normal, no terrible bleeding, I know my name, he says I will feel better sooner if we go in and get an iv but he canāt do one unless I go to the hospital, but he says I donāt need it! God is good we choose to stay, at home in our own bed with our three little girls and excellent care. The hospital is 3 min away.
And Mercy came.
Chayli
Post authorWow, I hadn't read this one yet when I commented how long your prior pregnancy went. And then this one was even longer! Thank goodness the babies do always eventually come. What a story though. My third felt like my hardest as well. And that's crazy what all happened after the baby was born. I'm so glad you were okay and didn't need to go in! Praise God for His mercy and care as you delivered your little Mercy.
Mindy Krabill
Thanks for providing a place to share was so good for me to think through them again! So thankful God knows all!
Liz Lapp
Goodness! Thank you for sharing your birth stories! I can't even imagine going that long past my due date and the mental challenge that must be! Mercy days! Pregnancy is already such a mental challenge for me! š So glad you were ok tho!
Melanie Martin
I was determined to go āoverā because at each appointment I was told the precious baby I was growing was on the small side. I had put so much intention into my diet and exercise while growing him and I was determined to grow him well and all the way to the end. ššPhares was sure he would be early. I had been on my feet a lot doing some food prep for the freezer at 38w5d and noticed I was slightly spotting that afternoon. I got a little excited and tried to stay calm, because who knows if this is even labor? That evening around midnight I started having contractions. They were mild enough that I was sleeping but very uncomfortably. Around 4 AM they kicked up. I could no longer rest and they were happening every 8-10 minutes. I wasnāt ready to have this baby just yet and was in complete denial that I was actually in labor but a little suspicious it was the real thing. I got up, made breakfast, took a shower and left for the day. Those plans seemed to slow them down a bit but they proceeded to come all day about 20-30 minutes apart. We were under a tornado watch that day. I spent the morning at work in our office and I was in town running a few errands that afternoon. I was having contractions while the wind whipped around and the power was out in the stoplights and some of the stores(my husband still hasnāt totally forgiven me for going to town 30 minutes away in a tornado while my body was trying to bring our son into the worldš). I was finishing up and suddenly felt very urgent that I needed to be home when I realized they had gotten much closer together. I was struggling to get through them on the drive home because I couldnāt fully relax while I was driving and it was feeling dangerous to be on the road. I got home around 3:30 pm and broke down a bit. This was my first baby and I had done everything in my power to prepare for this moment but as we knowā¦ birth sometimes has a mind of its own. And I felt a bit of fear. I was desperately trying to hide my emotions from my husband and failing. He asked me āare you sure you still want to do this at homeā? I said Yes. Definitely. But what I really needed from him right now was encouragement and strength. I needed him to believe in me and our decision and the peace I felt all through pregnancy about giving birth at home. He didnāt speak another word of doubt and was there for me in every way until the end. So grateful for him. š„° I spent the next few hours contracting and slowly preparing around my home and talking aloud to the baby in my belly. He had to help me and we were going to do this together. Things really picked up around 7:30 and internally I was STRUGGLING. My heating pad was everything because being cold made me tense up. And I kept shivering. The puke bucket I hollered for and thought wouldnāt make it in time never got used, but it went everywhere I went after that. I wasnāt about to try to help my husband deal with that mess while laboring. š When I look back at my conversations with my husband and my doula, I appeared very calm and collected and not as close as I actually was. I did not feel that way inside at all and didnāt realize in the moment how much I was internalizing what I was feeling. Iām so amazed at how strong we women are. My contractions were very hard, working contractions but they never got consistent. I was SURE we had a very long night in front of us and that I had to toughen up. I had a group of 13 ladies in a group text that I called my āPrayer Warrior Teamā. We were updating them periodically and I had asked that they prayer I get some rest tonight. My husband had been wanting to call the midwife for awhile but I kept refusing. I didnāt want her to have to be there for hours and hours and lose a night of sleep when I was sure it wasnāt happening tonight. I tried to go to bed around 10:30 and had a few contractions that almost broke me. The last one had me needing to pee RIGHT NOW! When I went to bathroom I realized I had lost my mucus plug and all I could think about was getting in the tub. My husband again, wanted to call the midwife. No, I said. Itās too soon. I was in transition(didnāt realize it) and doubting myself so much at that point but my mindset and my will was so strong. I COULD DO THIS. I had too. The only way out is through. 10 minutes later, I could not. Lol. āCall her, call her now.ā I think I was starting to display my feelings and the pain of birthing a human a little more clearly at that point. I had been humming, focused on breathing and making low noises through contractions up until this point but I was starting to get loud. I couldnāt seem to stay relaxed to save my life anymore. The contractions were coming one on top of the other almost immediately after getting in the tub. The midwife and doula were on their way. They both lived about 45 minutes away. I felt a pop and the water got a little bloody, my water had broken. Within 10 minutes my bodyās pushing instincts kicked in and it just started happening. I had ZERO control over these pushes. My body was bearing down and trying to slow it down to wait for the midwife felt like trying to stop a train. Im not sure of the concept of time here but it couldnāt have been more than 10-15 minutes and I realized I was crowning. I started to panic a little and did the only thing to knew to do. I started praying aloud. I thanked God for being there with us right now. I thanked him that we would know what to do in this moment. That my body would know what to do. That my husband would be calm and also know what to do. That our precious son would enter this world safely. Because this was the point I realized this was happening NOW. Took me long enough. š After I prayed I felt a calm wash over me. I told my husband to get the birth kit the midwife had us order. I told him that if he comes out and the cord is around his neck to help me unwrap and not panic. āItās normal and itās ok, letās just calmly unwrap it. Call the midwife again and tell her that Iām crowningā I said. In my mind, she was excited and urgent about me crowning. But later when I watched the birth story I recorded for social media I just kept thinking āthat doesnāt sound like herā. She has a very calm, strong, authoritative presence. I asked her weeks later if she really got urgent like I thought I remembered during that call and she said no. I think {I} was urgent and panicked, and my perception of things relayed thatā¦. When my husband told her I was crowning she wanted me to get out of the tub. She wasnāt there, to see the water or me and thought baby and I would safer out of the water if we were this close. She was still 30 minutes out. It took her a few minutes to get on her way because sheād lost power in the storms and it took a little time to get her husband up to help her get her garage door open. I was desperately trying to āwaitā. With each surge and push of my body I was doing everything I could to keep his head from coming fully out. The pressure was like nothing Iād imagined but I donāt remember feeling pain here. Just unbelievable pressure. When she wanted me out of the tub I went to stand and lost my control. My body surged and our precious little man came shooting out into the world and into the water with a splash. So fast neither one of us were able to catch him. I bent and scooped him up. He cried immediately(thank you Jesus). My husband got the midwife on FaceTime and she gave us both a good look. āHeās pinking up just great! Yaāll are fineā she said. āLet the cord do itās thing and Iāll be there in 30 minutes.ā He and I snuggled together in that tub and my husband and I got to lock eyes with this sweet baby weād been dreaming about meeting for so many months. By the time she arrived I was very uncomfortable, contracting again, and needed to get that placenta out. My husband cut the cord and got to hold his son for the first time. š„° My placenta was a bit sticky and having trouble releasing. Delivering it was worse than delivering the baby! But it finally came. It was fully intact and my midwife allowed me to dip into the shower for a whole 2 minutes before helping me get dressed and snuggled into bed with my little family. We had done it!!! To date, it was the most beautiful night of my life and I thank God often for allowing me to experience my first birth that way and for His presence in our bathroom that night. I had jokingly told my midwife twice, that in my āidealā birth, he would arrive 10 minutes before she did. Giving birth felt so private to me and I had worried about having people around me distracting me when I was so vulnerable and had a big job to do. One must clearly be careful what one wishes for. šOliver Dean was born at 11:45 PM on March 3rd, 2023.
Chayli
Post authorAmazing. š I love your story so much. It brings me to tears every time. Thanks so much for sharing!
Vanessa Boss
I have been debating if I should write up Yalissa birth story? I'm at her Tell my mom when she was 8 months pregnant she came into the ER looking for an OB doctor. I helped her go to the clinic and get set up with a doctor there. She asked if I would attend her birth which I was kind of do since I am a labor coach. She not have any family or friends here so I was glad to give her the support she wanted. When she came in in labor I was not working but I was glad to go in and be with her. We did some walking and bouncing on the ball between contractions she could not wait until she could get an epidural. After she got the epidural she was able to rest for a little while but she was pretty nervous about the birth yet as she was only a teenager. I kept trying to calm her down she had told me earlier that she did not want to hold the baby right away and that I was welcome to do that which I was glad to do. Pushing was pretty intense for her and all of us as she freaked out during that stage of labor. After Yalissa was born and the cord was cut I was just able to hold her snuggle her for the next couple of hours. I gave her her first bath and bottle which was extra special. They kept her mom in the hospital for 3 days Just trying to help her get used to being a mom and teach her how to take care of her baby some of the time she was really into other time she didn't really care. I had contact with her for the first week after she went home and then she stopped answering my phone calls. At 3 weeks old the police brought Yalissa into the ER for being abused. I was working in the ER that night and did not even recognize her she was so swelling and has so many bite marks on her. She was only happy when I was holding her so I stayed after my shift to be with her. And I was more than glad to stay and hold her. I went to work without a baby and I came home from work with the baby. It was a very emotional and trying time for both of us when I brought her home. And then 20 months later I was able to adopt her. God had this all planned out and I did not even know at the time when I was so involved with her tummy mom.
Chayli
Post authorOh, Vanessa, what a story. That's amazing that you were able to be at her birth and be the one she bonded with in those hours right after. So incredibly sad how she came to you then. I can't imagine. It breaks my heart to even try, that poor baby girl. Thank God you were working that night. I'm so glad you have been able to give her a loving home and be a wonderful mommy to her. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Camille Yoder
At 38 weeks pregnant in November 2020, I was craving Panda Express. We drove the 35 minutes into town JUST FOR FOOD, and was sorely disappointed because it was so bland. Like zero flavor. We (I) decided we should run into hobby lobby for fun. Or for Christmas decor maybe, who knows. I started coughing while we were in there, and felt like maybe I was coming down with a cold. Orrrr maybe something else. Davie and I came down with Covid, and lost all sense of taste and smell. I stayed in touch with my midwife, but we didnāt have any visits or checkups during the ālastā two weeks of pregnancy. Babyās due date rolled aroundā¦ and I was very thankful she stayed inside until the 2 week quarantine was over. Finally, many days later (9 I think?), I woke at 1 am Thursday morning feeling odd. I thought I was peeing. Jumped out of bed, and realized it was not pee, but there was definitely something trickling down my legs. Turns out my water broke, but it was just kind of leaking. Contractions started 20 minutes later, and I texted my midwife to let her know. I had fairly regular contractions through the night, about 15 minutes apart and hard enough I couldnāt sleep through anything. They stopped around 6 am, and I slept for about 2 hours. Contractions were regular all throughout the day, but I was able to do some light housework, and make a few more things for the freezer. We made soup and fiber balls for the midwives, and tried to stay busy. Somewhere in there, my back went out of place, and I started having a lot of pain in one hip. By 8 pm, contractions were about 6 minutes apart, and lasting around a minute. My midwife came after her last appointment of the day, and I decided to have her check me. I wasnāt even dilated to a 2 yet. She left, but said to call anytime I wanted her to come back. Contractions stayed about the same, and I alternated sitting in the tub and walking all night. Snoozed for a bit in the tub around midnight, but by 2 am contractions were 5 minutes apart, lasting at least a minute. The back and hip pain was almost unbearable, and being in a sitting or lying position was agony. We called the midwife at 3 am, and she arrived around 4.
Contractions stopped. Completely. I took castor oil around 7, and they started plugging away again, but not as consistently. My water continued to leak, and we were over the 24 hour mark. They monitored the babes pretty closely, but she seemed chill and happy to stay just where she was. They checked me once or twice throughout the day, and I made just enough progress to not go into the hospital. I wonāt bore you with the nothingness that happened all day Friday, but I was FINALLY fully dilated and ready to push around midnight Friday night. Except that I couldnāt. The pain in my hip/lower back made everything freeze as soon as a contraction hit. It was SLOW progress, but it happened a tiny bit at a time. At this point I had had only two hours of sleep since Thursday morning at 1 am, and every bit of energy was being put into breathing through every contraction, trying to move the baby down. I may have slapped Davie hard, full in the face when he moaned about how he had just fallen asleep when I needed him again. We were all stunned for a second because no one, including myself, was expecting that turn of events. š Davie literally walked with me, held me, did hip compressions, etc. the entire time, except when I told him to go sleep since the 3 midwives were with me. Heād only been sleeping a half hour when I asked him to wake up. š¬ at 4 am, they could feel her head. Time stood still. We decided to transfer to the hospital at 5 am Saturday morning, after an entire 52 hours of labor, on only 2 hours of sleep. I donāt know if anyone else has ever half sat half laid in a pick up seat for 35 minutes dilated to a 10, but it was pure torture. We got to the hospital, and they immediately asked me to lie down to be checked. I cannot even describe the amount of pain lying down put me in. I was nearly in hysterics. The contractions, and even pushing the baby out eventually didnāt compare to the pain my back and hip were causing. I was indeed dilated to a 10 (thanks for putting me through that-next time take my midwifeās wordš ). I went for an epidural, AND IT DIDNT WORK. I guess it did help something. My back pain subsided some, and we got to work getting the baby out. Masked up, mind you. It was 2020 after all! I screamed at them to take it off, and what do you know, they did. We truly had incredible people all around us in the hospital for our entire stay. I was completely irrational though, and small things were huge. Damaris Diane was born at 9:45 (her head was twisted sideways, and had the weirdest cone shape right above her ear), after a brief scare when they lost contact with her heart rate. Having my midwife in my ear reassuring me it wouldnāt go from steady to nothing helped me stay chill.
The epidural never did kick in. I tore pretty badly, but I WAS HOLDING MY PERFECT TINY (well, 9 pound 6 ounceš) baby, so the stitches were bearable. I continued to have bad lower back and hip pain, and laying in bed was pretty miserable. But so was everything else, so in bed I stayed. š It took several massages and chiropractic appointments to resolve the issue over the next several weeks. To say there was some trauma surrounding the birth is an understatement, and contrary to what everyone told me, I have not forgotten and the memories are still very clear. š I would do it all again if it meant another sweet babe, although I definitely would do a few things differently. šā¤ļø kudos to you if you made it all the way through!
Chayli
Post authorOh my goodness, this sounds so traumatizing. I'm so sorry. Such a long labor! And as if just giving birth wasn't hard enough....that's terrible that your back/hip was giving you so much trouble. š The good thing about "doing it all again" is that chances are you would have a much different story to tell, hopefully anyway. š Thanks for sharing this!
Liz Lapp
Oh my goodness, Camille! That sounds traumatizing just reading it! Too many memories of my own first birth. š¬ And yes on the remembering all the details!!! I'm pretty sure other just make it up that they forget. š How does one actually forget?? And I'm a teeny bit jealous about these mama's that got to hold their babies while getting stitches! I always was made to hand baby off to dad and just suffer on my own. I'm glad you have your sweet Damaris tho (good choice on the name š).