Happy new year! Henry arrived at 4:07pm on Christmas Eve, 10 days past his guess date. I went to a fetal monitoring appointment in the early morning of 12/23, where one of my midwives suggested we induce based on how Henry was coping with the surges. We did a foley balloon and low-dose Pitocin until my body took over naturally with labor. However, things moved slowly and they eventually broke my water late that night. The surges became very intense, and I found it challenging to relax my body while experiencing labor shakes – something I didn’t know was a thing! It took 8 hours of labor to dilate from 6 to 7 cm, and by 5am the next morning I decided the best thing to do for me and baby was to get an epidural. I reached 10 cm at 1pm and he arrived three hours later!
My birth definitely strayed from what I imagined (no at-home laboring or water birth), but ultimately I’m so happy I listened to my body and did what I needed to avoid a c-section and healthily bring Henry earthside. I listened to rainbow relaxation throughout labor, and it made an immense difference in my ability to cope. I also visualized breathing Henry down, and the image made the last few hours feel transcendent. Wishing everyone a safe and happy birth experience!
Henry
