Jennifer’s birth story
Hi everyone <3 Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback on part 1 of the birth story..Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I didn’t want it to be boringly long. The final part should be up tomorrow 🙂
We’re still getting to know our sweet baby, so here is a special guest post: a birth story from Jennifer. When I first decided to find a few guest posts for this week, I wanted to ask good friends as well as readers to see if they would share a post. I’m a huge fan of birth stories and always enjoy reading Jennifer’s comments on the blog, so I sent her a little email to see if she’d like to help out by writing a post of her birth story.
Here it is <3
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Hi Gina – I’d love to share my birth story with you. First, I’ll give you a little background about me and my husband:
I’m 36 years old and I’m a high school teacher. I was always sporty growing up. I played tennis in HS and ice hockey in college. I continued playing hockey for a few years after college. Then, I got into running and then triathlons. Last year, I completed the Madison Ironman in 13 hours and 40 minutes. At the time, I thought it was a pretty amazing accomplishment. All that has changed now!
When I was 33, I met my husband. He’s a chiropractor and very health conscience. I had never wanted to have kids but when I met him, I started to reconsider. He really wanted to be a father and I started to change my mind about having a baby. Since we were both 34 at this point, we had to get things moving! I decided I wanted to do the Ironman and then we would start trying. It worked out perfectly. We got married, bought a house, I did the Ironman and then we started trying. We were very lucky (and thanks to your recommendation to get Taking Charge of your Fertility) and I got pregnant on our third try.
Once I was pregnant, we started doing A LOT of research! We took a Bradley class. We also switched from an OB/Gyn to a Midwife group because we wanted to have the most natural birth possible. It was very important to us to start her life out right.
At this point, she’s 9 days old and very healthy…Here’s her story:
Ayla Rose’s birth story…
My water broke at 4pm Saturday (11/19). We called the Midwife and she suggested to go to bed and get some rest so we’d be ready for tomorrow. I was thinking contractions would get stronger through the night and we’d be heading to the hospital in the morning. Well, they didn’t. Unfortunately, we still didn’t sleep much because I was having some contractions and we were pretty excited. We woke up Sunday (11/20 – our due date) and tried to get some hard contractions. We did pretty much everything we could think of to start regular contractions. I even took a dose of castor oil! Unfortunately, nothing worked. The midwife said it was unusual because most women go into labor within 24 hours of their water breaking. She said it would be ok to wait a little longer and that I would most likely go into labor in the next 12 hours. The biggest concern was infection. Once the water breaks, the baby and I are open to infection. Most doctors require the mother to go to the hospital within 12-24 hours once the water breaks. Our midwife said to call the clinic in the morning. So, we went to bed Sunday night – feeling a little frustrated.
Monday morning (11/21), we again tried to get labor started and called the midwives. We went into their clinic around 11 to get checked. The midwife we met with did not check my dilation because it might cause infection. She said we could wait a little longer to see if it kicked in. She suggested we use the breast pump to try to get things started. We were feeling really frustrated at this point. We were approaching the 48 hours mark after the water broke. So, we went home and kept trying. Again, we got very little sleep Monday night. I was having contractions but nothing too serious. Tuesday morning, we got up and we decided to give it a shot. We called the midwife on call and said we were going to the hospital. This was around 5am Tuesday (11/22) morning. I had to be at 4 cm to be allowed into the alternative birthing center (ABC) room so we were just hoping for that. We waited for a while and then the Midwife came into the Triage room and she checked me. This was the only internal check I had the entire time. I was just barely at 4 cm! We were so excited because we had achieved our goal of getting into the ABC room!
So, we were moved into the cool birthing room and we waited for the next midwife to come on duty – Gayle. At this point, we had worked with 3 different midwives. Gayle was the most experienced and we really trusted her. She came in and gave us the bad news. Basically, she said it was almost impossible that I would start having serious contractions in the next 24 hours. She said that we tried absolutely everything we could (sometimes twice including the castor oil) but it wasn’t working. She suggested that we start a small dose of pitocin and see what happens. That would mean we would have to leave the cool birthing room and I’d have to get hooked up to IV and the monitors. Kent and I felt totally defeated. We had worked so hard to have the most natural birth that we could. I was really upset. We talked it over while the midwife was gone and decided we should take her advice. We had already discussed that we would listen to the midwives because they truly have our best interest in mind. So, we moved to the other room. And, it actually wasn’t that bad – it had a nicer view.
Anyway, I was totally scared because I knew the contractions would be harder with the pitocin. I didn’t know if I would be able to handle it or not. They put the IV in and hooked up the monitors. I started crying because I felt so confined. Gayle reassured me that everything was going to be ok and I could still move around. She started the smallest dose possible. The pitocin kicked in right away and my contractions ramped up! It was really intense immediately! I hated being on the bed so I went to the bathroom and labored on the toilet. I sat on that toilet for 3 hours – moaning and OOOing and begging for help. Kent got a little nervous but the midwife reassured him that what he was looking at was true labor. So, after 3 hours on the toilet, Gayle suggested that she check me to see how far along I was. I was at 9.75cm and fully effaced! She stretched me out a bit and said I was ready to start pushing. I thought, “great, it won’t be long now!” I was wrong!
I pushed for a while on the bed but it didn’t feel right so she brought in the birthing stool. That felt a lot better! I hung on to that stool for dear life and pushed when she told me too. Kent and the midwife were on the floor watching the progress. I was pretty sure I was going to pass out a few times and I kept begging for help. I let out some really primal screams too. I pushed for a little over 2 hours. Finally, I was able to push her head out and after one more big push, her body slipped out of me. I’ll never forget that feeling for the rest of my life. It was incredible! She was immediately placed on my chest and I was able to see all her little fingers and toes. They rubbed her down a bit, waited for the cord to stop pulsing and then Kent cut the cord. The midwife had to put one little stitch in me because I had an abrasion but I didn’t even notice because I was holding my new baby. I didn’t actually tear at all and I am so grateful to Gayle because of that! Kent and I both snuggled her skin to skin a little and then they took her to the side of the room to be weighed (7lbs 10 oz). She didn’t leave our presence for over 24 hours.
We were so sleep deprived after 3 days of labor, the rest of the time was a bit of a blur. I remember eating mashed potatoes and trying to pee for the first time – ouch! Then, we just hung out at the hospital for the next day and went home Wednesday night. We were so relieved to be home! I knew the birth wasn’t going to go exactly as we planned but I think it went really well overall. I only had to use pitocin but no other drugs. Ayla came out alert and drug-free. She immediately started rooting and looking for food. I think we made the right decisions overall and we did the best we could for the situation. I’m so grateful to Kent and Gayle for supporting me and helping me get through the process. I know if we had used a different medical group, our story would have been much different!
Jen’s beautiful daughter, Ayla Rose:
Any unique tidbits from the day you were born?
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Beautiful story Jennifer! What a cute little snuggle bunny. Also…she has the best birthday! 🙂 (mine too!)
Also funny that your daughter shares my birthday, and my birth was apparently very similar to Ayla’s! Mom’s water broke, labor didn’t start really, mom ended up needing a C-section about 48 hrs later. My mom also said they didn’t encourage breast feeding (I was never breastfed) and didn’t even tell her anything about pumping so she had rock hard boobies for a long time. Funny how different things were not even that long ago (this was the 80s).
i just started reading your blog a month or so ago and have loved it! i’m a med student wanting to go into ob-gyn, so naturally I love reading birth stories too and am always blow away with the power of the female body. thanks for sharing all of the sweet details of your new baby, i hope you’re enjoying all of the amazing ‘firsts!’
I gotta say, reading these different birth stories is amazing but also very scary! I’m 32 and hope to have a child in the next couple of years, and have always hoped I’d be just like my mom; her water broke at 8:30 am and I was born at 11:29 am! And I was her first and only child! It sounds so scary to be in labor for hour upon hour upon hour, but obviously the end product is worth it, and even seeing the pictures of these babies I don’t even know makes me cry!
Thanks for sharing your story, Jennifer, and Gina, I cannot wait to read the rest of yours!!
If it makes you feel better, I was in the minority. 75% of women deliver their baby within 24 hours of their water breaking. 90% within 48 hours. Ayla and I just like to be different! 🙂
Birth stories are so cool. Thank you for sharing Jen, Ayla is really beautiful. 🙂
Thank you!
This was so sweet to read! And also kind of scary. As someone who’s never had a baby the thought of being able to have that kind of strength in that amount of pain seems super human to me. I have such a deeper respect for moms after reading these birth stories!
I know huh?! I feel the same exact way you do Erin. It boggles my mind that conception and birth in themselves are such complex and awesome processes~
Thank you for sharing that Jen, and Ayla Rose is so beautiful! And her name is pretty. 😀
ps: this is exciting! But scary when I put myself in your shoes haha
Thanks! And I agree it’s a little scary to read birth stories like mine but being scared also makes us more alive! 🙂 Plus, Ayla is worth everything I went through. She’s amazing!
My birth day was quite a lot different from Jennifer’s. My mom was only in labor with me for 45 minutes–I was her third. I was born at home, and my dad delivered me since they didn’t have time to go to the hospital. It just so happened that my dad is an OB-Gyn, which was very fortunate.
Gosh Jen, your story is so similar to mine! My water broke and didn’t send me into labor so I had to use the pit. It’s not as terrible as everyone says it is! Weirdly your story had me feeling sort of sentimental about my labor experience, which is strange to say the least!
I told everyone that my education about birth didn’t give me control over my birth experience but it did help me made the crucial decisions armed with information, so I knew pitocin wouldn’t mean I couldn’t have an unmedicated birth!
Congratulations on your little one!
Thanks! Congrats to you too! And I like the way you say “education about birth didn’t give me control” but it helped you make the right decisions. I agree completely!
About 15 minutes after I was born, my father was holding me. Suddenly, I started pooping. And pooping and pooping and pooping. My dad freaked out and and ran with me to one of the midwives who started laughing and said it was normal. My dad swore I pooped for 20 minutes straight. Apparently I seemed very pleased with it. Including bowel movements, it’s still the little things in life that make me happy.
hahaha that’s so funny! Thanks for that laugh 😀
I’m the oldest, so obviously my mom’s first pregnancy. The doctor had her do laps around the hospital to get things moving. While my mom and dad walked around, each lap they passed an older couple waiting for their first grandchild. They cheered my mom on every lap!
Boring?…your blog is anything but!
I love the idea of a natural, drug free child birth! My twins were both breach for my entire pregnancy and had to be C-section… my next future baby will also have to be C-section so I’ll never get to experience a normal delivery. I do however, want to go into Labor and Delivery Nursing once I get my nursing degree!!
I’m not usually a commenter…but I love birth stories and am a nursing student hoping to go into L&D. Anyway…I have a pretty interesting story from when I was born. My mom had a nagging feeling through her whole pregnancy that she was carrying multiple babies. She was finally convinced that there was only one baby (I guess ultrasounds weren’t commen back then unless absolutely needed…ummm…28 years ago). So, she went into labor and things progressed pretty quickly. Out comes baby…4lb11oz. The doctor looked at the baby and then looked at my mom and said, “she’s kind of small for as big as you are…let’s see if there is another one”. Sure enough, there I was hiding up under my mom’s ribcage. The doctor literally reached up in my mom and pulled me out by my feet. There I was 4lb12oz. Everyone was all smiles until the Dr. insisted on checking for a third baby….alas, there were only two of us. My mom started spouting off all the things she didn’t have two of before finally realizing “I don’t have two names” and bursting into tears!
Congrats on your princess! Enjoy this time with your new litte one!
That’s a great story Keri. I can relate to that feeling of not being prepared. Mine was just due to the fact taht I went into labour early. I cannot imagine being told there’s another baby!
You were just a little bit bigger then i was when i was born. 4lbs 8oz. when my mom would be feeding me under a blanket in public people used to ask her if there was a kitten under the blanket!
Unique tidbits? My mom had to have a c-section because she had with my brother (umbilical cord around the neck). Apparently she was in the hospital with me for the final episode of M.A.S.H.
Thank you for sharing your story, Jen!
I loved reading this! I have been dying to hear from a mom about the different with and without pitocin.The labor is just so unnaturally intense with it…but I really don’t have anything to compare it to. Just the labor I was going through before it, which was a walk in the park compared to after my water broke and they started me on the drip.
Your story is incredible and you sound like such a strong amazing woman! For all you went through, I am glad to hear that you didn’t have to deal with the tearing afterwards.
Your daughter is beautiful 🙂
Thanks! Yeah, I’m not sure if I know what “natural labor” is or not. I”m curious to know if my pit labor was that much worse or not? Maybe my labor was just normal for me…
I was born two weeks early…but I took FOREVER to come out (my mom constantly reminds me, ha!). I was itty bitty (~6lbs), and none of the newborn clothes fit me the day they took me home 🙂
If you think that’s small you should here my birth story. My moms water broke at 30 weeks but she wasn’t in labor. She stayed in the hospital for five weeks (not to mention she had a two year old at home) and had me at 35 weeks. I was 4lbs 8oz. None of the preemie clothes fit me for a few weeks!
Reading other women’s birth stories makes me realize how fortunate I have been. My labors were 6hours, 4 hours, and then 3 hours with my last one. I had all natural births and didn’t need a single stitch with any of them. There are a lot of really tough women out there and I admire their birth stories so much.
Thank you for this story, Jennifer. Ayla is gorgeous. 🙂
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your birth story with all of us. I love reading birth stories!
And your daughter is beautiful 🙂
How adorable!!!! I love birthing stories 🙂
My mom was in labor with me for 38 hours before having a c-section. When it was time to fill out the birth certificate, my dad assumed I would be Caitlin, the name my parents had decided on months earlier. Instead, my mom blurted out “Sara!” The reason for the switch? She ate an entire Sara Lee pound cake every day for the last month of her pregnancy… and only gained 30 pounds!
Congrats to both moms! Ayla and Olivia are beautiful.
I was 7 days late and my mom had had enough of being pregnant so she made my dad drive her to the hospital and told the staff that she was ready to have the baby. They told her to go home and come back in 48 hours if labor hadn’t started. She sat down in the waiting room and told them she wasn’t leaving so they might as well induce her. They told me dad to take her home and he told them he valued his own life too much to try to make her do something she didn’t want to do at that point. I was born the next morning 🙂
This is so awesome! Best birth story I have heard. Thanks for the laugh. Your mom sounds amazing.
She’s definitely one of a kind!
Wow! Scary stuff! The day I was born it was the coldest day of the year. My dad’s truck doors were frozen shut! I also only had two strands in my umbilical cord instead of the usual three!
I loved reading this – comforting (in a way) to read an account so honest and open. Thank you for sharing Jennifer! Your daughter is beautiful.
Haha I was born in the hospital hallway on Valentine’s Day! It was a busy day and they didn’t have enough rooms, and I guess I wouldn’t wait!
Yay, Jen! Great job!!
Aww I love birth stories! Thank you for sharing yours. I’m so impressed with the level of control both you and Gina were able to have – not over the labor itself but over the decision making process. It’s a wonderful testament to both your becoming educated about childbirth and, to a degree, the progressiveness of the hospitals where you delivered (there are hospitals here in NYC that have pretty much zero flexibility when it comes to labor preferences). I have a question – you wrote you were thankful to your MW for not tearing and I’d love to know what things she did to help?
I’m not exactly sure what she did but I know she kept a warm compress on me for most of the time. She kept getting up to re-warm/re-wet the towels. Plus, she did a lot of manual manipulation and supported my perineum as Ayla came out. I only know this because my husband saw the entire process and told me about it afterward. 🙂
I was born at home…but the midwife was late coming from a city that’s about an hour away, so my dad had to deliver me. I guess he did fine because I turned out okay… so good job, Dad.
Wow I give Jennifer props! I couldn’t have done it all natural. I was a wuss and I fully admit it lol. When the contractions got bad I begged for an epidural. I am PETRIFIED of needles but that pain was more than I could tolerate. I stopped dilating at 4cm annd since it was December 31st my doctor asked me if I wanted a “tax break” as he called it. He was pretty certain my son would be to big for me to have naturally so I said yes and was prepped for a C-Section. Of course this was my biggest fear the whole time I was pregnant and I soon realized why. The anesthesiologist didn’t give me enough meds and I felt the knife go in my stomach and it starting to be sliced open. I told the doctor I could feel it but it was to late to stop so he had to proceed on and get the baby out. I felt everything and thought I was going to DIE! I’m so suprised my body didn’t go in to shock from that pain. My mom, who’s a RN, videotaped the entire thing and let me tell you, I couldn’t watch it. I started to one day and heard the chilling screams I was making and just couldn’t continue to hear it or see it. Needless to say it was a HORRIBLE experience and completely scared me out of having anymore kids. I actually cry and get horrible anxiety when my period is late b/c I’m so petrified of getting pregnant again! After going through what I did, I give woman props who decide to do it natural. The pain I felt was unbearable and I imagine it’s close to what it feels like to give birth to a big baby out of a small hole.
Can’t wait to hear part 2 of your story! I’m hoping it went nothing like mine!
Wow – that’s an incredible birth story! I’m so sorry you had to go through that…
Two fun tidbits about my birth (these are legendary in my family):
1. My mom started to go into labor, told my dad it was time to go to the hospital, and he made her wait so he could watch Celtics highlights on the news. Highlights of a game he had already watched. No rush, right?
2. My mom’s doctor couldn’t get to the hospital in time to deliver me, so I was a resident’s first delivery! I turned out just fine : )
I truly love this story! As an ex-L&D nurse and natural birthing mom & enthusiast, it’s honestly a very encouraging story. Our whole goal IS to give our babies the absolute best start, and because of you & your midwife’s wisdom and patience, you did just that! The medical interventions available to us really are marvelous when used in situations that truly necessitate them- And your birth did! I can honestly say this is the best example I’ve ever seen of using pitocin :D. I always tell my pregnant friends that the goal is to aim high, be educated for the worst, and have a good care team.
That said I also understand the feeling of loss you had at the hospital. I would have felt the exact same way, going through it. But you did give her the best start you had the power to give 😉
Thanks! I feel the same way…I’m a HUGE advocate of birth education now. It’s so important that mothers know the facts so they can make the right decisions when the Drs suggest interventions. Better yet, have a care team that _truly_ has YOUR best interest in mind.
Can we do that all week? Sharing birth stories? I love it 🙂
Glad to hear how cool Jennifer´s midwives were, usually they do a c-section after waiting for more than 24 hours.
A funny thing about my birthday is, that my mum had massive contractions in the morning around 630 (I was born at 816), but still made my dad, who was sleeping at that time, breakfast! Can you believe it?!
Well it was Christmas Eve, so my mom and grandma had to stop making tamales. 😀
None from me.. but my mom broke my brother’s shoulder during birth. In her defense.. he was a BIG baby.. 🙂
None about me, but when my sister was born, my mom’s OBGYN was positive she was going to be a boy. He mentioned something about naming her Gandhi since she shares his b’day. My dad was in the room at the time and he agreed with the suggestion – and probably with a bit too much enthusiasm. My mom freaked out because Gandhi was not a name she had planned on. That story cracks me up to this day because my dad still insists Gandhi would’ve been a great name!
i got stuck and re-broke my mother’s tailbone (she had broken it years before). i would NOT come out. so they started to wheel my mother into surgery, and i must not have been down with that plan, because i got the ball rolling once she was about to be wheeled off. to this day, i hate going to the doctor’s, so i guess that was a sign of what was to come haha.
I Loved reading this story, thanks for sharing 🙂
When you mentioned the hurt to pee you brought back a memory from my son’s birth. I had to have a couple stiches too while they were cleaning me up one of the nurses was in the room and she kept telling me how much it was going to hurt when i had to pee…I was soo scared that I held out for as long as possible panicking…when I did finally have to go, it was nothing at all…at least compared to the childbirth!
Thank you Gina and Jennifer for sharing birth stories. I’m down to hear as many of the gorey details as anyone is willing to give up! Granted, I’m nowhere near pregnancy (I would like to get the husband part nailed down first!), but I’m just really interested in how it happens for different ladies with different situations. For example, I was totally jack-knifed inside my mom and it was not until I started emerging ass-first that the doctor realized I was breach (sp?)! I think that wouldn’t happen these days, but I guess it’s proof that anything can and does happen, and the more you’re prepared (by reading birth stories) the better equipped you are to deal with whatever happens in the end.
Congratulations on your beautiful babies!
I love ALL birth stories! It’s amazing how different they all are! I am a longtime reader and new blogger and if you are doing a series of guest posts on birth stories I’d love to write one! My most recent labor included flashers and riding on the shoulder to make it to the hospital at 10 cm and ready to push! I don’t think my husband has ever been so scared as he’s passing people off roading thinking he may have to deliver he baby himself!
i loved this birth story – thanks for sharing, jennifer!
Congratulations on both of your beautiful baby girls!
My mom was in labor with me for three days as well! She likes to remind me of that every birthday (I am 27), and I like to remind her that I was worth every minute of it 🙂 Ha ha!
Birthing stories are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing! Ayla is beautiful!!!
I think it’s great that you are having people tell their birth stories! I had a baby 5 months ago and had a doula/midwife and was determined to go all natural. I jogged until 7 months pregnant and follow a very healthy vegetarian/ whole food diet. After 36 hours of labor I was only 4 cm and wound up getting every drug in the book (due to an infection), an epidural (which caused a spinal leak so I couldn’t sit upright for a week) and a blood transfusion! I honestly believe I would have been one of those women who died during child birth if it was not for medical intervention.
Then my daughter did not latch for 7 weeks! For my anal/plan out everything self it was really hard to be totally out of control. It’s so encouraging to read that other people’s birth experiences do not always go as planned and I am happy to say I have a happy/healthy 5 month old baby girl who is now a breastfeeding pro! Can’t wait to hear part II!
My mom was given a drug that completely made her numb from the waist down- she couldn’t push! The doctor literally had to push on her stomach to get me to come out. She had bruises all over her stomach.
It’s amazing how birth stories are totally different, yet the same! The end result- a healthy baby makes it all worthwhile!
(I have already replied to a couple of other peoples comments but here is my birth story) My moms water broke when she was 30 weeks because i kicked so hard! she was in the hospital for 5 weeks mean while she had a 2 year old at home. she was told one day that any of the days in the up coming week she could choose for them to induce her. she decided on the 18th (if you are Jewish you know that the word for 18 in Hebrew also means life). the 18th came and they started the pitocin in the morning. after that she started to feel like she was in labor but they kept telling her that it was false labor. They told her that for almost 12 hours (If you have already had a baby and are having your 2nd, chances are good that you know when you are in labor!). Everyone left the hospital room. My dad, all the doctors, and the nurses. it was just my mom and one nurse in the room. All of a sudden my mom felt like she needed to go to the bathroom but the nurse wasn’t allowed to let her get up out of bed. All of a sudden, they realized what happening. The nurse grabbed an intern out of the hallway and had him check her. I was a comin! They got the doctor from the elevator and grabbed my dad from the waiting room where he was calling my grandmother to tell her what was going on. right after the doctor came in the room, they hardly got him in his gown and gloves, i came right out!! (Now here is the big thing that sets my story aside from anyone else). I was on my moms chest and the doctor went to hand my dad the scissors to cut the cord, but i was flailing around so much that I snatched the scissors from the doctors hand and started waving them around. I was really small (4lbs 8oz) and my mom always says that the first time she saw her baby girl, she was waving around scissors that were bigger then she was!!!!! What can I say, I had to make an entrance!
My husband is a twin and was birthed via C-section, but the first time his dad held him he said, “I’ve caught fish bigger than this!” They were itty bitty guys I guess. 😉
I can honestly say I’ve tasted shit. I pooped in the amniotic fluid and inhaled a bunch of it so I had to have my lungs vacuumed right away. My poor mother was also in labor for 23.5 hours. They told her she would have to have a C-section if she hit 24.
I’m actually a little terrified of having kids because I have always been very similar to aunt, not my mom, in terms of female things and my aunt had twins who weighed over 9 pounds each. According to my mom, if anyone in the family is going to produce giant twins again, its going to be me.
That was such a beautiful story! I tear up a bit reading about these birth stories as mine ended in a C-section with my first–not the way I had pictured it at all.
I’m in love with my birth story; my Dad re-tells it to me (the lovey parts, not the gorey details) on the eve of my birthday every year. I was early and my mom was in labour for well over 24 hours; I ended up being treated for jaundice and my Mom couldn’t hold me for 3 days. The day she was finally able to hold me was the day of the Santa Claus Parade, though still recovering from an emergency C-section, my mom stood at the window and narrated the entire Parade to me. We’ve watched the Parade together every year since.
Ayla is gorgeous! I love all the birth stories.
My mom tells my birth story like this: I didn’t grow properly in the third trimester, and my mom’s placenta was dried up (that sounds so disgusting, ha), so they decided to induce labor and take me early. However, my mom was sure she was further along in her pregnancy than the doctor thought, but they surrounded her with specialists for fear that I’d be some tiny, malnourished thing. My mom had planned to go the totally natural route, but that went out the window with the concern. After three days trying to induce, she was only dilated to a 2, I think, and I wouldn’t budge, so they did a C-section. I came out at 6 lbs 4 oz, and all the specialists were so disappointed that I wasn’t teensy and in distress that they all just left the room dejected. Not the warmest welcome into the world ever. 🙂