Birth Story

Before I begin the boy’s birth story I wanted to include a disclaimer.

I had an all-natural-no pain med - vaginal birth and I absolutely loved it. BUT….I know a lot of people (for one reason or another) do not choose the route I went and I completely respect that. Just because I chose a natural birth and think they are great, doesn’t mean that it is for everyone. End of my disclaimer now onto the story.

Our story begins on Sunday, July 14…..

We had already been to the hospital for false labor the Tuesday before and we were quite ready to get this pregnancy over with and finally meet our little men. My reasons were very different from my husband’s. He just eager to meet his boys and I on the other hand was very miserable. Being 37 weeks pregnant with twins is no walk in the park, and as much as I was afraid of the delivery process, I was very anxious to get it over with. So from Tuesday to Sunday, we were doing everything, and I mean everything to get my labor going. From pineapple to spicy foods, walking and bouncing on a birthing ball. Yes, we even tried sex. We gave everything a shot and nothing seemed to get things going.

I was scheduled for an induction at 38 weeks and because I wanted a natural birth, I was not keen on the idea of using Pitocin. For anyone who has ever used Pitocin knows that it amplifies contractions in both strength and frequency. Not something you really want when you have sworn off using pain medications and don’t completely agree with medical interventions. So on that Sunday I decided I was going give myself a morning to sleep in. And I did until 10am and it felt great! I normally don’t sleep that late, but I was pregnant with twins and think that was a pretty darn good excuse. When I got out of bed that morning, with the help of my husband of course, we noticed a collection of fluid on the bed. Did my water just break?! I don’t think I have ever seen my husband more excited and nervous at the same time as he raced around the house gathering our stuff for the hospital. We arrived at the OB triage around 11:30am and after a few hours of trying to verify if the leaked fluid was indeed amniotic fluid they finally admitted us up to Labor and Delivery.

I planned in my head how I wanted my labor to go, but being pregnant with twins put a damper on most of them. I was able to walk around the halls for a couple of hours before I was REQUIRED to wear the fetal monitors continuously. How on earth can you naturally progress your labor while practically being bed confined? Because I did have a small leak in one of the amniotic sacs, they had to monitor the boys. I was able to get on my birthing ball right next to the bed, but that was as far as I could wander. When I arrived at the hospital I was dilated to 3, but after 5 hours I had not progressed any further. Then the decision was made to induce with Pitocin and at 6 o’clock that evening they started the IV. After 2 hours I still was not having very strong contractions and I had not progressed much further. My doctor came in around 8pm and discovered I had a bulging bag and decided to break my water. I remember him telling me “you are going to hate me for this”. I soon understood why he made that comment when the contractions really amplified shortly after breaking my water.

I had no idea what to expect with labor and delivery and I was very thankful to have my doula, who was also my sister in law, there to coach both me and my husband. For 8 hours I experienced very intense contractions and when you are essentially bed confined, it is very difficult to find ways to manage the pain. I was very disappointed that I could not use the jetted tub, which I really needed when the back labor started. In a way I felt a bit shorted in my efforts to have a natural birth because of having to use Pitocin. The contractions got so severe that I just had no choice but to lay on the bed. My husband, who was amazing the entire time, coached me through each contraction. We breathed together, rested together, and I know I would not have been able to make it through the toughest parts of labor without him. I discovered that concentrating on an object during a contraction really helped to take my mind off the pain. I found that when I lost concentration the pain just took over. Besides having the intense contractions, I was also very blessed with insane back labor. That’s something you really don’t want to have when you are unable to use the jetted tub. Thankfully my doula brought along some tennis balls to apply counter pressure to my back during each contraction. I thank God for those heavenly balls and for my doula and the hours of massaging to my back. Towards the end (which at the time I did not know I was getting very close) I could not, for the life of me get comfortable and manage my pain. Finally my doula suggested that I go sit on the toilet. As crazy as that sounds odd but it felt really good and helped me to handle the contractions better. After throwing up in the sink, while sitting on the toilet, I finally reached transition at 5am and after a quick check I was completely dilated. YAY!  

When you reach 10 cm you have a very strong desire to push, but of course you can’t until your doctor was there- and mine was not. When I saw him walk in the room I felt so relieved, but as soon as he walked in he was called to another room!

“No, come back!” I cried out. There was no way I was waiting any longer. Thankfully my nurse ran to grab him and informed him I was ready-NOW.  Despite my disappointment with my labor, the birthing process was everything I had hoped for. It was quiet and calm. The lights were dimmed down low and it was as intimate as I had wanted. I felt very empowered as everyone encouraged me to push. When you don’t have an epidural you feel everything down under. I always thought I would not be able to handle everything I would feel, but it actually helped to know how I was progressing and being able to feel the boys come out was great. As baby A was crowning my doctor asked me if I wanted to reach down and feel his head. Umm, no thank you! That experience was just not for me. After 15 minutes of pushing I finally heard baby A's cries and he was placed on my chest. My first initial reaction when I saw him was:

“Oh my gosh, you just came out of me!”

Not quite the most sentimental thought a new mother can have, but I was definitely in love. I could not believe he was finally here. I was able to hold him and soak up this long awaited moment as baby B made his way down the birth canal. I was incredibly blessed that both the boys were head down and there was no complications. I remember thinking to myself as I held Baby A, “Do I really need to do this again?!” I was exhausted from the first baby, how on earth am I going to have the energy for the second? It’s amazing what your body can do and I was able to use the endorphins released from the first delivery to my advantage. Baby B moved perfectly into position after his brother came out. About a half an hour later baby B was born. I had quite the scare when everyone commented how much bigger he was as he was crowning. Yeah that’s something you don’t say as they are pushing their baby out. Thank goodness he wasn’t much bigger than his brother and I had no issue delivering him. It was everything I had imagined and hoped for as I held my two beautiful and healthy boys. I could not believe I had delivered them both naturally! I was quite proud of myself and what I achieved.

I know a natural birth is not for everyone, and for a long time I had always thought I would have an epidural. But I am very glad I made the decision to pursue a natural birth. I’m sure everyone thought I was crazy for wanting to do it, especially with birthing twins. I knew I could do it and I wanted to, for not only myself, but for my boys. I knew when I committed myself and set my mind to it, I could do it.

Very blessed momma with two very beautiful and healthy boys.