Tirzah turns two today, and after finding just how many people love to read birth stories, I decided writing hers and sharing it was a great way to celebrate her special day! In a couple weeks I'll share Ezekiel's for his birthday as well. Spoiler alert: they are VERY different! :)
I sat there breathing through contractions as some of our best friends helped us paint our dining room cabinets. (As you'll find in Ezekiel's story, working on house projects the night before I deliver is a common theme haha!) Unsure whether it was the real deal or not, I started timing them on my phone. They were somewhat consistent, but not *consistently* consistent. I refused to be someone who went in too soon only to be turned away. So I wanted them to be just as I read they should be when you head to the hospital... 5 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute, for 1 hour or longer. So I kept breathing through them, letting everyone know I was fine, but telling Nick "I think I could be having this baby tomorrow if this keeps up..."
This dining room episode was at exactly 37 weeks into pregnancy. Because of my early delivery with Ezekiel after he was measuring small we expected an earlier than normal delivery with Tirzah as well, as she was also measuring small. Having the knowledge of this possibility this time around was a huge help. I packed bags around 36 weeks to be safe. And I went into MAJOR nesting mode with Tirzah that I didn't experience with Ezekiel.
I slept well that night honestly. I was really thankful for that! I don't remember waking up with contractions during the middle of the night. I also don't remember how late I was up, but probably later than I should have been. By about 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning I was awake. "I think I should call my doctor and see what she thinks..." I told Nick. I still wasn't 100% convinced it was time to go in, but the contractions were getting increasingly uncomfortable and closer together. I felt super calm regardless. Nick brought me to my doctor's office with Ezekiel in tow, and when the doctor checked me I think we were all shocked... I was already 6cm dilated!
My doctor asked me if I'd eaten and if I had my things. Nope to both. When she found out I lived close to the hospital she told me to go ahead and eat and get what I needed and then head to the hospital. So I did. At 6cm dilated. My doctor told me the next day that when she called the hospital they responded with, "You let her go home?!?". "Yes," she told them. "She seemed like she was doing great and she lives close by!"
I got checked into the hospital around 10:30am. I walked up to my room by myself (well, sans Nick, that is... I did have a hospital worker with me). Nick had to take Ezekiel to be watched by a friend who was about 20 minutes away, so by the time he got to the hospital about an hour had passed.
The whole time up to this point I had been debating on whether or not I wanted an epidural this time around. The idea sounded nice, but I'd also seen videos of the needle they put in... yikes. I think the nurses kind of helped convince me in the end, and I got one around 12:30 or 1:00pm. When the anesthesiologist arrived he seemed so confused when I told him I didn't have one with my first. "Why?" he said. "I was in pain but I felt like I could handle it okay for most of it so I just didn't," I responded. "Why?" he said again. I just laughed but my nurses seemed equally amazed that I skipped out on an epidural previously. After I barely moved a muscle during the epidural, even during a contraction, they seemed in awe of my calm. "Nothing really phases you, does it?" one of them asked. But then knowing some of what they see in L&D, I'm sure I *was* really chill and easy going :)
Labor with Tirzah seemed so relaxing honestly. It was late morning/early afternoon. I'd gotten decent rest the night before. It was maybe a little *too* relaxing, because Nick took a work call during that time (it was a job that was very hard to get away from). I always give him a hard time about it now ;) Until I was ready to push I barely felt a thing, and when I got to that point it was the WEIRDEST thing for me to actually recognize I needed to push. (Again, Ezekiel's birth was VERY different.) I started pushing at 2:00pm, and by 2:10pm, Tirzah had made her appearance! It all felt like a breeze. I was able to soak in the moment with Tirzah's birth so much more because I had very little fatigue and a clear head. She weighed 5lbs 1 oz and measured 18 1/2 inches long. So little, but not so little that she had to stay in the NICU like her brother, which I was SO thankful for! When I held her for the first time my heart melted into a puddle. I used to say that a little girl would probably have Nick wrapped around her finger, but I wasn't prepared for how much a little girl would melt ME! I always thought I'd be more okay with all boys than all girls, but man am I so grateful God gave us a little girl! He truly knows what's best for our family, and though at times it feels like I'm not the best fit for raising these littles, I know He knew exactly what He was doing when He gave them to us.
Two days before she was born.
I loved getting to take a few photos of her at the hospital! I hadn't started photography yet when Ezekiel was born.
And then our friend Annie came and took some for us while we were at the hospital! So thankful for these.
Looking forward to seeing what our birth story with our next baby is like :)