Hazel's Birth Story

For those of you who want to read the poorly written nitty gritty details of Hazels birth… here they are! For those of you who want a short sweet version- I had a baby naturally, everything went really well and it hurt. Jon was a great support; I could not have done it without him. We are so grateful that she was born perfect with all of her fingers and toes and no problems, PLUS she was really cute right from the start. The end.

On Thursday May 15^th we had a doctor’s appointment where I was being stress tested/monitored. I’d been monitored 2x a week for the last 2 weeks because I had some odd things come up in my labs, and the baby was borderline not having enough amniotic fluid. So they were being cautious and doing extra monitoring and ultrasounds to ensure everything was OK. I’d also been put on modified bed-rest (I did not need to stay in bed, but she did not want me doing anything more than light housework). That got me out of work a week or so early. SA-WEET!  So on Thursday she offered to check me again to see how far I was dilated. The Thursday prior (at 38 weeks) I was dilated to a 1 and 30% effaced… so things were progressing, and looking on target for my due date. She checked again at 39 weeks and I was dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced. They saw on the monitor that I was having a lot of little contractions- like constantly. So it made sense why I felt like it was “that time of the month” all the time. I also was complaining that she had a foot stuck back in my ribs, acid reflux was worse that day and it was hard to breath. So I was pretty miserable and hoping baby would just get the heck out of there. After the appointment I felt those little contractions get a stronger and felt pretty sorry for myself because most likely I’d be uncomfortable for another week until my due date or beyond.

The next morning on Friday May 16, I woke up at about 6 AM TOTALLY panicked because I could not feel the baby kicking. She kicks pretty much constantly, and I could not feel her. ALSO I was usually up every two hours with acid reflux/kicking during the night, and I had slept for 8 hours straight. I drank some ice water and poked my belly trying to get her to move, still nothing. I was terrified that those cramps that I had the day before were a bad thing. I remembered that when she did not move during one of our monitoring appointments the Dr. put some loud vibrating thing on my belly. I found Jon’s electric razor and put the flat edge against my bump and EUREKA! She moved! After all the panic I started to notice that those obnoxious cramps seemed to be getting more intense. I laid back in bed and got comfy enough to fall in and out of sleep until about 8 am.

I got up at 8 and started timing the contractions. They were stronger, and lasting about 30 seconds, but not super consistent. When Jon work up around (A rare day he got to sleep in!) 9 he saw me on the couch breathing funny and staring at the timer on my phone. He asked me if I was OK and I just looked at him and said “I’m pretty sure we are having a baby today!”. My plan was to labor at home for at least a few hours before we headed to the hospital. It is really obnoxious that the hospital is 1 hour away. I did not want to go there too early and just get sent back an hour home. But I also did not want to wait so long that I was having the baby in the car. I kept on trying to call my mom in Sacramento, but she was NOWHERE to be found. Her flight was 4 days away and I knew she would be mad if the baby came before she got here! Jon and I started to frantically accomplish everything that we wanted to get done before baby got here. I cleaned house, did the dishes, and hauled the laundry to the complex laundry mat. Jon fixed a water leak in our car and went to the neighboring town to vacuum out the water that had accumulated in there. We did some research if I should eat anything, and decided to just eat some cucumber and tomato slices for lunch. All the while contractions where getting stronger and fairly consistently 5 min apart. I called my Dr. office around 1 to let them know I was in active labor, and the gal on the other end just said “uh, why are you calling us? Go to the hospital!” I did not feel like it was time yet, so I spent an hour curling my hair and applying make-up. LOL! Then we started getting our bags together and gathering electronics/pillows/snacks and other miscellaneous things that were not in our bags yet and packed everything in the car for the long trip to the hospital.

We left for the hospital at 3pm and arrived around 4pm. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. We stopped for Jon to get a slurpee, and some water for me to drink. The windy ride down along the ocean was uncomfortable. Contractions were stronger and I was getting anxious to get there! We made bets on how far along I was dilated. Jon thought 4 and I was hoping for 5. We were so sure that we were staying that upon arriving  Jon lugged in our two suitcases, camera, tripod, two pillows and a boppy behind me as I waddled into the birthing center. I looked at the receptionist, smiled and told her that we were here to have a baby. I don’t think she took me seriously, probably because I was smiling and my hair and make-up were flawless. It was a really good hair day- I regret not taking a picture! We went into a tiny monitoring room where they hooked me up and we could see that the contractions were pretty strong and pretty consistent. I stood up because they were stronger when I was standing and I did not want them to send me home! I also wanted them to do the work that they needed to do so that the baby would come out as soon as possible. She measured me and I was dilated to a 4 (Jon won!) and 75% effaced. They admitted us and we got the room we requested. Availability permitting, you could either have a garden view room with a bigger tub, or a mountain view room that still had a tub with jets, just not as big. I wanted a mountain view room, because the mountains are SO pretty. The nurse tried to talk me into a garden view because the tub was bigger and I was going to try to go natural, but I stayed strong. I was happy that I did. Looking at the mountains outside my window on such a pretty day helped during contractions.

We got to our room and they hooked me up to a monitor. I let them know that I would like to move around, and on the tour of the hospital she made it sound like they only did wireless monitoring. She said that she would look for the wireless monitor, and would ask my Dr. if I could just be monitored once an hour.  My Dr. was in the hospital until 9 that night! That was lucky because I go to a group of Dr’s and it is kinda just luck of the draw who actually delivers you. I REALLY liked my dr. and my second choice would be the midwife from the same group. Both of them encourage natural birth, and Dr. Stickly had worked with me for 6 months to GET pregnant, and was the main person I saw while pregnant. I did see the other dr’s at least once so that I would not have a stranger deliver me. We’d been trying for about a year before going to her for infertility. So it was kinda cool that we were finally to the point of having a BABY! I was happy to see Dr. Stickly there and she said that they could take me off the monitor. Not being tethered to the bed we started walking the halls, and I started doing squats. The contractions were getting more intense, but Jon was a good coach helping me breath through them, rubbing my back and shoulders and squeezing my hand. I had consistent 3-5 min breaks in between contractions. Periodically I was texting my family on group chat what was happening. They joked that it was just a hoax because how on earth would I be able to text while having a baby! I felt just fine in between contractions though. 

They got us a birth ball and I sat on it and rocked back and forth and Jon massaged my lower back. While we were doing this around 7PM a new nurse came in and started asking all of sorts of questions that probably should have been asked upon arrival…. Like if I take any medications, am I allergic to anything, family medical history (mine is pretty long LOL). So I’m having some pretty intense contractions while she is asking all of this and I need to stop every few min to breathe through them. I’d been doing such a good job and keeping my cool that I don’t think she thought I’d progressed much- plus my hair still looked too good to take me seriously. I asked her when they would check to see how far along I was. She said that they usually do not unless there is a reason to, but she would since I asked. So I got on the bed and as soon as I did I felt super nauseated. I told her that I thought that I was going to throw up, but she did not hear me, so I said it again. She still did not hear me, so I said it again and Jon said at the same time GET THAT TRASH CAN, SHE IS GOING TO THROW UP. Right then I put my hand over my mouth and started throwing up. BUT since I had only drunk water and Jello the last 7 hours the throw up went through my fingers and I sprayed it ALL OVER the nurse! Not just on her clothes or shoes, but in her face and hair and all over that side of the room. It was like a water hose when you put your thumb over it to make it project farther. She grabbed the trash can real quick and I continued to do my thing while she went over to the mirror to whip off her face and hair and scrubs. I felt SOOOOO bad. She assured me that she has 4 kids at home and this was no big deal for her and that they had extra scrubs at the hospital that she could change into. She also said that it was a good sign that I was in transition and that now she had a reason to check me. Sure enough, I was at a 7. I’m pretty sure watching me throw up in her face was a close second to the actual birth of our baby for Jon. He still tells me how awesome that was. 

I’d been reserving getting into the tub for when I got to about a 7. So in the jet tub I went. Jon put some orange vanilla scented essential oil in the tub with me and dimmed the lights and put on some relaxing music. During contractions he would sprinkle water over my shoulders and hold my hand. We were in there for about an hour and a half before I got out to be monitored. PLUS I was turning into a raisin. It was around 9pm at this point and I’d progressed to about 8.5-9 but that her head was not down very far because my water had not broken. The nurse said that as soon as it did that the baby’s head should come right down into position. I told her to just break my water so we could get this party started, and she said that it will probably break on its own and just to keep going. So we got on the birthing ball out again, and I did some squats and rocked and bounced. I was feeling pretty good about how everything had gone. Probably too good. I was feeling like super woman, and that having a baby really was not all too painful and that either everybody else were just big wimps, or I must have amazing pain tolerance/self control. 

We were on the ball for about an hour, heavy contractions. Jon helping me breathe through them, getting me hard candy to suck on, massaging my back and getting countless ice chips. My Dr. had been called into surgery and the mid-wife Tina Doyle (my second choice to deliver me) just got there. She apologized for not being there earlier because her kid was graduating from the 1^st grade. Now it all made sense why nobody would break my water an hour ago! So she broke my water and announced that baby had pooped in it. I was worried, but she said that it would be OK, and to keep going and if the baby did not cry right away she would suction out her mouth. The contractions after my water broke were different. They were stronger, and I was more tired. I LOST it. I asked how long it would be before I would have the baby and she said it could be up to 3 hours. I started to cry and told her that I could not do it for 3 more hours and that I needed drugs, some sort of drugs, ANY SORT OF DRUGS. The contractions got harder and harder, my breathing fell apart, Jon was scared because I was in so much pain. The nurses all kept telling me to breathe because I was mostly crying/yelling/holding my breath during contractions. So turns out I am NOT super woman, and my hair was a disaster and it turns out you really don’t care how you look or if you drug your baby, or even in you get a dreaded C-section you just want it over. 

The Mid-wife suggested that I get back in the tub and she would talk to the anesthesiologist. It turns out the anesthesiologist thing was all a rouse, it was too late to do anything, and she knew I wanted to go natural and told me she would talk to him to trick me. Jon managed to get me in the tub, but it was not the relaxing experience it was before. Now I was just a WET hot mess. Not doing any better at breathing, and clinging onto the hope that any minuet the anesthesiologist would come in and save the day (Joke was on me!). After an hour of horrible pain they put me back on the bed and checked me and she said that baby was down and I was a 10 and ready to push!!!!!

When I got to push it was a totally different experience. It hurt worse, but somehow I was outside of my body. Also I was STARVING, and all I could think about was the faster I can get this baby out, the sooner I can eat. That was incentive enough. In the movies it seems like when they say the head is there and it is time to push, you push like 2 times and the baby was out. That is a bunch of bull. I impressed the nurses with how strong I pushed. I broke a whole bunch of blood vessels in my face I was pushing so hard. They kept tell me she had lots of hair, and I kept thinking that she would be out the next push. Nope. It took 39 min of pushing. The nurses all said that was really good for your first baby. Maybe they were just being nice. She came out screaming. What a relief! Surprisingly Jon cut the cord, he has been anti cord-cutting, but after seeing what he saw, he said in the moment it was not as gross as he thought it would be. They put her right on me and we got to snuggle. She did have a lot of hair and really big eyes staring at me.  I was shaking and getting stitches, and clutching onto my new baby for dear life. Jon held us both and we were in that moment for about an hour. It seemed like 5 min. We could not get enough of her. The nurses came in with a scale and a bath she was weighed her in our room and cleaned up a bit. Jon started snapping pictures. Hazel Kalia Hoof was born at 11:39 on Friday May 16^th 2014. She weighed 7pounds 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. 

 Daddy got to hold her skin to skin while they got me out of bed and made sure I was OK. When I got back in bed (about 3 am) I was wired, and the baby was wired, and Jon was dead dog tired. I told him he could sleep for an hour or so because I had too much adrenaline/hormones or whatever going through me to sleep anyway. Me and baby Hazy ended up staring at each other for 3 hours straight until the sun started coming up. It seemed as though we were both in awe of what happened to us. I am so grateful that she was born healthy without any complications. I can’t believe that I was able to go through with a natural birth. I had my doubts. If you asked me right after she was born if I would go natural again, I would say NO WAY. But a couple of days removed I was already planning the next natural birth. So I think I will go in with the same mindset that I did this time, I will go to the hospital prepared for natural, and see how it goes. I am not anti-epidural, and I am not hardcore enough to have a baby at home. But I do think it is amazing what our bodies can do and labor went so well for us that I can’t imagine it any other way.

 It was not until we were walking out of the hospital and getting into the car a couple of days later that it really hit me that we were leaving as a FAMILY! So happy/relieved/thankful that I cried tears of JOY the whole way home. We love you baby Hazel!