My Birth Story

My birth story…

8am: On 10/5, the day before baby girl’s due date, I woke up with crampier contractions than usual, but we carried on with brunch and errands to keep our minds off the fact that it was 3 days after my due date.

7pm: Got pho for dinner at Ba Bar — we used to live walking distance from the Capitol Hill location and have been hundreds of times so it felt comforting to eat there. Then we did one final walk as the two of us by the water as the sun set.

9pm: The contractions were regular all day but had started to get unbearable. I wanted to keep waiting because I didn’t want to get turned away from the hospital, so I went and showered. After, I talked on the phone with a nurse and realized I hadn’t been monitoring fetal movement all day because I was distracted by the cramps, so Miguel was worried and wanted to check on baby. Right when we decided to go to UW Medical, I went to the bathroom and saw I had lost my mucus plug.

On our drive to the hospital, Miguel played “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. 🎶 It’s a special song for us — during 1st trimester, on a day I was feeling particularly nauseous and exhausted, he hugged me and sang the line: “And when you lose your will, I’ll be the one to push you up the hill.” Now we say that to each other whenever one of us needs encouragement and a reminder that we always have one another.

9:10pm: Like 10 mins after we got there and as soon as I changed into a hospital gown, my water broke! We were admitted into a labor and delivery room with a view of Husky Stadium — Miguel and I both went to University of Washington and many football games there so it felt full circle to be back for this season of our lives.

10pm: I was 3cm dilated so the nurse and Miguel helped me with breath work and different birthing positions for the next couple hours. Dream team! The nurse was incredible. She was so warm, caring, and patient. Daddy Doula was so encouraging and supportive — best husband ever.

12am: I became 5cm dilated and the pain was so bad. Miguel tried to help me breathe through it but it was unbearable. I had been waiting to get an epidural because I didn’t know how long it’d take for me to fully dilate, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. I was nervous and held Miguel’s hands, but inserting the epidural didn’t hurt at all! It was so trippy afterwards because I could see how severe my contractions were on the monitor and yet I didn’t feel anything. So we tried to get some sleep… tried!

8am: I was fully 10cm dilated and it was time to push! Again Miguel, the nurses, and doctors were soo amazing and encouraging. We were chatting and laughing between pushes. It was actually kind of a fun experience?? Lol that’s how you know I had an epidural…

9:52am: On 10/6, baby girl made her debut!!!

Next level respect for my body, love for Miguel, gratitude toward the labor and delivery staff, and joy that baby made it to earth safely. We love you, our baby girl. 💕