Eden's Birth Story- Part 1

Get ready for picture overload...I tried my best to narrow these down, but ended up with 125+ favorites. :)

Next to giving birth naturally, hiring a birth photographer was one of the best labor/delivery decisions I have made. Because I am so focused on relaxing through the delivery, and let's face it- sometimes in pain- I  didn't really have a good idea of all the little things happening around me or what Nate & I look like while working through contractions.

Little Eden had been faking us all out for 3 solid weeks. There were 2 different times that Nate and I prepped to go to the hospital, only to have my contractions disappear. So when I woke up at 7:15am on March 27 with contractions, I was not about to get my hopes up. I laid in bed, cuddled next to Seth (who had just woken up) & Nate, timing them. At 7:45am, my contractions were fairly strong and 3-5 minutes apart. I decided to get up & start getting ready...I had a hair appointment scheduled for that morning & I figured I would either end up there or the hospital!

At 8:04am, I was having to stop & breathe through my contractions, I told Nate he had better call his parents, who live about 35 minutes away.

8:45am, we can't wait any longer. We called a neighbor and had her come stay with the kids until Nate's parents arrived. I remember starting to feel scared in the car ride over- scared because the pain of transition was sure to come. Since Seth was only 18 months old, I could still remember how everything felt. I was worried I wouldn't "preform" well- I didn't want to wuss-out, but I also wasn't feeling very committed to avoiding pain meds. I cried a little. And that's where Nate is a total sweetheart- he gives the best pep talks. "Do your best to relax. Let's just take this one contraction at a time. Corty! Our Eden is finally coming! You are going to get to hold your baby girl so soon!" I knew he was right. I could totally do this. I had done it 3 times before. Transition doesn't last long at all. I could do this. The benefits of going naturally SO outway those 10 minutes of intensity. My mom predicted a baby by lunch time & I was so hoping she would be right. It really was a gorgeous day...in the 60's & sunny...

9:15am- We arrive at the hospital. Check-in was a nightmare, despite the fact that I had pre-registered. Imagine me, sans Nate (who was parking the car), having to spell my name THREE TIMES for the nice, but incompetent lady at the desk, WHILE HAVING HARD CONTRACTIONS. Nate finally came in. He held me & gave me hugs when a contraction would hit. Finally, an observant nurse came up to us and said, "I can't stand to watch you have any more of those while standing here. Let me get you settled into a room & your husband can finish up here." Bless her.

When they checked me shortly after, we discovered I was 5cm dilated, 100% effaced. I remember feeling a little disappointed. I was hoping to have been closer to 6-7cm, given how intense things had been.

Still smiling in between contractions though! Not too crazy yet! 

9:45am- My nurse starts me on my IV of antibiotics. (I tested GBS positive.) In an effort to help things progress even more, I moved to the ball. Jessica, my birth photographer, arrived around this time.

This picture is just funny! Here I am, laboring away, and they have to stop me & have me sign a waiver since we were going to pass on the Hep B shot for Eden. I look just a little annoyed. :)

Poor me! Sweet Natey! Whispering encouragement in my ear. And wow, I did a really great job on my eye makeup that morning...

10:45am- My midwife, Angela, arrives. I was so grateful Eden decided to arrive on this particular morning and that Angela was on call. I have her check me. 7cm, not bad! I said, "I know that if you break my water, we will have a baby in about 45 minutes. I'm just trying to decide if I'm mentally ready to commit to what those 45 minutes will be like." She told me it was my decision. And my decision was to just do it. So we did. It was go time, folks. 

This is where she is telling me not to breathe so deeply through contractions. She said it would help with the pain. She was right. I really must have been in the zone, because I didn't know they had already started prepping the delivery tray.

I move to the bed.

Jessica, who also delivers her babies naturally, suggested we try pushing on my knees through contractions. There is an art to doing it just right, but it did help a lot.

And then transition started... 9cm dilated. To say things are intense would be an understatement. I threw up a couple of times (thus the blue bag) & felt really hot all of the sudden. I was involuntarily pushing with contractions. I could feel little Eden moving down. I was praying out loud at one point- "Heavenly Father, please ease my burden & make it light..."

I remember feeling discouraged- I was in transition and it was going to last for a long time. Little did I know the baby team people were arriving too- I really was close! They were laughing- "Cortney, you are so close! This isn't going to last forever!" I kept arguing that they were wrong. :) Silly me.

Push time. 10cm. Yay! As soon as I had the green light to push, I PUSHED. I was so intensely focused. That baby was coming OUT. And then they told me that they could see the head. And I got discouraged again. "You can just now see the head?! Pushing is gong to last so long!" No, no, they said. You are almost done. Again, I didn't fully believe them. However, as soon as her head was delivered, I said "Just the shoulders!", gave one last mighty push and...

11:15am- Eden Gabrielle Clegg enters the world! Immediate joy! Intense pain replaced by intense happiness & excitement! Giving birth naturally is tough, but it's the best high. I have never been so amazed & proud of my body.  "I did it!" I really should have said "We did it!" It was a team effort. Me, Nate & Eden. We did it!

Holding my sweet little girl for the first time...I remember being surprised at how perfectly pink Eden was. She cried only briefly & then was calm against my chest. 

Complete joy, gratitude and love.