Maxwell's Birth Story

I’ll begin Maxwell’s story starting at my 38 week prenatal appointment. I told myself I was going to be patient this time and I would be perfectly fine with Max not arriving until my due date or later. However, during this appointment the doctor determined I was already dilated to a two and hearing that news made me incredibly anxious. Just like the last few weeks with my first pregnancy, I ended every night and woke up each morning thinking, “today has got to be the day…” But another week passed and nothing happened. I went to my 39 week prenatal appointment and the doctor told me my body had not made any changes since the previous week. I was bummed. Regardless of being told I was dilated to a two, I could tell my body was making some changes and the baby was preparing for his exit. His head was putting so much pressure on my pelvis; every time I went pee I felt like his little hand was going to stick out to wave hello!

Thursday was the day of my 39 week appointment and after being told there wasn’t any additional progress, I figured I better (try to) get comfortable for another week. We went to dinner with Kirk’s family that evening and went on a walk around the neighborhood when we got home. The walk initiated some contractions to start happening, but that was pretty typical and they went away soon after. We put Lyla to bed as normal and started watching River Monsters. I was lying down and had three contractions, about 6-7 minutes apart. They were hardly painful, but I was still excited because I hadn’t had three in a row up until this point. Kirk told me I should get up and walk around, which would usually make my contractions go away, because he wasn’t ready for the baby to come yet and didn’t want to be awake all night. I told him no way! The contractions continued throughout our television show and Kirk decided he was going to go to bed early. He wanted to get at least a few hours of sleep in case this was really happening. I took a bath and continued timing the contractions. They started getting more painful, but since I knew this time around how bad they would really get, I knew it wasn’t time to go to the hospital yet. I crawled into bed and tried to go to sleep. That’s when the fun started. The instant I would fall asleep I would wake up to a fierce contraction. I was surprised they weren’t going away and since by that point I was feeling tired, I was a little annoyed too.

Kirk woke up to the sound of me crying around 1:00 a.m. He was slightly alarmed because when we made the decision to go to the hospital when I was in labor with Lyla the contractions were not even close to bringing me to tears. He decided to call his mom and dad, who were staying with his sister, and ask them to come over to stay with Lyla so we could drive to the hospital. While we waited for them to arrive I went to Lyla’s room, stood over her crib and bawled. In that moment it really hit me that the next time I saw her she wouldn’t be my only baby anymore. I knew giving Lyla a little brother would be an amazing gift, but for some reason I felt sad.

Kirk’s parents arrived with huge smiles on their faces and we left for the hospital. I only had two contractions during the car ride there and they were honestly the worst ones I had up until that point. I think the fact that I had to remain sitting instead of walking around the house to get through them not only made them feel worse, but made them seem longer too.

Over the past couple weeks we had been planning to tour the hospital so we at least knew where the labor and delivery unit was. But did we? No. We procrastinated too long and paid the price when we arrived. It was the middle of the night, so most of the doors were locked and we couldn’t find the emergency room entrance. Eventually we found a side door that was unlocked and someone directed us to someone who could help. They took my vitals, got me checked in, then plopped me in a wheelchair and rolled me to labor and delivery. A nurse got me set up in a tiny room, just as they did when I initially went in with Lyla, to monitor my contractions and determine if I was in active labor or not. She checked my dilation progress and I couldn’t believe I was still only at a two. I had been having contractions for five hours straight by this point and they were getting really painful. I was really worried they were going to send me home and I would have to continue to deal with this pain on my own for even longer. My first nurse was the worst nurse I have interacted with, ever. The first irritating thing she did was come back into the room to ask if I was pushing with each contraction, and if I was, to stop because that could rupture my cervix. Um, no I was not pushing! I’m not dumb. Her response suggested that she didn’t believe me because the monitor made it appear that I was pushing. Then she came to the room again and told me if I would have taken birthing classes that I might have better techniques to handle the contractions. I did not thank her for the worthless tip and instead informed her that I did take birthing classes with my first pregnancy, which was only a year and half ago. She reminded me that I was only dilated to a two and she just wanted me to be prepared to go back home if I didn’t make any progress within the next hour. Kirk found great humor in the fact that this nurse basically just called me a wimp and I flipped her off as she left the room. Take that! The hour passed with more teeth clenching contractions and when the nurse came back to check me I had changed from a two to a four. She was surprised, to say the least, and her attitude towards me changed dramatically. She said they would call the anesthesiologist right away to get me the epidural, she even tried to make small talk. But she already blew her chance, I could not wait for her shift to be over.

They moved me to a luxurious delivery room. I got assigned a new nurse. The epidural arrived around 5:00 a.m. and life was good again. We sat and waited and honestly I was getting a little bored. It seems that time flew by when I was in labor with Lyla, but perhaps that is because we had endless visitors anxiously awaiting her arrival. This time it was just myself and Kirk. Finally, around 9:45 a.m. I was dilated to a ten. The delivery nurse I had during my labor with Lyla was a lot better at coaching me on how and when to push. This time the nurse told me to just push whenever I felt the need. It took nearly forty minutes to push him all the way out and as his head emerged at 10:21 a.m. and I felt that ecstatic feeling just as I did with Lyla. It was a surreal experience all over again. I really wish it was possible to freeze that very first moment because there is really nothing else like it. It's just...magical.

Maxwell cried more than Lyla did at birth, but it was still a very soft, calming cry. They placed his slimy body on my chest and I fell even more in love. However, I was still unable to get a good look at his face. He was lying directly on my chest and the awkward position I was in didn’t help either. My legs were still numb so it was difficult for me to prop myself up, but finally someone got him rearranged so I could see that beautiful face. He was perfect, just as I imagined. I consider myself so extremely blessed to have two pregnancies free of complications and two beautiful healthy babies without any issues during delivery. Even though the doctor always reassures me that my pregnancy is normal and the baby is developing fine, I think it’s normal for women to be fearful of deformities or various disorders and it’s such a relief the moment you realize you grew a healthy baby.

I snuggled Max for close to an hour before they weighed him and checked his vitals. They initially heard a heart murmur but said that is quite common and as long as it disappeared within 24 hours (which it did) then they wouldn’t be concerned. Kirk’s parents brought Lyla to the hospital and although she seemed a bit uneasy at first, I think she knew why she was there. She wanted to sit right next to Max and I on the bed. She was very quiet and had a very serious look on her face as she stared at him. However, it didn’t take her long to lose interest and start playing with the nurse call button. She eventually sat still on the couch and patted her lap as a signal for Max to sit by her. It was the sweetest moment ever. I was never worried about Lyla not liking Max, but witnessing her immediate love for him made my heart melt more than I imagined.

 I fell in love with the nurse on duty during our first night in the hospital. She was wonderful and I will never forget her. I think she had quite a bit of experience, not only as a nurse, but with her own children as well. Even though I’m a second time mom, her tips were so helpful. She didn’t have a “know it all” attitude like a lot of the other nurses. She made sure I was cozy and comfortable. It was like having my grandma there to take care of me. She definitely made up for the awful nurse in the beginning of my stay.

My experience overall was amazing and very similar to my labor with Lyla. It was wonderful and fulfilling and I would relive it every single day if I could.  It felt less busy this time, I think it was the fewer amount of visitors, but that didn’t make it any less special. I love being a mom and my little family is exactly what I always imagined for myself.