Aubrey's Birth Story
Aubrey’s Birth Story
My last baby. The birth I yearned for (and didn’t get last time thanks to Hurricane Harvey.) Her “due date” was January 1, 2020, but I was ready 2 weeks before since Tyson was scheduled to leave town for 2 months, just 9 days after her due date. Monday, December 30 I went in for my last prenatal appointment at noon. I had been having a few mild, random contractions that morning, was 2 cm dilated and 20% effaced, but because I wanted to speed the process up, I requested a membrane sweep. Galyn, my midwife, told me to get something to eat and go home to rest, assuring me it would be a long night. I let my sisters and mother in law know what she said, and they decided to head to my house, knowing if they didn’t they might miss the birth with the speed that I labor and deliver. My mom, the girls and I went to McAlister’s afterwards. We got home around 2 PM and I did not heed her advice. I was a ball bouncing and speed walking around the house fool. Mild, infrequent contractions continued the rest of the day.
My mother in law, sisters and niece got to my house around 8 PM and weren’t convinced that much was going to happen soon. I had Tyson hanging pictures on the wall in our bedroom (because you can’t say no to your wife when she’s in labor ;-) After that we were all just lounging around, watching a show that I wasn’t interested in, so I went to my room to do a crossword (which is where we discovered my sisters don’t do crosswords and one of them likes to cheat using the back of the book ☺) It was peaceful in there, low lighting, lavender diffusing, and quiet (and spotless like the rest of my house, thanks to my mom!) I continued to time my contractions. Around 10 they were becoming uncomfortable and I resorted to my favorite position of leaning over the bathroom counter to cope, then sitting in between. At 11:15 PM, after they had been consistently 2-3 minutes apart for the hour, strong and a few tears were shed, I decided to call my midwife and photographer over to the house. They both arrived around 11:45 PM. At my request she checked me and I was 8 cm. She asked if I was ready for the tub and I said not yet. About 5 minutes later I changed my mind and they began the comical (yet not super comical at the time) process of filling up the birth tub. My sweet, sweet husband had ordered the parts to be able to hook the hose up to the faucet, but for some reason, they failed (he could tell you why, at that point I didn’t care, I just wanted it done!) Between a leak under the cabinet, him getting sprayed while holding the hose to the bathtub (and a “his water broke joke”), and everyone running with pots filled with hot water from the guest bathroom and kitchen, they got it filled! When I was able to get in, it felt amazing! That was my turning point. The water felt great between contractions, but the contractions were intense and I was having a hard time finding a way to cope comfortably through them. I bawled. My bedroom was silent and peaceful, yet filled with people ready to witness Aubrey’s arrival. We promised McKinley and my niece Maycee that we would wake them so they could watch her arrival, so someone went to get them when I felt the pressure in my bottom. Leaning over the tub and pushing, I felt my water break. Then what felt like one hard, swift push, out came Aubrey at 1:10 AM. It was my plan to catch her myself, but at that moment, I couldn’t muster up the strength to get out of that position and do so. Tyson got to help catch her. I immediately turned around, kicked my leg over the cord and got to hold my sweet babe! The perfect birth I had envisioned came to be with this girl! We sat in the tub until I delivered the placenta and she received all of her cord blood. Someone asked if she was a verified girl, so I felt below and grabbed the cord thinking that she was actually a boy for a split second. Whew because we worked hard on that feminine nursery! I showered while Tyson did some skin to skin with his tiniest little girl. My awesome sister and mom got me my well deserved birth meal, a honey bbq chicken sandwich from Whataburger, and then we all slept! I will forever be grateful to all that had a part in making that night go so smoothly.
