Birth Story: Delivering In A Hospital With Drugs

Since we just gave a brief review of some local Dallas hospitals, we thought it would be fun to share 4 totally different birth stories. We’re starting with mine- a textbook delivery in a hospital with pain meds!

My daughter was born on Nov. 23, 2010- just 11 months ago! I remember those last several, miserable weeks of pregnancy- not fitting in a booth, not being able to walk normal, people thinking I was due any moment when I still had 6 weeks to go! We all hit that point when enough is enough and we are just ready for that baby to come into the world. I went in on a Monday for my 39-week appointment. My belly always measured big and for the last several months I just kept hearing “my, how big that baby’s going to be!” So, when I heard that phrase one more time, I casually said that I was ready to deliver whenever the doctor was ready. She thought for a second and said that if there was an appointment available for an induction that week, it’d be safe to get the process started since I was starting to dilate.  She said she would call me by 6:00 p.m. to let me know if there was a spot for me that week. As soon as I came home from the appointment, my husband and I were in giddy, panic mode- he started taking the trash out (?) and I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing. The doctor called that evening and said to be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m…..the next morning!…eeek!! We couldn’t believe it. What seemed like an eternity until delivery day quickly became a mere 12 hours! We called family and friends, went to the Woodlands to eat with friends and came home and started packing our bags. I also stayed up late to straighten my hair…if nothing else looked great for those post-delivery photos then at least my naturally curly and frizzy hair would be tame!

I was given pitocin around 9:00 a.m. and just watched the monitor as my contractions got stronger and stronger. I knew I would have an epidural but I wanted to be able to really appreciate it. So I waited…and waited…until my contractions were at 100 % and I had literally no words (and Gabe was to have no words either!) for what I was going through. So in the haze of my pain, I was given an epidural without a thought or care to how big that needle actually was. As soon as it started working, I was able to talk again and all I kept saying was how miraculous that drug was! Our friends and family were now allowed into my room- since I would be civil to them- and could carry on a normal conversation. We had ‘The Holiday’ (our favorite movie) playing and I was able to enjoy the tail end of it! Since I was at Medical City, my mom went to get Society cupcakes from the lobby of Building A. That was what I assumed I would want to eat after the delivery. I had no idea I’d be sending Gabe on a hunt for a meaty-pasta dish!

Gabe really wanted to get one of the suites at Medical City. However, by the time he inquired about it, someone else had to! So, the suite was to go to whichever couple delivered first. The nurses kept updating us about the other girl’s status so when I finally started pushing, I just kept thinking about getting my baby out before she got hers out! (I’m a little competitive.) I pushed for about an hour and then our beautiful, 9 lb. 21 in. baby girl was born about 6:30 p.m. The first moment of holding your child seems to wonderful for words. You all should know what I’m talking about! In all honesty, it seemed kind of like a textbook delivery. No major problems and no major surprises. Halle was born healthy…and big! We came home on Thanksgiving Day and had La Madeleine’s Thanksgiving dinner that my parents had picked up for us. I love reliving that day. I hope it’s etched in my memory forever. I’m already anticipating the next delivery story I’ll get to tell…which will be around May 4 🙂