The Beginning
On Sept. 6, 2021, I was scheduled to go to Saint Mary’s Hospital at 8 p.m. to get induced. Two weeks before my due date, I went to the hospital to give birth. It was dark and chilly when I went into the hospital. I was really nervous and scared. I was shaking while going to the hospital. My mom and my daughter’s father were present at the time as well.
Once I got to the hospital, my anxiety went up badly. I was scared, and I didn’t know how to feel. Additionally, I was nervous because I was about to meet my daughter anytime soon. I felt happy, but I also felt fear. Mixed emotions had me feeling in all types of ways.
As I settled in a room waiting to open 10cm I was just talking with my mom, and she was calming me down. She kept telling me how I’m going to do a good job. I wasn’t allowed to eat anything in the hospital because if I gave birth that same night, I would’ve used the bathroom while giving birth.
While in the Hospital
I didn’t eat anything for about 2-3 hours. Eventually, I ended up eating because I got hungry so I was eating a lot of snacks. I ate chips, candy, and other snacks. Additionally, I drank a lot of water.
After being in the hospital for about an hour my dad and my brother came to visit me before I had my daughter they brought me flowers and wished me luck they asked me how I was doing and asked me if I needed anything before they left they both hugged me and gave me a kiss in the cheek for the last time before I became a mom told me I got this and that I’m a strong woman.
After they left, I stayed in the room with my mom and my daughter’s father. My mom started telling me that it will be the best feeling in the world to hold my daughter for the first time. She said it was a couple of minutes of pain and a lifetime of happiness. Furthermore, she explained that she was excited to meet my daughter herself.
She told me she was happy and kind of scared. After talking for a while, I started falling asleep. I had contractions but I couldn’t feel them, so I had to wait till the morning for my OB to come and break my water. I got some sleep in the night, but not as much because the nurses kept coming into the room every hour to check up on me.
Before the Birth
My OB came to break my water around 10 a.m. That’s when I started to feel the contractions and they were getting stronger and stronger. My mom kept telling me to get the epidural before it was too late, but I kept saying I was fine. But around 12:30 p.m., my mom told the nurses to give me the epidural.
I got the epidural, and it takes 30 minutes to kick in. After I got it, my older sister came in to visit me and was asking me how I felt knowing I was gonna be a mom in a couple of hours. She was asking me if I was scared or if I was nervous; I told her I was nervous for sure and I was scared.
After explaining I had bad anxiety, we talked for about 20 minutes. Suddenly, I felt like I had to use the bathroom and called for a nurse. They told me I was ready to give birth. I started shaking so bad they started to call the doctors and my OB. They got everything ready for the baby and for me.
During My Birthing Process
The nurses and doctors started getting me ready after 10 minutes of them getting everything ready they told me it was time to start pushing I was shaking so badly when they told me it was time I was finally going to meet my daughter and I didn’t know how to feel. I started pushing and after 5-10 minutes of pushing; I had my daughter.
On September 7, 2021, at 1:48 p.m. I had the most perfect human in my arms. It was the best feeling in the world to hold her for the first time. My heart was filled with happiness. Everything in the world didn’t matter, but my daughter.
My daughter’s father cut her umbilical cord. Once she was out, they made sure everything was okay and that I wasn’t losing blood. After they stitched me up and when they were done checking me, I took pictures with my baby. Then they moved me to a different room to stay in.
I stayed at the hospital for two days. After I got home, I had postpartum for six weeks. I didn’t go to school, or go out at all. I was just happy that I was home with my newborn baby.
By Karla Sanchez
Top and featured image courtesy Richard Szwejkowski Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Rick Kimpel Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
