The Positive Birth Story of My Premature Baby
Maybe like you, I listened to many positive birthing stories before having my son, so I’d know what to expect. In this blog post, I’ll share everything about my beautiful yet complicated experience of giving birth prematurely to Baby T, including how I dealt with the pain, changes in my birth plan, and postpartum at the hospital. And stick around for four tips at the end to help you have an empowering birthing journey too!
The Unexpected Start
For me, it all started one night when I went to bed at 10 PM feeling exhausted. I was 34 weeks pregnant and ready to get some rest. Three hours later, I woke up feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom. Half asleep, I walked towards the bathroom but felt confused because it seemed like I had peed myself on the way there. Feeling embarrassed and confused, I called out to my partner. He took one look and, putting our prenatal class knowledge to good use, said, “That’s not pee; your water just broke.”
At 1:00 AM, my water broke at 34 weeks. I was in shock, but my partner kept calm. He said we needed to go to the hospital right away and that it was okay that I hadn’t finished packing my hospital bag.
1:15 AM – Driving to the hospital
In the car, I managed to take a deep breath and calm down. I texted my OBGYN, letting her know what had happened and that we were heading to the hospital. Later, I found out that my doctor was heading out of town, and thanks to my timely message, she turned her car around for me. So, tip for you: loop in your OBGYN as soon as you suspect the floodgates have opened.
Once we got to the hospital, the ER doctors ran some tests and confirmed that my ejected liquid was indeed amniotic fluid, that I was 1 cm dilated, and that Baby T was not in distress.
2:30 AM – Efforts to delay labor
The doctors told me they were going to try to stop labor since Baby T would benefit from staying at least three more weeks inside my belly. They injected me with corticosteroids to help mature his lungs and started giving me nifedipine pills to stop the contractions, but my body kept vomiting the pills, unfortunately.
4:00 AM – Waiting as calmly as possible
My contractions were pretty mild, like menstrual cramps that would come and go every 15 minutes for about a minute. My partner and I felt scared about the situation but also calm, knowing we were in good hands. He spooned me in the small hospital bed, while we both tried and failed to catch some sleep.
5:00 AM – Time to pee through plastic
The doctors put a catheter in me because they didn’t want me to get up to pee. The process of getting the catheter in (and an hour later out) was really uncomfortable. But to be honest, the worst physical pain I had postpartum was how it stung when I peed due to the catheter, which does give you an idea of how good of a postpartum I had. But I am getting ahead of myself, so let’s come back to my unwanted labor.
6:30 AM – Contractions intensify
Not only did the sun start peeking through my window, but also more regular, closer together, and intense contractions started coming my way. This was difficult because I wasn’t allowed to move but my body wanted to. The doctors used the tocodynamometer and did a cervix exam to confirm what I already knew – I was in the active phase of labor and had dilated two more centimeters. At this point, my OBGYN arrived and had the talk with us.
Embracing Active Labor
My doctor explained that Baby T was eager to come out and that there was no stopping him anymore. His lungs wouldn’t be fully matured as the corticosteroids they previously injected me with need 48 hours to take effect. Baby T would need to receive extra oxygen through tubes upon birth. On the better news front, she shared that our biggest worry during pregnancy, that Baby T was too big at the 90th percentile of weight, was now our biggest advantage. It meant he would probably need to spend less time in the NICU. She didn’t foresee additional complications with him, and that was reassuring.
7:15 AM – Advocating for a natural birth
My biggest concern at that point was to avoid a C-section since the likelihood of that increased now that Baby T was going to be a premature baby. Both my OBGYN and Baby T’s pediatrician conceded we could go on as planned with a natural birth with free movement as long as the labor kept progressing. However, they explained that the delivery would now need to happen in the OR to keep Baby T safe upon birth and that our immediate skin-to-skin time would be very short.
All these unexpected developments were hard to take in, but at least we were able to advocate for a natural birth, which was very important to us. And what came to me as immediate relief was that I could finally embrace labor with free movement, for which my partner and I were super prepared.
7:30 AM – Riding each wave with every tool in the birthing room
My contractions were feeling like the worst cramps I had ever had, so arriving in the birthing room felt like heaven. I immediately went to the yoga ball and tried out the exercises I had learned to cope with contractions. When that stopped helping me, I decided it was time to get in the shower. And it was the best shower I have ever had in my life. I used the hand shower to put hot water on my belly during contractions, and the pain felt bearable. I was careful not to stay more than 15 minutes to avoid getting too tired since I needed to conserve my energy for delivery.
When I came out of the shower, I put on just a t-shirt and used the handles suspended from the ceiling for support. My partner used a rebozo and massages to support me through every contraction as we had practiced during our birthing classes. When I felt that my mind was focusing too much on my pain, I started reciting out loud the affirmations I had written for this very moment and became one with the calming music that was playing in the background. I cycled through all the props in the room, the affirmations, and the shower, intuitively trusting that my body would keep opening up. I was in pain, but I felt so powerful, strong, and determined to see this through.
8:30 AM – Receiving more support and nourishment
On the other hand, my poor partner was exhausted as he never went to bed and had been awake for 24 hours. We had planned that it was just going to be us two in the birthing room, but we welcomed with open arms the unplanned event of my sister peering through the door and asking if we needed help. She supported me while my partner caffeinated and ate a sandwich. I was only drinking coconut water at this point since I was puking every now and then. Another pregnancy difficulty turned advantage was that my morning sickness had given me so much practice in puking that I was able to brush off this symptom, especially since I knew it was normal in the active phase of labor.
My contractions started getting more intense. I was definitely in a lot of pain and very uncomfortable, but at the same time, I was in a calm trance, catching each wave and feeling relief as it left me. I knew that my body could handle it, and I felt very supported by the two awesome people in the room.
The Birth
After seeing my contractions getting closer together, my sister suggested calling my OBGYN, who did a pelvic exam and found I was 8 cm dilated. That surprised me and immediately brought me out of my trance to one of my birthing classes, where I had learned that at the transition phase of labor, which I was currently in, women usually feel fear and ask for an epidural even if, like me, they had not planned to receive one. I decided to test the waters and ask for it, even though, as expected, my OBGYN said it was too late to get one.
10 AM – Moving to the OR’s floor
Instead, they took me to the OR. I welcomed the first contraction there on the floor on all fours, supported by my partner. I wish I had a photo of that because I feel so grateful that my doctors allowed for that breach of OR protocol. The pain of each contraction was getting worse, which paradoxically made the time between each contraction feel so amazing. I felt like Dory from Finding Nemo, forgetting the pain of a contraction and enjoying the now until it would inevitably come back, and I would remember.
10:15 AM – Getting on the OR bed
My OBGYN asked me to get on the bed because I needed to give birth lying down. This wasn’t what I wanted, but the OR protocol did not allow me to birth standing up. I took my time getting up there, first taking some contractions with my belly on top of the bed, but my feet still on the floor.
10:30 AM – Time to push
Once on the bed and with my feet propped up, I started pushing with each contraction, feeling that Baby T’s head wanted to come out but in a bad tease, it wasn’t. This was hard, and each push took so much of my energy. Everyone in the OR gently coached me to keep going. After many tries, my doctor told me I needed an episiotomy because my baby’s head needed a bigger hole to come out of my vagina. In my birth plan, I had requested not to get a routine episiotomy, but at that moment, I honestly didn’t think I had it in me to keep pushing unsuccessfully.
However, I did feel like advocating for my body and asked if pushing harder would prevent me from needing an episiotomy. My OBGYN said it wasn’t safe for Baby T to stay inside me for much longer, so I agreed. I didn’t feel a thing when I was cut, and shortly after, I finally felt Baby T come out of me.
11:02 AM – Baby T is born, and so are his parents
For a split second, I didn’t hear a cry, and I panicked. Then, I heard him and quickly saw him. I felt a rush of emotions that wiped away my tiredness, and I was bursting with happiness and awakeness. I was proud that my partner and I had accomplished this as a true team, and now we were a family of three. The doctor put Baby T on my chest, and I just remember really seeing him. He was a fighter, and I knew he would be okay. And he is more than okay nowadays!
For me, if I had to describe my child’s birth in one word, it would be empowerment. What would you like that word to be for yours, or what was it? Tell me in the comments below.
11:10 AM – Love at first sight?
I was prepared not to love Baby T right away as I had read that it takes time, but I felt so much love just by feeling him on me. I also felt a tad worried when I noticed that he had a cone head, but found out later that day that this was temporary due to the natural birth. The pediatrician took Baby T to get checked, and as previously agreed in case of an emergency, my partner went with them. I knew that Baby T was safe with my partner by his side, so I just kneeled into my feelings of euphoria.
11:30 AM – The placenta is born
I chatted the ear off my OBGYN while the placenta was born, which was a breeze. While pregnant, I had a love-hate relationship with the placenta as I blamed it for my intense morning sickness. But at that moment, I was surprised to think that it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, so intricate, so purple, so perfect. In an impulse buy, I asked my doctor to save it for me so that I could bury it under my favorite tree at home.
12 PM – Back in my room
After getting my episiotomy stitched up, which also didn’t hurt a thing or even leave a mark later on, they took me to my room, where my dad and sister were waiting. I excitedly told them about the empowering birth of Baby T. Besides the minor pain that I felt after peeing for the next days due to my short stint of having a catheter, I wasn’t in pain and could easily walk.
1:00 PM – Properly meeting Baby T in the NICU
However, the medical staff insisted that I needed a wheelchair when I said I wanted to go see Baby T. Getting to observe him, talk to him, and touch him in the NICU was 95% amazing, and 5% difficult given the setting. That hormonal feeling of empowerment, that felt like being a superhero, carried me through the next week, which is how long it took Baby T to come home with us.
And that’s the gist of the best day of my life so far. I hope my birth story helps you feel more prepared and empowered for your own journey. Remember, every birth is unique, and it’s important to trust yourself and your body. If you’d like to know the four takeaways that will help you have a positive birth experience, check out this 30-second video.
