Here is the story of Orson's arrival....
Very early in my pregnancy with Orson I began feeling like I should approach his delivery differently than my other births. With all three girls I received an epidural. And with all three I had wonderful experiences. But for some reason, this time around I couldn't shake the promptings of the Holy Ghost that I should not receive an epidural. Rather than fight it, I began preparing myself for an unmedicated birth. I read various books, talked with good friends who had delivered naturally, and practiced relaxation (mostly during yoga classes). As his due date approached, I felt ready.
My labors always start slowly and this time was not exception. My contractions started on Sunday about 1pm between sessions of General Conference. By about 5pm, I was pretty sure this was the real deal and we started making arrangements for the girls. After dropping them off to their "Iowa grandparents," Kelli and Steve, we arrived at the hospital about 8pm. I only went in this soon because I had group B strep and needed IV antibiotics at least 4 hours before delivering. My contractions were regular but not very strong but I was already dilated to 5cms when we arrived.
My "slow but steady" contractions kept it up all night without progressing much so at 4am I asked my midwife to break my water. Up to this point, I'd only had mild discomfort but not really pain. Within half an hour things started picking up. At 5am I had to spend 20 minutes hooked up to the IV for another dose of antibiotics but I was able to still walk around. Most contractions I was able to simply relax and breath through. By the time my IV was done though the pain was becoming more intense and I wanted in the tub. I labored in the tub for about half an hour but found it was hard to get in a comfortable during contractions and I was getting really hot. I'm pretty sure I was in transition about this point so the next half hour is fuzzy. I remember moving around a lot trying to get comfortable. During contractions I found having Michael press firmly on my lower back helped make them bearable. I never got to the point where I felt like I was going to lose it and stayed clam the whole time. But I do remember seriously thinking, "I
really hope this is transition and I'm almost done" haha. With the next contraction I felt the urge to push. Our sweet interpreter was still in the room and left to go get the nurse so Michael could stay with me.
Pushing was almost surreal. Your body's instincts really do take over. I started pushing on my side but it was really uncomfortable. Thankfully the nurse suggested I move and I ended up settling in to a semi-reclined position. In the moment, I hated pushing. It wasn't a relief like many women say. I just found it really painful (and I most definitely groaned and yelled my way through it). Thankfully with just a few pushes Orson was born! He was immediately placed on my chest and I fell so in love with him.
I remember feeling ecstatic he was here and saying "Hi little guy!" and "You're here!" I was over the moon to have him in my arms. The endorphins from a natural delivery really do leave you feeling like you could take on the world. Then I held, kissed, and fed Orson for two whole hours! I loved how this hospital didn't even take him to be weighed for checked for that long. It was wonderful!
To keep it real, parts of the after-birth on the other hand were less than wonderful. I ended up getting the shakes really badly after I delivered the placenta. I've never experienced this with any of my other deliveries. It was like I was shivering uncontrollably, and they lasted a good 45 minutes or so. I also had some tearing that needed to be repaired and lost more blood than they like so the nurse keep pushing down on my uterus which was almost more painful than the contractions.
Thankfully that was over quickly and we were left to enjoy our little miracle. The veil is so incredibly thin when a new precious son or daughter of God enters the world. As little Orson came trailing clouds of glory he simply filled the whole room with peace, joy, love, and calm.
Once I'd held him for a nice long time, and even took a short nap with him, the nurse weighed him. He was a whopping 8 lds 10 1/2 oz and 20 inches tall!!! For being 11 days early he was much bigger than anyone expected! I for one am so glad he made an early entrance. Then it was daddy's turn to hold him and soak in some cuddles (and sleep!)
I may never know why I felt prompted to deliver Orson without medication. Maybe it was just something I needed to experience. Moments throughout the delivery certainly helped me turn to my Savior and rely on Him. In fact, I remember during one particularly painful contraction thinking, "Why am I doing this?" Then the lines from the song "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" (fittingly written by Orson F. Whitney) ran through my mind:
"Whose wonderous power, hath raised me up,
And filled with sweet my bitter cup."
I may not have had the strength to do this, but the Savior certainly does and He was helping me! Maybe I would have needed a c-section due to his size if I hadn't been able to move around during labor and help him descend. Or maybe I just needed to feel empowered knowing I can do incredibly difficult things. Regardless, I wouldn't change a thing about his delivery.
Welcome to the world Orson! We love you more than we can say.
