My Birth Story

*Disclaimer- the following story is the full story of Colbie’s birth. You have been warned. If you don’t want to hear all the details don’t read on.

At the end of week 39, with my due date approaching, I was feeling more and more ready to have the baby. 9 months of pregnancy (although a wonderful pregnancy that I thoroughly enjoyed and that went along with no complications) was starting to wear on me. I was feeling no different and at my 38 week doctor’s appointment had not progressed at all. I was under the impression I would start to feel different or feel things change as we got closer to having the baby and since I was feeling exactly the same I began to convince myself this baby was going to be late, like really late.

On Friday, January 2, I had my 39 week appointment at the doctor’s office and I was hoping for some good new, but wasn’t expecting much. I was about 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced and -3 station. So basically, it could happen soon or it could take weeks. My doctor swept my membranes in an attempt to help things along in the most natural way possible and sent me on my way. 4 days away from my due date and I was sure I’d be back at the next week’s appointment.

Life was about to change and it was about to change fast. Saturday morning, January 3 starts my timeline…

5:00am- I started waking up to go to the bathroom constantly and I wasn’t feeling right. I felt like I had very light cramps that were just annoying. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there are so many pains and discomforts throughout pregnancy I figured it was just another weird discomfort. After getting up several times I started looking at the clock and realized it was happening every 20 minutes pretty consistently. Hmm.. weird.

6:00am- By now I have my contraction timer app out and have been timing my “cramps” and they are now happening every 15 minutes then anywhere between 8 and 20 minutes. Not consistent, but they definitely haven’t stopped and if anything they might feel a little less comfortable than before.

6:30am- I decide Trey has slept late enough for today and its not too unreasonably early to wake him up. This is what Trey woke up to that morning “Hey, I’m sure its nothing, but I’ve been getting this small cramps and after timing them they are now coming about every 10 minutes or so. No big deal though, just wanted to tell you.”
We decide to not get too excited because this is NOT what I thought contractions would feel like and its probably not the real deal anyways. Tons of women think they are in labor when really they are not. So Trey gets to work on our bathroom renovation and I decide to call my mom and set up a mall walking date for the day. Walking can only help right?

10:00am- FINALLY the mall is open. My mom and I get to the mall and just walk. I occasionally have to stop for my “cramps” and I keep talking about how this probably isn’t really it as my mom continues to say I really think this is early labor. By now my timer tells me they are anywhere between 4 and 10 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds. They are usually about 6 minutes apart. So we’ve definitely come a long way from this morning, but still could be so far. But this isn’t really labor, right!? Can’t be! I remember I kept saying “This is not what I thought it would feel like- this is not bad at all”. My mom responds by saying “You’ve never given birth before, why do you think you would know what it feels like” and I can see on her face she’s thinking “just wait- this ‘aint nothing yet”

Noon- I am starting to get uncomfortable so after a big soft pretzel at the mall and a trip to a snow cone stand (I just HAD to have a snow cone) we go home where Trey & my dad are working hard on the bathroom. I THINK by this time I have decided this COULD be labor. The next few hours I obsessively time my contractions, check in on the bathroom renovation, bounce on my birthing ball and nap a little. It’s hurting more for sure, but not a big deal- I can totally do this!

5:00- I decide that I would much prefer to have Trey with me during these contractions so I pull the plug on the bathroom renovation. Trey starts cleaning up and packing up last minute things just in case in between my contractions. Things are definitely starting to get real and over the next few hours things start changing fast.

8:00- I call my doctor. Contractions are about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting close to 1 minute long. They are really hurting, but in between I am fine and able to relax (sort of). Doctor tells me since I am planning to do unmedicated birth if I am comfortable to try to hold out longer at home. I decide to wait until they are consistently 3 minutes apart before leaving the house. I am so glad my doctor talked me into staying at home. I am in a lot of pain and very nervous about when to go to the hospital, but its so much more comfortable at home! Trey is getting antsy and actually starts hanging sheetrock in our bathroom in between my contractions. They are sometimes only 3 minutes apart (from beginning of one to the other) which means he gets about 2 minutes in between to hang a piece of sheet rock! I didn’t mind- I was in the zone and as long as I had his hand to hold or someone to talk me through it during the contraction I didnt care what he did in between. Its funny looking back on it- thats what he was doing during this crazy time in our life!

11:30- Contractions feel like they are just constant and I am so nervous about when to go to the hospital we decide to just go so I can stop stressing about that. At this point its hurting for sure, to the point where I am convinced I am not far from baby time, but I still feel totally in control of the pain. (Bumps in the road on the way to the hospital are torture though!) As we get close to the hospital my body started shaking so hard. I thought it must be nerves.

Midnight- We check in at the hospital. I cry as we walk in because this seems so REAL and we are actually going to meet our daughter soon (I am hoping very soon). This was actually the only time I cried during the entire labor and birth.
I am praying I am pretty far along and when they check me for the first time I am 3 cm! Seriously!? Not that I have ever done this before, but it hurts enough I was SURE I was more than that. They wait an hour or so to check me again before officially admitting me to the hospital.

1:30am- 5 cm. Ok progress- I am officially admitted to the hospital- I have given my birth plan (yes I typed one up) to the nurses who said it was the “cutest birth plan they’ve ever seen” and were glad I wasn’t demanding all these crazy things. My body is still shaking, but even worse now. The nurse says its totally normal. I felt like I was convulsing and it was really making my muscles tired. I was getting worried I wouldn’t have enough strength left to push later.

3:00am- My mom & dad were at the hospital with us and I do not remember anything we talked about over the next few hours. My sister in law showed up too, but just in time for me to kick everyone but Trey out. I  was starting to feel like I couldn’t handle this and I just needed to focus.
I have to say I LOVED my nurses and the whole hospital staff. I never felt pressured to do anything I didn’t want to and they helped me through the process so much. I was able to walk around and didn’t have to be hooked up to anything. I was had my essential oils diffusing in the room (and so many nurses asked about what they were I think I sold a few of them on the idea of them!)
At first Trey was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open (maybe working on the bathroom all day long wasn’t a good idea), but once things got really intense he was the BEST cheerleader and I cannot imagine doing it without him.

6:00am- They check me again and I am 7 cm. I remember asking “I can’t push until 10?” It felt like this was never going to end and I am starting to lose control over the pain. It was probably only 20 minutes after the nurse checked me and left the room that I told Trey to call the nurse RIGHT NOW because I am going to push. He says “are you serious? you really want me to?” YEES!!

The nurse comes back and checks me again and they start getting the delivery table set up and call my doctor to say its happening soon. Things started moving so fast they started bringing more nurses in because they thought I was going to have the baby before the doctor got there! I was so ready to have this baby and kept asking if I was allowed to push. The nurses were hesitant about it, but said to do whatever my body told me to do. I could tell they really wanted me to wait for my doctor though.

7:05am- Doctor finally arrives! I felt like there was no way I was going to be able to finish this process. I had hardly any energy left, but with a full room of nurses, the doctor and Trey all motivating me and cheering me on I had our beautiful baby girl at 7:18am.

I think I was in shock for a little while. I couldn’t understand what the doctors were telling me after. We let the umbilical cord stop pulsing before Trey cut it and they started stitching me up (super not fun!). I remember seeing our sweet baby as they immediately put her on my chest, but feeling like it was not real. Everyone was talking so much and I have no clue what was said. I just laid there holding our girl and thankful it was over and amazed that I did it! Trey asks me what her name is and I realize we still don’t know! I hadn’t even thought about her name for a while. We watched our sweet baby and eventually we both said we knew which name we thought she looked like and luckily we both had the same idea.

Colbie Wynn Mailhes, born at 7:18 am on January 4, 2015. 7 lbs. 11 ounces and 19.75 inches long.

Her middle name, Wynn, is after my Nanie (my mom’s mom), Winnie Sue, who was one of the sweetest, most caring person I have ever known. We all miss her so much and I am happy to have Colbie carry a part of her with her in her name. She will grow up hearing about my Nanie as well as her other great grandparents she didn’t get to meet and I know they would all be so in love with her.

Giving birth to Colbie was the most intense, most difficult, most unique and most rewarding experience I’ve ever had. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience it and that both Colbie & I came out healthy and happy at the end. I can’t believe I am a mommy, my amazing husband is a daddy and we have this sweet new life to take care of. The enormity of it all still hits me every day. It is a love that cannot be described, but a love that is so strong its scary sometimes. I love this little person so much, I want to do everything for her and cannot imagine life without her. Thank you for blessing our lives Colbie Wynn. We can’t wait to watch you grow! Mommy & Daddy love you so much!