The Birth Story of Liberty Ann

Here it is!! I know it's really long but there were a lot of details. And 17 1/2 hours is a long time. :) I didn't want to forget anything because it really was an amazing experience. God has designed our bodies in order for us to be able to go through this process. It wasn't easy by any means, but with a lot of help from others, I was able to accomplish my goal: a completely drug-free delivery! Well, happy reading, let me know if you make it all the way through!! :)

The Birth Story of Liberty Ann Merkin 12/30/08
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Monday morning, December 29th, I woke up at 4am with contractions about 8-10 minutes apart. They weren’t lasting very long and eventually petered out. But it was very encouraging and I felt confident that we were going to meet our little girl that day or the next. Tim went to work and mom and I continued on with our plans for the day. I had an early appointment at my doctor’s to check on the baby so we gathered everything together for the hospital and quickly packed the car – just in case! The appointment went great, baby Libby was doing great! I had some more small contractions while hooked up to the monitors but nothing major.
After the appointment mom and I headed to the mall to walk around. I was craving a grilled chicken salad so mom treated me to Cheesecake Factory and we had a lovely lunch. I had more contractions during lunch and while we walked around the mall. We left the mall after a while and were going to go to Wal-Mart but I really did not feel like it. I kept having contractions and some of them seemed stronger than before. Finally got home around 4 and I tried to rest for the next couple of hours.
Tim called at 6 and said he was on his way home and we chatted for the next little while. This is when the contractions started “for real”. Every time I had one I would hand the phone to mom because I could no longer talk through them. They never let up and only strengthened throughout the evening. With each contraction I focused on it, breathed deeply, and just endured it. The timeline of everything gets kind of hazy for me now but I know around 10 we tried to go to bed to get some sleep. That was not going to happen! The contractions only got more and more intense. I tried to take a shower and that helped a little but by the time the water got me all warmed up, the hot water started to diminish! That made me contemplate going to the hospital for the first time because I knew they would have plenty of hot water! I also started shivering uncontrollably so mom and Tim put all of my clothes, robe, and a towel in the dryer to get them nice and hot. That really helped but even after I was dressed and under the covers I still shook and shivered. Later we realized it was probably hormonal and not chills from being cold. At some point in the middle of all this I also started throwing up. When the contractions reached a new level and started getting more intense my body reacted by throwing up. I kept hydrated though with Gatorade and water and I think that really helped.
Finally around midnight Tim made the decision for us to go to the hospital. The contractions were coming every four minutes and were one minute apart. I was relieved but dreaded the ride! They packed a few last minute things (including a barf bag) and we headed out the door. That drive isn’t very long but seemed to last forever! We were getting very close when the contractions got intense again and so I threw up several times in the car. Thank goodness for the bag and the wet rag mom gave me! She drove Tim’s car so that she would have a car at the hospital.
We got to the hospital around 1am and they wheeled me up to L&D. By this point the contractions we coming steadily and I was not communicating in between them anymore. The nurses were very sweet and calm and told me they had read our birth plan and were going to do their very best to follow it. I had tested positive for Strep B so that meant I had to have an IV of antibiotics right away and then every four hours. The nurse also checked my progress at this point and I was 3-4 cm dilated and about 75% effaced. So they hooked me up and then dimmed all the lights and left us alone. After the drip was finished one of the nurses put a HepLock in my IV and wrapped it up so I could get in the shower. Tim then took my exercise ball and lodged it into the shower so I could sit on it. The shower was fantastic! The shower really helped my body relax through the contractions.
For the next several hours I kept moving and either sat in the shower, on the bed, the floor, or in a chair in my room. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving our room as it was very cozy and I felt very relaxed in there. With each contraction I focused on relaxing my entire body and embracing the pain because I knew it was effectively moving Libby out to be with us. I repeated: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” with each contraction and that helped immensely.
At one point the nurses wanted to monitor the baby’s heart rate so I had to stay on the bed on my back or my side for what seemed like an eternity. Laboring on the bed was way more difficult than in any of the other positions I tried. But Tim and mom rubbed my legs during every contraction and that really helped distract me from the pain.
Around 7:30 the nurses switched shifts and I also finished another round of antibiotics. My first nurse checked me again and thought I was around 6cm but was completely effaced so it was hard to tell. I was thrilled that she attempted to discover this through several strong contractions! We also met our new nurse, Gunnell, and we didn’t (or I should say Tim didn’t) hit it off with her right away but we eventually realized what a God send she was! I got back in the shower after 8 and was immediately hit with four of the strongest contractions yet, which I later realized indicated I was going through transition. At this point I started to doubt whether or not I could get through this without pain medication. I then reminded myself what my dear sister in law reminded herself while in labor, “no one ever died from pain!” and that a lot of other women have done this before with no medication. And then right at the perfect time mom stuck her head in the shower and told me the Gunnell had said that the shower has the same effect as Demerol (a pain medication). That strengthened me and I stayed in the shower a little longer. A little before 9 when Tim was helping me out I asked him if I was going to make it. He looked at me, grinned really big, and said, “if you can’t do it then no one can!” So with his and mom’s encouragement I was able to keep going. Needless to say, they were such a huge part of the whole laboring process and I truly could not have made it without them, especially Tim, he was a fantastic coach! They were real troopers and kept massaging and encouraging me through the whole night.
Finally right at 9am the doctor came in to check me again. He was a “back-up” as my regular doctor was on vacation. He was very nice though and let me take my time getting back up on the bed. When he checked me we were all in for a very pleasant surprise, he announced I was ready to go! I was 10 cm and fully effaced! Everyone was shocked because I had been able to relax so effectively and they didn’t realize how far along I was. All this time my water had never broken and the doctor asked for permission to break it as he said it would make pushing easier. I agreed and felt a very strange sensation! Then he left again and we were on our own with Gunnell.
This is when mom and nurse Gunnell were invaluable. They both had pushed babies out before so they were able to really help me. Tim was an encouraging presence but he obviously couldn’t offer any advice or tips.
I tried pushing in several positions on the bed but I didn’t feel as if they were doing anything. So after over an hour of that we moved into the bathroom. I was able to really push more effectively sitting on the toilet (thanks to gravity!) and made a lot of progress. Then we moved back by the bed where I kneeled beside it and pushed again. I put a pillow under my knees but the others tried to help but putting blankets under as well but that only irritated me. My knees kept slipping out from under me! I wasn’t able to communicate this to them so it was quite frustrating!
Finally, around 11am I was almost ready to push her out! They called the doctor and quickly prepped the room and the bed. I was in agony at this time, the delivery part was way worse than labor for me! And the whole time while I was in labor I never let out a peep but I was a whole different person while pushing! In fact, I think I scared a nurse or two who peeked their head in the door and asked Tim if I was okay. I was, I was just pushing a baby out!
The doctor came in just in time although it would have been neat had our wonderful nurse been able to deliver her. She was really amazing through this whole process and we were very blessed to have her!
Baby Libby made her entrance at exactly 11:23am and immediately started screaming and yelling (apparently she is related to me!). They put her right on my chest as I had requested and it was amazing because when she heard Tim’s and my voices she calmed down! She had inhaled some fluid though so they had to suction her in order to get that out. Tim snipped her cord and we just marveled over her. I was bleeding quite extensively, enough that the doctor was concerned, so they hooked me up to some pitocin but I didn’t care at all. I delivered the placenta shortly afterwards but that wasn’t difficult at all. I was on the biggest high of my life and could only look around and smile at everyone. I was exhausted but I had done it! What an incredible feeling! I was so grateful that I had been able to labor without any drugs because I was able to enjoy the natural pain relief that my body provided and Libby was incredibly alert and not dazed at all. They quickly weighed her and finished a few things before handing her back to me. She only weighed 7 lbs. 7oz. and I was surprised, especially since she was 10 days late! She then proceeded to instinctively root around my chest before latching on and nursing like a pro. She continued to do so for another hour while the doctor gave me a quick couple of stitches (for a small 1st degree tear) and while the nurses cleaned up the bed and put things away.
Tim and I just stared at the little baby who had been growing inside me for nine months! She was absolutely perfect in every way and we fell in love with her right away. The whole process was incredibly difficult and very painful but as long as I was able to relax and allow my body to do its job, things progressed. I know that next time I will know better how to push so hopefully it won’t take 2 ½ hours, although, that is a common length of time for first-timers. Labor started at 6pm on the 29th and lasted for 15 hours, which is about average for first time moms as well. I would not have been able to get through it without the support of my mom and Tim. Tim was especially awesome through labor and my mom helped me immensely during the delivery. Taking the Bradley Method Class was incredibly helpful for Tim and I because it effectively prepared us, as much as possible, for the whole process. I am very grateful too for how my labor progressed. I was able to go into labor naturally and was allowed to progress on my own timing. It was an amazing experience and I am ready to do it again…after a break. ☺