Adelheid's Birthing Story

Wednesday April 6th

About 2 am, I started waking up to annoying menstrual-like cramps. I didn't think much of them except that I hadn't felt cramps like that in 9 months--and I didn't miss them!

By 5:30 am I realized that they were actually, probably the start of the real deal; not more 'practice' contractions.

So I told Rob, who was waking up for work about the same time, that I was probably gonna be having a baby at least by the next morning (hopefully it wouldn't last longer than 24 hours, really!!).

We planned at first to still go to work so we didn't waste a maternity leave day on just a day of early labor surges. But after about 45 minutes we decided to just stay home and relax, and prepare for the delivery.

Rob went back to sleep and to get as much rest as he could. I sat in bed going through my Hypnobirthing lessons and just resting as much as I could.

About 8:30 am my sister Staci calls because she had a flat tire and was stuck in PG, as she was on her way to work.

My dear sweet sister Staci doesn't know how to change a tire and didn't know who else to call. Luckily, both Rob and myself know how to change tires. :)

So, we got up and got dressed and ran to the rescue. Rob changed the tire while Staci and I laughed about how she was parked right in front of an auto-shop and how she didn't get them to help her.

After that we went to breakfast with Staci, all the while I'm just breathing through my surges, which since 5:30 were always between 5 and 8 minutes apart, never less, never more.


I love that I was prepared to labor at home with Hypnobirthing so we could have fun memories like changing tires while I was in labor. :)

We stopped at the grocery store to get snacks for the day and food for me to eat so I would have lots of energy. When we got home we packed and made sure everything was ready.

I kept having surges but they never got closer than about 5 minutes apart. So I started thinking, great, this is that 'pre-labor' thing and I could be still 30 hours away from delivery!!

We watched movies and did what we could to relax.

Then, quite rapidly, the surges increased in intensity and really started to affect my back. I was bleeding a lot and the pain was starting to become a bit much for my Hypnobirthing ability.

I called the midwife and told her about the blood, which she  said was normal, and then about the pain and what options exactly there were. I was under the impression that I still had hours and hours of laboring left and didn't think I could take that much more of it.

The sweet midwife said there were some things but that I should just stay home and keep doing my practices.

I was a bit distraught cause they were pretty intense. So about 30 minutes later I just couldn't do it anymore. Everything I had learned and practiced, as well as everything Rob had learned to help, wasn't quite sufficient to get me through the intensity. And I was sure I was only at 4cm- I didn't want to know what advanced labor felt like if that was early labor.

So I called the midwife again and said I was coming in to get some sort of relief. She had this sort of, 'Alright then, wuss!' attitude and it made me feel kinda dumb but that's ok haha.

Rob was very supportive and didn't want to see me lose sight of my natural birthing goal but I really, honestly, didn't think I could handle 12 more hours of labor. (Since my contractions still hadn't been ever consistent under 5 minutes.)

We went straight to the midwives office so she could check me and then let me know of what options there were.

The contractions suddenly were pretty close and I could barely walk towards the nurse as she waited to check me in the office. I did what I could to keep breathing and relaxing while being weighed and giving my urine sample.

The midwife came in quick but was pretty chill about the whole thing. She honestly had the attitude that I was giving up and even told some of the nurses she thought this (she told me this after the delivery).

Much to her surprise, and my great relief, I was complete in my dilation and effacement and my water, she said, was about to explode.


This would explain why the surges were so intense! I WAS in major advanced labor. In fact, I was just about done. The midwife then told all the nurses that I was actually complete and actually was handling it incredibly. The nurses were all surprised as well. So see, I'm not a wuss. :)

We immediately went to the hospital (infact I didn't even bother putting all of my clothes back on haha).

 We checked in at 3:52 pm. The midwives (there were two, because one was new to the clinic) showed up about 10 minutes later. 20 minutes after that my water broke and the baby began her journey down and out (Boy was THAT the weirdest feeling... as the midwife said,'You're going to feel like you gotta take the biggest dump of your life.') and I began pushing.  20 minutes after that I had a sweet baby girl laying on my tummy.


I am so grateful I was able to have the natural birth I was hoping for. I'm so glad that when it became to overwhelm me, I was already done. 


Rob was so great at supporting me. While delivering he would talk me through my breathing and bring back our relaxation practices to help relax my body and mind. He's so wonderful and I couldn't have done it without him!

Rob's made for this daddy stuff. I love you sweet!!

The midwives were also so great and really helped keep me focused. It happened so much faster then I imagined so I wasn't exactly in the state of mind I should have been. 


Overall, it was fantastic. And quick! There were 4 other mothers in the same complete phase as I was who had been pushing for 1.5+ hours before I even got there. Adelheid was able to come through after only 20 minutes. I feel for those women who were pushing for longer, it's exhausting. :)

She makes the best faces. She gets that talent from her papa.


We never thought we'd be so prodigiously happy to be parents.
This sweet baby girl makes it impossible to not feel God's love for us. We are so blessed.