Our Birth Story

Here I am! A few minutes old.


Genevieve in the delivery room. About 1 hour post delivery. Exhausted, relieved and ready to eat!

Our birth story can be summed up like this: It was faster, slower, and MORE than we ever thought it could be. It was a magical way for Ronan to come into this world and we'll never forget the lull and the surge of our emotions that day. My labor was surprisingly quick and intense. Everyone had told me to be prepared to spend 10, maybe 20, hours in the hospital for a first-time birth, but I was only there 3 hours before Ronan was born. At home, I didn't know I was really in labor until I was already pretty far along. I had what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions (practice contractions, not painful) the day before, but Christian and I thought we still had a week or more left before the baby came. It didn't help matters that I had TWO due dates: March 27 (based on the size of the baby in the ultrasound) and April 2 (based on the dates). On March 25, two days before Due Date #1, I had my last appointment with my doctor who said I was nowhere close to labor. She even scheduled me for a "just in case" induction for early April, which I found frustrating. I wanted to go into labor naturally and I wanted our doctor to support this. All along, though, I think she wrote me off as one of those crazy moms who wanted everything done naturally at all costs. She was partially right -- I preferred a natural birth if I could handle it. But I certainly was NOT opposed to drugs or other interventions if I needed them! That nuance was lost on my doctor, I'm afraid, but that's another story! So I started focusing hard on helping the little guy "get ready" to be born. I walked a lot, focused inward, talked to him, and did some self-acupressure, which Christian and I learned in a prenatal yoga class. I believed the baby would come naturally when he felt ready... and he did!

The day before Easter, Christian and I picnicked at Baker Beach and then went on a long, slow walk from our house to Golden Gate Park, through the botanical gardens, and back home. My contractions grew stronger and more regular. All that evening, they continued to grow more intense.... but they were still bearable and didn't fit the "textbook" description of labor. We still thought this wasn't "real labor" -- but just to be safe we decided (wisely!) to pack a bag of clothes and supplies for the hospital.

On Easter morning, the contractions were painful and only 3 to 4 minutes apart. I had an inkling this might be labor! ;-) We both wanted to spend as much time as possible at home before going to CPMC. When Christian called the hospital at 9 a.m., they asked him, "Is your wife ready to kill you yet?" He said no and they told us we could spend a few more hours at home! At 11:30 am, I told Christian "We're going NOW!" By that time, the contractions were 3 minutes apart and incredibly intense. I had 4 contractions on the way to the hospital and could barely walk in the door. A nurse in training examined me with cold shaking hands and told me she thought I had dilated a bit. She went to get a more experienced nurse, who examined me and told me I was already 6 cm! She said if I wanted to give birth without an epidural, I should go for it; the worst was over. So I went for it.

The next 2 hours were incredible, unstoppable. It felt like I was in a loud, blinding movie that had suddenly lurched into overdrive and there was nothing I could do (of course) but go along for the rollercoaster. My water broke with a loud "pop" (that only I could hear) in the triage room as I entered transition. Frightened and confused, I yelled at Christian "Something's coming out! The baby's coming out!" who in turn yelled to the hospital staff "It's coming out!" I don't know if we were more happy or disappointed to learn it was only my water breaking! After that, my contractions sped up so that they were basically one on top of another. The nurse quickly wheeled me into my labor and delivery room, where I dilated to 8 cm and then 10 cm in a matter of minutes. All the gear (snacks, radio, CDs) that we brought was useless now that I was so close to delivering. The lessons we learned in childbirth class (exercises, breathing, labor positions) also went out the window. I had wanted to ask for a birthing ball, rocking chair, and squat bar to prepare for the birth -- but I was already past that point. I was lucky to have a fantastic labor & delivery nurse named Linda, who coached and encouraged me throughout the whole mind-blowing process. When I thought I couldn't bear another second of the final contractions, she gave me 15 minutes of relief with a fentanyl drip. Normally, it lets moms sleep for a short amount of time, but I guess I was too close to the end and I stayed awake. Still, for 15 minutes, the searing contractions seemed bearable.

At 2:00 pm, I told Linda and Christian that I was going to push. My doctor wasn't even there yet, but nothing mattered except for this uncontrollable urge to bear down and push. Ideally, I would have wanted to get into the squatting position I had practiced for months, but again - there was no time. I pushed and pushed and pushed. I think there is no greater (or more painful!) feeling in the world than pushing a baby out of you without drugs! All I remember is Christian's voice in my ear as I pushed with all my might. I could reach down and feel the baby's head -- he had hair! -- but he wasn't flying out of me like I thought he would. After an hour, I couldn't believe the baby hadn't come out yet. The pushing phase, to me, was taking SO long and was SO intense that I thought it would never end. I forgot that the "average" pushing time for first-time moms was 2 hours... and I was only at 1 hour. I remember begging the doctor to get the baby out and she kept telling me to be patient, he was "almost there." Finally, she attached a mini suction cup to the baby's head to try to guide him through the last turn. One more push and his head was out! One last push and, at 3:15 pm, Ronan Jack slid into this world, a beautiful, healthy, alert baby with eyes as deep and dark as the ocean. The nurse placed him on my chest and we looked at each other, stunned, in wonderment. He was quiet and wide-eyed, taking in his bright new world. I felt Christian's arms around us -- around our new family -- and sank into a blanket of relief and happiness. It was over! And all worth it, a million times over!