A “Scheduled” Birth Story

To begin, I feel it must be said that I firmly believe every birth is incredible! Whether you have a C-Section birth, a natural birth, a medicated birth, a home birth, a tub birth… Mama, you just birthed a baby! YOU are amazing!

Nothing is sweeter than that first moment of holding your newborn child!

My second son came into the world on August 1, 2018. We “scheduled” his birth, and I don’t regret it.

While pregnant, I read lots of birth stories. Of all the ones I read, I don’t recall ever coming across a positive story about “scheduled birth.” Stories of how epidurals or Pitocin ruined a Mom’s birth plan – yes, I read lots of those, which created my biggest concern leading up to August.

You might be asking yourself, well then why did you schedule your son’s birth? Great question!

  1. It was very important to me that my mom be present while I gave birth.
  2. My husband and I needed someone to watch our one-year-old while I was in labor. The idea of everyone who could watch my toddler being unavailable when I went into labor was a very real possibility.
  3. August 1st holds a special meaning to our family.

Around 32 weeks, I approached my doctor with my concerns. She said everything looked perfect to go ahead and “schedule” an induction.

Whew!

The concerns and stress fell off. Now I had a set date I was working toward, and, mentally, that really helped me.

My family and I came up with a Plan A, B & C for how and who would watch my oldest son. Their stress was lightened too knowing the plan ahead of time.

Our “Scheduled” Birth Story

photo by Scissortail Stories

Uncharacteristically, I calmly arrived at the hospital for our “appointment” at 5:30 am August 1st. No panic, no hurried sprint through the parking lot. We simply checked in and sat down in the waiting room, as routine as being at the dentist office.

A couple of minutes later, our nurse led us to our labor and delivery room. There I got to unpack and organize my L&D bag and change my clothes. The nurse came back in and found I was 2cm dilated. Once all the monitors were set up for baby and me, they put my IV in (which in all honesty turned out to be the most painful event of the entire day; yes, the IV).

Pitocin was started at 6:53 am, and they broke my water an hour and a half later. Still no unbearable pains, but I went ahead and asked for the epidural. This was a lesson learned from my first being born. If you know you want an epidural, do yourself a favor and don’t wait till the pains get intense. Inevitably there will be five other moms who all request the epidural at the same time, and you’ll be left waiting in line. 

Getting the epidural was EXACTLY what my body needed. It helped my body relax and do it’s natural thing, and it helped my mind stay clear and calm. Most importantly, it made me smile again and stop yelling at my husband!

By noon I had progressed to 7cm dilated.

“Go ahead and have your mom start making her way up here,” my doctor suggested, knowing I wanted my mom to be there for the birth. My husband called her, relaying the doctor’s message that things were progressing well.

Not thirty seconds after my doctor left the room, I felt it. You moms know what I’m talking about – that sudden pressure. I had gone from a 7 to a 10 in just a couple of minutes.

With my mom still on her way and my doctor unavailable at the moment, the nurse said I could “labor down” and simply wait for everyone to get there. That was perfectly okay with me! I felt great and was calm and collected.

For the next hour, I kept my mind occupied and did work for my businesses on social media and answered emails. Once everyone that needed to be there was there, we got started. Two pushes later and baby boy Steele was born!

Would you schedule your baby’s birth if it was a possibility?

The calm of the day was every bit worth the “scheduling.” If you know you want an epidural, have any sort of family calendar conflicts, or are prone to over-thinking and anxiety, you might consider this path as well. You definitely won’t be getting any mom-judging from me!

Where are my fellow “schedulers” at? What was the experience like for you?

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Clancey Stewart
Oklahoma City has been home for me from day one. My husband Chris and I met at our church in OKC in 2013, and were married a year later. He works for the FAA, and I work my Real Estate and health and wellness businesses from my home-office. We have two boys under two years of age and our big fur-baby, Solomon. You’ll find lots of family time, DIY projects, cooking, a balanced lifestyle, and love in our SW OKC home.

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