Anna: My Birth Story

20 Weeks pregnant with our first
20 Weeks pregnant with our first

I always knew I wanted to be a mother.  When I was little, I told my mom that I wanted to have enough children to fill up a school bus.  And with a three, two and 9 month old, we are well on our way to fulfilling that dream…only kidding, you might find my husband in a straight jacket if we had that many hooligans running around.

We had been married for six months when we found out we were pregnant with our first.  We laughed.  We cried.  We prayed.  And we did what a majority of new parents do, we studied.  We read things that were helpful and things that we could definitely have done without.  I tried to eat healthy-ish and exercise.  I was a regular at prenatal yoga.  In my heart of hearts I was going to do it all the most natural way we could.  So when my water broke a few days before my due date, I was ecstatic, too say the least.

Checked into the hospital
Checked into the hospital

At the hospital I walked and I bounced.  I walked. I laid.  I prayed.  I bounced.  I walked. I cried.  My sweet little baby wasn’t doing what he was supposed to do.  That little stinker was not coming down and his little heart rate was going up.  I had labored, with terrible back labor, for hours.  I chose to not have the drugs.  That was another one of those things that I had set as a standard before I was pregnant.  Drug free was the way to be!  So when my sweet doctor came in and told me we needed to go ahead and go for the c-section, I was crushed.  Literally crushed.  I had gone from the Bradley Method to the Surgery Method within seconds.  They prepped me in between contractions and tears and when it was time to get the spinal block, I felt like I was saying goodbye to every plan I had made to protect and nurture my baby.  I even skipped the c-section and epidural night at childbirth class, because I knew I wouldn’t need either of those.   That stubbornness should have been my first clue that something wasn’t going to go as planned.

When Andrew got to come into the OR.  He sat down, stroked my head and held my hand.  He held the bowl for me when I got sick from the drugs until the anesthesiologist got it under control.  My doctor came in and worked quickly and efficiently and when he announced that we had a bouncing baby boy we both burst at the seems with tears and pride.  All of the emotions of frustration and fear were washed away with the sound of his little cry.  They took him to be warmed and suctioned.  Daddy got to be there to love and talk to him and I was on the table.  Andrew brought him to me to see and kiss and then they were off to the nursery and I was off to be monitored and cleaned.  I had to wait to hold and feed my baby, which that was the hardest part.  However, I had a healthy baby boy.72204_601954277351_7990864_n

When I did hold him, he was alert and he was hungry.  My fears of lethargy and drowziness were unmerited.  He was a perfect little being.  I was also aware of so many mothers who never get the opportunity to hold their little one, to feed them, to listen to their cries.  And I was thankful.

376025_735598413431_1330273343_nI feel so blessed to have experienced all of the struggle of dealing with c-sections.  I have done it two more times and it’s difficult every single time.  I have learned to give grace and to celebrate the life, not dwell on the process.  I have also learned that motherhood is a unique experience to all who encounter her.  I love my children more than life itself.  What a blessing to be called a mother, to be called Their Mother.

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Tavia Redburn Photography
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Tavia Redburn Photography

My dearest Jack, Maggie and Justus, you have forever changed my life.  You teach me new things every single day.  I’m so grateful that you were carefully knit together in my womb and were fearfully and wonderfully made.  Now, for Mother’s Day, I would like a hot cup of coffee and for you to not take each others toys away.  Love, Mommy

 

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Anna
Anna is a born and raised Arkansan, transplanted to OKC for her husband’s job. She has 3 fantastic kiddos who are currently three and under. Although she has never taught in the school system, her degree is Family and Consumer Sciences Education is put to use every day in her full time career as a stay at home mom. Anna is also a lifestyle and portrait photographer. She’s Yoga practicing, lover of sewing, cloth diapering, DIY-ing, baby wearing mom who loves to bake with processed sugar. You can keep up with her over at Barefoot Mamma.

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