Our Birth Story

When labour and delivery go as planned for a first time mamma with a birth plan.

August 28th, 2019

Where do I even begin to go with writing this post? Let’s just say, tears have been shed and I am only a few sentences in. Those postpartum hormones are real, so strong, and come unexpectedly at any time of day.

We had the most amazing, memorable and magical labour/delivery experience at the Northern Lights Regional Hospital here in Fort McMurray. I first want to say Thank You, to the amazing nursing staff, and of course Dr. Phiri.

9:30 am

I woke up 9:30 am on August 28th, 2019, when I felt a little gush of fluids coming from down below. It was evident that my water had broken.

Before anything, I first decided to eat something {pregnancy hunger is a thing and I felt so normal with no cramping}. Then I called the maternity ward to ask them what I should do next, as I was feeling normal minus the gush of fluids.

10:10 am

After I spoke with a nurse, it was suggested that I head to the hospital to be seen to confirm that my water had broken.

I told my husband what I thought was happening. He had just gotten to bed after coming home from nightshift, and again, I was feeling so good that I didn’t think much of it, that I told him to stay in bed and that I’d drive myself to the hospital to get checked.

I quickly got dressed and tossed my hair up in a bun {my new classic mom hair}. I called my mom on the way, and there was no answer before I could finish my voicemail she was calling me back.

Of course, being my mom, she was wanting more than ever to be by my side. But, I reassured her that I’d likely be heading back home because I didn’t even feel contractions or cramping.

10:44 am

When I arrived at Emerge, an on-call nurse asked if I was in labour. My response was “No, but I think my water broke, I called the mat ward, they are expecting me”. She swiftly called me over and asked me to sit down.

Before I had a chance to do anything else I was greeted by another nurse with a wheelchair. She asked me to sit, however, I told her I was fine to walk, but protocol at the hospital is that she had to walk with me, with the wheelchair and bring me to the maternity ward/NST.

Once I arrived the nurses knew to expect me. They immediately hooked me up to monitors etc. and started to monitor the baby and myself. As I sat there and waited for the OB on call, the butterflies set in as I started thinking about how badly I wanted my husband here and that I shouldn’t be acting so “tough”.

Tough, yes! I thought that this was no big deal. Once seen by the OB, who confirmed my water did indeed break his response was, “I am going to send you home until 8 pm tonight, unless your contractions start before then, come back. Once your water breaks there is no going back from there, if the baby does not want to come on her own, you will have to be induced”.

12:45 pm

I had no idea what a contraction felt like, or what to expect. When I got home I woke my husband to explain what was going on. I told him to rest up because it could be a long night. I decided to shower, do my hair, make-up and enjoy my last day or a few hours of my pregnancy.

1:40 pm

I rocked on my exercise ball and walked serval laps around the house to get Everly moving. And about 4 hours after being home at around 4:30 pm I felt a cramp-like I never felt before and said to my husband, I think that was a contraction. And 3 minutes later I felt it again. I quickly downloaded a contraction counter app and started timing them as I dressed myself to head out the door.

4:58 pm

We left with all of our bags {what I packed for the hospital} and made our way to the hospital. I looked at Chris and said, “can you believe it, we are soon gonna meet our sweet baby girl”.

Once we got the hospital {we arrived at around 5:15 pm}, a nurse wheeled me to the mat ward, where I was greeted by the same nurse who seen me earlier that day {her name was Catherine}. She said to me, “I knew you’d be back before 8, and before our shift change at 7”. I giggled and said, I didn’t know what to expect.

We were checked into room 2019 right away. I thought how fitting, I remember when we rang in the New Year whispering to my husband 2019 will be our year, I know it. Here’s why!

As I dressed in my gown and got comfortable in the bed, Catherine came back to go over some paperwork with me. The paperwork included any medications I’d like, such as an epidural. I pre-filled all the paperwork in the event it was needed. I shared my birth plan where I had requested not to have medications unless it was deemed necessary.

Once we were settled I remember feeling so hungry, and I knew I had a lot of “work” ahead of me, haha… is that even the best way to term it? One of our friends came to the rescue with bagels so I could get a good carb load in me before all the hard work.

At this point, my contractions were starting to grow stronger and it was a relief knowing that little lady was going to make her way on her own.

9:05 pm

My dad stopped by for a visit, bringing some water and snacks. He stayed for a while and wished us well! At this point I was assigned a new nurse, her name was Ansi {not sure the spelling}, and she was the sweetest, most heartfelt and to the point nurse. Which was what I needed because I was determined to give birth without any medications. I was hoping I’d get that nurse who would make the experience a positive, beautiful and most memorable thing.

My contractions were getting stronger by the minutes. Ansi suggested a hot shower would help. This wasn’t just undressing and getting in the shower, she actually set the shower up so I could be on my hands and knees, labouring in a comfortable way, kneeling, which allowed my husband to control the shower nozzle by showering my lower back with very warm water. Let me tell you, it was such a great relief!

10:30 pm

Contractions were definitely getting really strong at this point, I requested a dosage of fentanyl to help with the contractions, but this made me nauseated, so after a couple of very small doses, I opted not to have any more. I was in and out of the shower about 4 times before finally settling into bed. During this time Ansi got me to try different positions to help with the contractions. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderful nurse, who stood by our side pretty much the entire time, I remember once Everly was born asking if she had managed to get a break tonight and if not to go eat/rest.

12:00 am

The clock struck midnight. If you don’t know me yet, I have a weird thing about odd numbers… so much so, having the volume settings, etc. on an odd number makes me cringe. I was hoping Everly was gonna be born on the 28th… but, she had other plans. Needless to say, when I saw the clock stick midnight, I knew she’d be here soon.

2:05 am

It was time to push. My body was telling me to and there was no holding back or stopping. Ansi prepared the room for delivery and before I knew it, I was pushing, and Everly was on her way! The adrenaline kicked in and so did the excitement. I remember my husband cheering me on, and saying that she was almost here! So many precious moments were shared in that short amount of time.

2:23 am

Everly arrived! It was the most perfect, magical and bittersweet moment of my life. When she entered the world it was either Travis Tritt, Brad Paisley or Bryan Adams playing as throughout our entire labour experience we listened to music!

Our Sweet Everly <3

Our birthing experience in a nutshell

It went way better than I had expected. I had a birth plan, and it was the first thing I gave to the nurse when she was assigned to me. Doing it unmedicated was what I wanted. I had the right nurse to help me get through every contraction, and even the pushing all on my own! Not to mention the awesome support of my husband. He was the best supporter, cheerleader, and caregiver. He knew my wishes and he made sure he kept me motivated to do it the way I had wanted to.

Again, I want to thank the maternity ward here in Fort McMurray for going above and beyond for us during our stay. I cannot say enough good about the team of nurses and doctors there.

Being a mom is the hardest job I’ve ever done, but the most rewarding job I’ve ever had the privilege of doing. <3

Is it too soon to miss being pregnant?

Mamma’s how many littles do you all have?



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