Ask A Nurse
Pregnancy Photos
Pregnancy Calendar
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Audrey Elizabeth Folsom

Well, my story began with an obstetrician, who when I told him I wanted natural childbirth told me "I hate to see my patients in pain". That was the end of him for me, and the beginning of the most beautiful experience of my life.

I say it was the most beautiful experience, I guess I can say that looking back, but pregnancy was not a joy. I swear I threw up every single day! The last month was the worst. My due date was April 23,1995. At my 36 week exam I was dialated to 2cm and 70% effaced. I was sure I'd go into labor that day. Wrong. Two weeks later I was still 2cm. Those two weeks had not been easy, my blood pressure was high and I was so swollen I had only one pair of sandals I could wear (and my husband had to put them on for me!).

I had my last day of work April 14th since my boss insisted I needed at least one week off before my due date. Ha! The following Monday as I was out getting groceries I began to get a Migrane headache, and went panicking home. The last time I had had one (before pregnancy),I'd had to go to the ER to get medication because nothing else worked. Needless to say I was terrified. My wonderful father (my husband was in a college final)took me to the midwife who gave me a shot of a mild medication to help me sleep through it. She believed it was my blood pressure was the culprit and said if it wasn't down by morning she would sent me to their OB.

The next morning my blood pressure was still up and so I was sent to see the OB. He did the first ultrasound of my pregnancy and declared the baby was big enough to be born. He sent me to the hospital to have prostaglandin put on my cervix. He and the midwife both were afraid my blood pressure would go up even more if we didn't get this baby born. I had to stay there for 3 hours to make sure the prostaglandin was working and then I went home. I must say that even three hours of not being in labor with a fetal monitor on me was increadibly uncomfortable. I'm glad I didn't have to have that thing on me when I was in labor!

I had my first contraction as I walked into my house at 3:30pm. I went and layed down on the bed and listened to my music. My husband and I took Bradley classes and I have to say they are worth every penny and every minute. My mother and husband were there and soon my mother in law, sister in law, sister in law to be, and my dad were there too. By 6:00pm I had been in and out of the bathtub numerous times. It was absolutely the most wonderful comfort to get in that hot tub. The rest of the time I would lie in bed practically sleeping through my contractions. I was really in a trance like state. At about 8:00pm my contractions were about 3 min. apart and we called the midwife who told us to come in and get checked. I was only 4 cm which was disappointing, and we went back home.

I continued in and out of the tub, I couldn't stand to be on my feet at all during contracions, and everything was pretty much the same. At about 11:30pm or so I had just laid back down in bed with my husband Rich when all of the sudden I felt I huge pop and my water broke! I yelled for my mom and jumped out of bed to try to get changed, and I had a doozie of a contaction. It continued that way and Rich called the midwife who asked to speak to me to see if I could talk through these contractions. And they completely stopped. I was so humiliated! And wouldn't you know it, as soon as I hung up the phone, they started coming again 2 min. apart. Rich called the midwife right back and off we went again to the birth center.

At this point the contractions were very hard and didn't seem to end for me. When the midwife checked me I was still at 4cm and I lost it. Seeing how upset I was the midwife said she'd let me stay for an hour to see if I got any farther. She said my contractions weren't long enough and I decided ( in my transitonal state) that I must be constipated. It's so funny how you can learn everything there is to know about labor, but you can't recognize transition when you're in it! Anyhow, I sat on the toilet for about 30 min. and then proceeded to come out and announce to my family that we needed to go home, and that I wanted something for the pain, and that I couldn't take this anymore. I was a classic transition case.

My wonderful husband quickly took me into the birthing room and made me lay down. He helped me through each contracion and kept me from panicking. Finally the midwife came and checked me again. 7cm Yea! I immediately told her I wanted in the jacuzzi tub and there I went. In 30 min. I told Rich I was pushing and I coudn't help it. The midwife came in and checked me and pronounced me at 10cm. We proceeded out of the tub and onto the bed where I began to push, and push, and push. I was getting very tired and not sure this baby was ever going to come when all of the sudden there was a baby! It was a girl, and she was mad as hell! It was cold out here! I cried my eyes out as my husband cut the cord. My whole family as mentioned above was there to see Audrey's birth, and it was so special. It was especially special that my dad was there because he had not been allowed in the delivery room when my sister and I were born. He was so excited and proud that he bragged about it to everyone he saw for the next month!

Everyone took turns holding Audrey as the midwife checked me for tears and I only had a mild abrasion(like a scratch) which needed only a little ointment. Then the sweetest thing happened, as everone else had forgotten me in the excitement of the baby, my dad came over to hold my hand as they checked me and I delivered the placenta. He was there to hold his baby's hand. It's one of my most touching memories.

Audrey Elizabeth was born at 4:52 am and by about 6:00am Rich, Audrey, and I were resting peacefully in the bed at the birthing center. Unfortunately this was to be a memorable day for more reasons than Audrey's birth. You see, it so happens that this day was April 19th, 1995, and at 9:02am that very same morning the Murrah building in OKC was bombed. We were 7 miles away. Even though it is very hard for us that Audrey was born on such a tragic day, we always say she was the good thing that happened that day. She is our angel.

I'd love to hear from you.

Erin