Kandice's Birth of Madyson
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Our first pregnancy was unexpected, but welcome. We had a very hard first trimester, including a threatened miscarriage and HORRIBLE nausea. I opted against taking any medications for the nausea, so I had to eat often in order to keep my little one healthy. I was SO happy when it stopped around month 6!!!
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I went into labor at 38 weeks. My husband had just finished basi law enforcement training & I had gone with him to an interview so that we could do some grocery shopping afterward. I felt like I had a very bad case of gas or constipation. My back ached, but I thought I had ulled a muscle the day before during CPR training. I had NO CLUE I was in labor. I walked around the store & tried to use the bathroom several times with no results.
My family owns an Adult Care facility & one of our employees didn't show up for work, so I got called in. I knew something was wrong & had to "deal with it" until someone else could come in to work. By 3pm, I was able to leave.
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All day I had been n touch with our midwives & we felt it was just Braxton-Hicks contractions. Everything I had heard from other women, read in books, or seen on TV/movies told me that Labor would be SO INTENSE and unbearable. I just wasn't having that experience. I felt pressure and back pain, but that's about it.
We stayed at home as long as I could stand it. It was pouring rain in a southern summer thunderstorm. I didn't want to leave for the birth center if I didn't have to. By 6:00, I knew I had to go. We arrived at the birth center around 6:45. I knew by that point that I was in ACTIVE labor. I walked in on my own, gave a urine sample, and climbed into the bed for a check to see how far along I was.
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To the surprise of everyone, I was 10 cm and at a +2 station! The midwife hadn't arrived yet, so it was us & a nurse. My hubby walked out to call our family & I felt the urge to push. I did & the nurse calmly asked if I wanted my husband in the room when I delivered. Well, of course I did. She told me to stop pushing, ran to the door & called for him. I will never forget the look on his face when he came in. I later found out that my daughter's head was halfway out when he got there! Anyway, one contraction & two pushes later, Madyson Dale joined us. She was a healthy 7 lbs even and 18 inches long.
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Our oldest daughter who was two and a half at that time (not of my body, but of my heart) joined us & helped us give her baby sister her first bath. It was the most beautiful experience in my life up to that point. We took a nap & were able to go home after only 6 hours.
photo credit: gabi_menashe via photopin cc
Tags: natural birth, midwife, birth center, easy labor, birth, birth story, birth stories, birth stories on demand, childbirth, positive birth stories, inspiring birth stories