The Miller's: Our Labor Story

To sum it up: 25 hours of labor + 2 and a half hours of pushing + no medicine = one AMAZING little girl named Olivia Grace

Here's the long story:

I officially went into labor Wednesday February 18th at 1am. I was feeling some cramps but thought they were just Braxton Hicks. I got up and walked around for a couple of hours. At 3am, I knew that something was up and this was more than just my normal cramps that I had been feeling. I called my Mom at 3am and explained to her what was going on. She told me to wake Jeremy and start timing my contractions. We did this for about an hour, but my contractions were all over the place- some were a minute apart, others were five minutes apart. There was no consistency.

So I told Jeremy to continue to sleep. I went downstairs and paced... and paced... and paced. My mom called back at 7am and I told her the contractions were more intense but I wasn't dying yet. Jeremy went off to work and I had been texting my friends Alison and Kristen. Since it was a snow day and an Optional Teacher Workday, I had the flexibility to go into work when I could. I had a doctor's appointment already scheduled so Alison came (even though I said I could drive), picked me up, and took me to the doctor.

At the doctor, I had dialated 2.5-3cm. They told me to go walk and come back around lunch time. I knew I could not go back home to walk. I had walked my house for hours at that point and needed a new place to get my mind off of things. So, Alison took me to work/school.

When I got to work, Kristen happily greeted me and said "Let's go walking!" Kristen and I walked around our school. We went into the sensory room and I jumped/bounced on the small trampoline for a little while. Then we went to the other building to walk the stairs and see my other co-workers, Jodi and Carla.

Labor Groupie

Last picture being pregnant!

It got to be around lunch time and Jeremy came to pick me up. We went to the doctor and I had dialated to 4cm. They told us to get our stuff, eat something, and head to the hospital. I couldn't believe it! I was actually in labor and was going to have a baby!

We swung by McDonald's (not the best choice for your last meal while in labor) and headed toward the hospital. I made Jeremy park in the deck instead of dropping me off. I needed to walk. We registered and got into the labor and delivery room.

Soon my mom, John, Karen, and Brooke all showed up. "Here we go!" is all I could think at that moment- and that's what my Facebook status said.

Labor went by slowly yet really fast. I had dialiated to 5cm quickly, then stalled for a bit. Then a little while later, I dialted to 6cm, then stalled for a bit. My nurses were great and so encouraging.

I met my doctor who I never met before. Luckily, he was so nice and caring. He asked if there was anything he could do. My response: "Break My WATER!" At that point, things got real! Having my water broken was one of the top three greatest things about my labor. (Number 2 and 3 would be when Olivia actually came out and then the delivery of the placenta) There was so much pressure and it felt great to have some relief, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

I started progressing nicely after that. Once I got to 8cm, the nurse suggested that I get in the shower and use hot water to soothe my back and distract me from my pain. I stood in the shower for about an hour and had progressed to 9cm. The next parts were fuzzy because before I knew it, it was time to start pushing (AH!).

I never fully dialated to 10cm. It so happens that the front of my cervix wouldn't dialate so the nurse had to help push it back as I pushed Olivia through. Two and a half hours later, Olivia Grace Miller was born at 2:19am at 7lbs. 7oz. and 20in. long.

I can honestly say that this was the most painful, yet rewarding experience of my life. I never thought I could deliver a baby drug-free, and I couldn't have done it without Jeremy and my Mom. They both were such wonderful coaches and encouraged me every step of the way.