After many days of hard contracting and thinking that I was going to have this baby at any moment… I posted on Instagram (see below) the night before I went into labor thinking the baby would most likely be overdue.

For everyone wondering and checking up on me… I’m still here, I’m still huge, I’m still pregnant, and I’m still contracting a lot. Love this part! #38weeks and 4 days #ReadyToPop

You can follow my Instagram HERE

 The day of delivery, still feeling like the baby would never come– all it took was a couple hours of standing in line at the DMV to renew my driver’s license. Who WOULDN’T go into labor after that?! The best part is that I get to have my 9 month pregnant face on my driver’s license picture (An Arizona license that ironically will never expire!). Haha, at least I’ll have that good memory forever.

Anyway, after an extremely busy day getting some last minute things done and having all the kids home from school for fall break. My husband Austin and I finally got the kids to bed when my contractions started coming on strong and consistent. After a lot of hmming and hawing about whether we should go to the hospital, we finally took the leap and went in.

My last pregnancy pic before changing into my gown at triage.

We were so excited at the thought that it might finally be time to meet our baby girl! (baby #4)

After getting hooked up to a monitor, walking the halls a bit, and plenty of quiet prayers that I wouldn’t be sent home…

We were staying!!! Tonight would be the night!

We got settled in the labor and delivery room and had done plenty of walking at that point. Every time a contraction would come, I would lean against Austin and completely relax in his arms. When birthing naturally (We used the Bradley Method and THIS book), there are a few very key things to do through contractions: breathe normally, relax everything in your body, and visualize what is happening inside your body.)

I was dilated to a four and contractions were pretty manageable at that point. I kind of had a Moses thing going on with my hospital gowns.

I was finally all settled in our room with an IV (just in case I might need it) and a monitor to make sure baby was doing well. After lots of questions, contractions, and a baby check I was ready for the jacuzzi!

This is my second natural birth. The first one with my daughter in 2010 taught me that warm water is a wonderful way to get the body to relax through contractions. I used the shower back then, and I was so excited that this hospital had a jacuzzi that I could labor in. If you are considering having a baby naturally, I highly recommend it!

We were having a good ‘ol time at first! The bubbles and warm water made me hardly even notice the contractions. The nurses set the temperature at 98 degrees per their guidelines. It was so hot, but since that was the way they always did it I didn’t worry too much. They said I could stay in there for one hour.

I was sweating profusely and after 30 minutes, something about the whole situation made me start to feel anxious and worry. I felt like I should get out of the tub but talked myself out of it. Contractions were so much more bearable in the water.

One hour was up and it was time to get out. After standing up for only a minute, all of a sudden I felt really really sick.

The heat had really gotten to me. I had no idea what was going on, for all I knew, I was dying. Dramatic I know, but it was awful. I sat there forever. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t open my eyes, I felt like I was going to throw up… at one point, I told my husband “I love you” because I was sure any minute, I would be gone.

My husband is a doctor-in-training and knew exactly what was going on. According to him I was hypovolemic, which is a fancy word that means I had low blood pressure. The hot water had caused me to sweat excessively and lose a lot of my body’s water. This leads to low blood pressure which caused my symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and feeling like I was going to black out. It got especially bad when I stood up to get out of the hot tub because there wasn’t enough pressure to get enough blood to my head. This is called orthostatic hypotension. So my husband and the nurse recognized this and got me into a wheelchair and back to my room where the nurse got my IV running. They also checked my blood sugar to make sure that wasn’t causing the problem. After about 30 minutes of feeling absolutely terrible I started to come out of it. The IV fluids really helped to perk up my blood pressure and I was able to open my eyes and think clearly again. So the hot tub (which I had been very excited about) turned out to be a blessing and a curse. Just don’t stay in too long and keep hydrated!

After snapping out of it, things really started to progress.

This is the first time I felt my labor pains primarily in my back. It was almost unbearable at times. My husband was a rockstar and gave me a firm massage on my lower back during contractions that really helped to get through the pain. His hands and forearms were extremely sore by the end, but I was so grateful. That is love.

The nurses had put something called a peanut between my legs (not pictured because it makes for some super awkward looking pictures!). A peanut looks like a big exercise ball, only shaped like a peanut. This is a device used to help labor progress, and I think it helped me as well.

Contractions were so strong toward the end. I could hardly force myself to relax at all. I had some of my favorite music playing in the background (lots of spiritually uplifting songs). This really helped. There was a moment where the words of a recent talk I heard came to mind and brought me great comfort in the chaos of it all.

Hubby says, “This delivery was a very difficult and a very special experience for me. While Laura was feeling torn in two physically, I felt like I was being torn in two emotionally. It was killing me to see her go through such difficult contractions and perceive the pain that she must have been feeling during the final moments at the delivery. But, at the same time I was so excited and overjoyed when I got the first glimpse of our beautiful little baby girl. I’ll never forget seeing that little tuft of hair followed by that purple little face. By the time the rest of her was out my eyes were so filled with tears that I could barely even see her. What an incredible and emotional experience that I will certainly never forget.”

I was still in a lot of pain after little Lucy was born. For about 20 minutes it was hard to focus on this beautiful little being that I was holding. That is the downfall of giving birth naturally in my experience. I hate that it is so traumatic right at the end that I can’t enjoy those first moments fully. But after 20 minutes of struggle, that’s when the payoff of natural birth begins. It is amazing.

There is nothing in the world that can rival giving birth. It is the most amazing, spiritual, close to heaven thing that we as human beings can experience in this life. The lows are so low (especially in natural birth) and the elation is unsurpassed. Becoming a mother was the first time in my life where I felt complete. As soon as I bore my first child and became a mom, I knew that I was fulfilling my greatest purpose in this life. I still feel that way.

I certainly couldn’t have done any of this without my husband, Austin. Those that know me, know how much I love him and depend on him. Going through these hard, raw and beautiful experiences together has only deepened our love. I am more and more grateful every day that I get to have him forever. I love you Aust!

And we are completely smitten with our little Lucy.

XOXO~ Laura

*I have now delivered two babies naturally and two babies with an epidural. Feel free to comment or e-mail me with any questions you might have.

* A special thanks to Alicia at Alicia Marie Photography. You can find her information HERE.