Torin’s Birth Story

Our due date was March 31, which made the next day begin with hard eye rolls at this baby’s April Fool’s joke.

On Saturday the 3rd, my parents drove down to visit, thinking that if I went into labor it would be great for them to be in town already, and if I didn’t, we could all do Easter dinner together since Brent and I hadn’t planned anything with it being so close to the due date.

The day was spent relaxing, eating out, and swimming at the pool in their hotel. It was perfect for getting my mind off things. That evening I noticed a little bit of blood, and the trusty Internet told me I might be able to expect labor to start within 24 hours. Just 45 minutes later, contractions started on my drive home from the hotel! By midnight a couple hours later, they were intense enough that I couldn’t talk through them, and Brent’s allergy meds had knocked him out, so I knew I was probably in for a long night. I labored at home all evening, and around 7 am I woke Brent and asked him to have my parents home over. They arrived around 8, and my mom helped time my contractions and offer counter pressure (back labor, round two!). After a couple hours, it seemed clear to my mom that I was getting close and we should head to the hospital. Luckily, it’s only about seven blocks from our house, because we were closer than we realized. We checked in at 10:05 and I was dilated 6 cm. My doctor arrived around 10:30 and I was at 9 cm! She broke my water, and by 10:50 I was ready to push. I pushed for about 20 minutes and he was here!

It was more fast and furious than Darius’s birth, which had me seriously considering an epidural this time around, but it turned out there wasn’t even time for one.

I was so thankful that I got to labor in the comfort of my own home for almost the entire process, and that we got to the hospital just in time for the best part. Certainly the most memorable Easter Brent or I have had, and what a great way to celebrate life and hope!