Elijah Theodore’s Birth Story
I was a week over due and had been sick/having prodromal labor for around two weeks. I was planning to have Elijah in the hospital so I was under the care of a doctor who was really pushing for me to be induced at 41 weeks, as is standard practice in our area. There was another round of COVID hitting and hospitals were on pretty strict restrictions for visitors, even for labor and delivery. Mothers were only allowed one visitor in the hospital. Matt and I didn’t mind the restrictions though because we planned for it to only be the two of us anyways.
On November 23, 2021, we made the decision to go into the hospital to be induced. I was tired and had been sick for such a long time that both Matt and I thought it would be best to go for the induction. We got a call around 7am that we could come in. I slept a bit longer and then we arrived at the hospital around 9am. Initially, we were told they actually didn’t have space for us and we would need to go home but by God’s grace they allowed us into a room and got us set up. We had a wonderful nurse who ended up staying with me for the duration of my labor.
The doctor came to our room and offered two options; Pitocin or to break my water. I was already 4cm dilated when I got to the hospital so we opted for her to break my water. I had many requests for this birth including no IV hook ups and intermittent monitoring. My medical team worked to provide me with all of my requests. To this day, Eli’s birth is the best hospital birth I’ve seen. After the doctor broke my water at around 11am, contractions and progress were slow moving. It also became obvious that there was meconium in his water and that created a more intense time clock. I definitely felt the pressure to “get going” because the next step was Pitocin and I really wanted as little intervention as possible. At around 2:15pm, I still wasn’t in active labor and the threat of medication was looming. I got up to go to the bathroom feeling pretty discouraged about how little had happened. I sat on the toilet and was immediately hit with a big and real contraction. As soon as that first contraction hit, we were off to the races. I sat on the toilet for a few contractions but they were quickly becoming intense. At this point, I am still not really aware of how to cope properly during labor so I am feeling completely overwhelmed by how painful the contractions are. I stand at the sink in the hospital room for awhile before the pressure becomes too intense and my nurse helps me back to the bed.
I was feeling a ton of pressure by this point but that’s only because Eli was already so low in my pelvis to start with. Things were progressing very quickly but I was discouraged when my nurse told me I was only 6cm dilated. I shouldn’t have been discouraged though because I moved from 6cm to 10cm in the next fifteen minutes and then it was time to push. The OB came in for delivery while they transformed the room around me. I was in so much pain, I just wanted him out. With the okay from my doctor, I started to push on my right side. The doctor massaged my perineum as a I pushed which I didn’t enjoy but then I decided to roll to my back which was excruciating so I rolled to my left side where I stayed. As soon as I started to move, the doctor took her hands off of me. I pushed one final time and his head and all the rest of him came out in one big gush. The song “Though You Slay Me” by Shane & Shane played as he was born which seemed fitting for the moment. He cried immediately and they brought him straight to my chest. The doctor allowed me to wait until I started contracting again to push the placenta out which is such a rarity in the hospital.
Elijah Theodore was born on November 23, 2021 at 4pm, 1 hour and 15 minutes after labor began. He was 7lbs 12oz with gigantic blue eyes. His birth, although not what I necessarily planned, was exactly what the Lord had for us.
He is a precious gift and continues to bring immense joy to our home.
Soli Deo gloria!
