SMC Online Doula Training – August 2026
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Birth Story #2
Birth Story #2
I know I already posted, but I wanted to share my mom’s experience of giving birth to me at 21.
My Daughter’s Birth Story
At 34 weeks pregnant, I woke up around 6:35 one morning to find that my water had broken while I was sleeping. My daughter’s father wasn’t at the house, so I called him to let him know what had happened. Surprisingly, I wasn’t in any pain. I calmly got out of bed, made sure my hospital bag was ready, and called my mom to let her know to be on standby. Since I still wasn’t having painful contractions, I managed to change my bed sheets, cleaned myself up, and sat down to watch television.
Around 9:30 a.m., everything changed. My contractions suddenly became much stronger, and the pain intensified quickly. I called my mom and asked her to come get me. As I waited, I paced around the house, trying to manage the contractions. By the time she arrived around 10:00 a.m., I was in so much pain that I could barely make it out the front door of my apartment and down the four steps outside. I couldn’t believe how fast I had gone from feeling completely fine to being in excruciating pain.
It had snowed, and it was only about 29 degrees outside. During the drive to Wishard Hospital, I couldn’t sit still in the front seat. For some reason, I thought it would help to climb into the back seat of my mom’s Ford Tempo and press my hands against the freezing cold back window as a distraction from the pain. Looking back, it makes me laugh, but at the time, I was willing to try anything for relief.
When we arrived at Wishard Hospital, my mom went inside to get help. The nurses came out with a wheelchair, but I refused to sit in it. Even though they insisted, I was determined to walk myself into the hospital. Once they learned my water had broken, they skipped the regular check-in process and took me straight to Labor and Delivery.
The contractions continued to intensify, and I remember crying because the pain was so overwhelming. I asked for an epidural, but after checking me, the nurses told me I had progressed too far and it was no longer an option. In a moment of desperation—and completely joking—I even asked if they could give me some cocaine. Although I’ve never used drugs of any kind, the comment resulted in both my daughter and me being tested afterward. As expected, all of our drug screens were negative.
When first checked, I was already 6 centimeters dilated. Since an epidural was no longer possible, the nurses continued to monitor my progress. About 40 minutes later, they checked me again and announced that I was fully dilated at 10 centimeters. It was finally time to push.
I was so relieved and excited. My first push went so well that the nurses told me I was an excellent pusher. With my second push, at 11:35 a.m., my beautiful daughter entered the world.
Her birth was completely natural. I didn’t have any tears, didn’t need any stitches, and there were no complications. She weighed 4 pounds, 13 ounces, measured 17¾ inches long, and despite arriving at just 34 weeks, she had outstanding Apgar scores of 9 and 9.
Although giving birth naturally was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced—and something I would never choose to do again—I am incredibly thankful for the experience. It was a day filled with unexpected twists, overwhelming pain, moments of humor, incredible strength, and ultimately, one of the greatest joys of my life: meeting my daughter for the very first time.
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Wow, what a birth story the way everything went from you being completely calm, changing your sheets and watching TV to your contractions becoming so intense so quickly is amazing. And I definitely laughed when you said you jokingly asked them for cocaine because the pain was that bad. 😂 I know you were DONE at that point! What stood out to me the most was your strength. Giving birth, only 34 weeks, progressing so quickly not being able to get the epidural you wanted, and still delivering your daughter naturally with no complications is incredible. And then to hear that she had apgar scores of nine and nine at 34 weeks…….What a blessing. I also really appreciate how real you were about saying it was one of the hardest things you’ve ever experienced and that you wouldn’t choose to do it naturally again or even at all for that matter. Birth can be beautiful and powerful without us having to pretend it isn’t also intense, painful, and overwhelming. Thank you for sharing such a powerful story with us.❤️
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