4 Meet Kristen: Miscarriage-Subchorionic Hemorrhage & Long First Labor Birth Story

Meet Kristen, a mother who inspires all who hear her story of battling a rare condition called a subchorionic hemorrhage. Get ready for tears, laughs, and for your heart to absolutely swell as she recounts moving at 7 months pregnant, switching healthcare providers, and her very long labor. Kristen's favorite baby products are Quick Zip sheets. Enter BIRTHSTORYPODCAST at checkout for 15% off of your first order.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

TRANSCRIPTION

What does a contraction feel like? How do I know if I'm in labor and what does the day of labor look like? Wait, is this normal? Hey, I'm Heidi Campbell, a certified birth doula host of this podcast, birth story and owner of my doula, Heidi. I have supported hundreds of women through their labor and deliveries.

And I believe that every one of them and you deserves a microphone and a state. So here we are listen each week to get answers to these tough questions and more birth story, where we talk about pregnancy labor deliveries, where we tell our stories, share our feelings. And of course chat about our favorite baby products.

And because I'm passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from some of the top experts in labor and delivery, whether you are pregnant, trying desperately to get pregnant, I hope you will stick around and be part of this tribe. Episode four R eight. Today I am interview a total stranger from our local mom demand board named Kristin.

And this is the story went somewhere. I was not expecting in full disclosure. I actually had to go back and edit a part out because, um, Man. She just got real with me and it, I, it's just amazing. And I hope that you enjoy everything about this woman and her birth story.

Hey everyone. It is Heidi with birth story vodcast, and I'm here with Kristen Smith to hear about her two burbs. So, Hey Krista. Hi there. So just to get started, tell us a little bit about like who you are, your family, you know, what you want the audience to know about you. Okay. Um, Should I say my age, I don't know.

I'm 34, I think. Yes. And you should definitely. You say your age? Yeah. I'm 34. I'm I'm a native Charlotte TN. So I was born in Presbyterian hospital in the eighties. Um, I am, I have an older brother. Uh, he also lives here too. Um, my parents are in town, so we've got, you know, one big happy family here. Um, um, I met my husband in college and, uh, he is from Pennsylvania.

We lived there for five years and when I was seven months pregnant with my first, we moved back to Charlotte, um, for work. And just to be closer to grandparents, we could probably do it the whole podcast on like moving while seven months pregnant. It was insane. This was with your first child too? Yes. So it was easy in the sense that I didn't have, have a baby or a toddler yet to look after, but.

I would pack for an hour and be exhausted, you know, and have to sit down for another hour. So we had a lot of help from family members that lived up there helping us get packed up and all that kind of thing. But, um, it was stressful, but. It was. Okay. So how about like the other, like six months? About month seven, you said you were getting ready to move to Charlotte, but like, I want to know, like, how did you ever fertility journey?

Did you get pregnant right away? Like how did your pregnancy go? Okay. Um, when we were married about a year, I went off the pill and it was not to get pregnant. It was to just let the hormones balance out. You know, I've been on the pill since. I don't even remember how old sad. Um, so did your doctor advise you to do that or is that something you had read about?

I at the time was seeing a, I don't want to say a naturopath, but a chiropractor, but it was more than a chiropractor was more like a wellness type doctor that also did chiropractic in the practice. Um, and so I would just want it to be healthy. I wanted to feel good. Um, so went off the pill. That summer we hadn't been trying, but we had a surprise pregnancy.

That was, um, I was terrified. We hadn't even talked about kids. Yeah. Um, and I was afraid, I didn't know, you know, we were not ready. We were not ready. And I told my husband, I was expecting for him to be upset and no complete opposite. He was so loving. He was. Just saying, this is great. You know, it's going to be fine.

We have other friends who are having kids now it's going to be fine. This is all going to be fine. This is all, you know, this is great. We're having a baby. You know, how old is your oldest right now? He's five. Okay. So you came off the pill and you had an unexpected pregnancy, but your husband was like really excited.

Yeah, it was so sweet and I was terrified and he was okay. Which is usually the opposite of art. How we usually react to things. Um, so it was a pleasant, um, experienced to tell them that. So we went in for the first appointment at, I don't know, seven or eight weeks at the time I was traveling a lot for work too.

So like trying to squeeze in the appointment and all of this was a little bit of, um, I'm shuffling. So we go in and. You know, you're definitely pregnant. You're about seven weeks along. Let's do the ultrasound. We go to the ultrasound and there's a baby and there's a heartbeat, but it was like in the mid eighties.

And, um, I mean, you probably know more about that's a very low heart thing. Yeah. And so it's, I mean, so the doctors, I think prepared us for a loss, but you know, the baby was still there and there was a heartbeat and there was, you know, so that was tough. It was, um, I wasn't expecting that. And I, at that point we hadn't no family members or even friends that had had miscarriages that we knew about, you know?

So this was kind of weird. We weren't prepared for this at all. Um, had you already shared with your family, all your family and friends that you were pregnant? No. Okay. No, we hadn't told anybody. Um, and so. We were planning to tell them labor day. So this was like August and we were a couple of weeks away from getting to the point, you know, where you're supposed to tell people, I guess, in quotes.

Um, so we, I didn't have much bleeding, just a little spotting, but nothing. Significant. Um, and we went back maybe a week or two later, the dates it's blurring out. It's been a couple of years and a lot's happened since then. So we go back and they just like put the wand in and there was no heartbeat and it was very obvious.

Um, and so when you were spotting like a couple of days before, like, did you kind of feel, or have an instinct like that maybe you're miscarrying. It was, the spotting was, um, It didn't make me feel any kind of way. Honestly, it was, it was nervous nerve wracking because you know, the, the, what you learn in fifth grade health class, they tell you, you don't get your period when you're pregnant, you know?

And so it was scary, but at the same time, it just, there's nothing you can do. There's nothing you can do. Um, so we ended up, we did the DNC the next day. Um, And it was emotional. And at that point I had, by this time I had told my mom and I think I told my best friend and we had told some of our local family members.

Um, so who went with you to this DNC? My husband. Okay. Just him. Yeah. Yeah. He took good care of me and it was emotional, but it was all right. Um, you know, we made it through and I rested and, and, and all that. So after that, even though we weren't, we hadn't like had this big conversation, like. We're, you know, cause this was a surprise pregnancy, so it kind of took us off, off guard.

Um, but after that it was kind of like both of us decided like the only thing that's going to heal our hearts is to. Try again. Yeah. You know, but it was scary. Your first pregnancy ending and miscarriage is kind of daunting, you know, and nobody prepares you for that. No. And at that point afterward, we heard, you know, grandparents or parents or friends that had, you know, had miscarriages have to be shared our story with a couple of people.

And that makes you feel a little better. Um, I think you sharing the story right now is going to comfort a lot of people that are listening. Yeah. So. Um, we tried again for six or seven months, um, and didn't have anything. And I was at my wit's end, you know, I was like B got accidentally pregnant before.

Why can't we do it again on purpose. Um, and just as I was like about to make an appointment with the doctor and say, what's up with this, you know, um, we found out. Then I was pregnant again. So did you just miss your period or did you feel a certain way? How'd you like what kind of clued you in that you were pregnant?

The first was the tingling in the boobies. Okay. Can I say that? Yeah, it's an explicit. Yeah. So like very different than just like your normal period. I never, I never had that sensation during periods. It wasn't a symptom of mine, so, so that's a really obvious symptom. Yeah. So I was like, Hmm. You know, Light bulb went off.

This could be something. And then pretty much the day after I missed my period, because I was very regular. Um, I knew. Yeah. So I took the test and it was positive. And that was that. Yeah. Okay. So were you with your husband when he took the test? Yes, we were both home. Um, I don't even know if I told him if I was going to take it or not.

Um, but we had been trying, so it wasn't a total surprise. So, um, uh, yeah, stairs and he was watching football or golf or something, and I told him, and he didn't have that great of a reaction the second time. I think he was scared and nervous and he was like, well, we'll see. What happens in the next couple of weeks.

So yeah, as hard as you say that that's so hard. So that was hard, but, um, we went to the doctor again and we saw a better heartbeat. I forget what it was, but it was in the one hundreds, you know, it was one 30 to one 60. It was probably around that. I'm sure I have it written down somewhere. Yeah. Um, and so we still didn't tell anyone, this was, let's see.

February March of what year? 2013. Okay. Um, so this is kind of crazy. So we, again, and I was traveling for work. I was working for a corporate bank, um, in commercial lending doing auditing. Um, so I, we lived in Pittsburgh at the time. So I was traveling all around to Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, all these places.

So I was actually in Cleveland this week. Um, Working on an audit and staying in a hotel. And, um, I went to bed. I was about 10 or 11 weeks and I was super nauseous during this pregnancy, which is super normal. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, it got to the point and like throwing up or just the feeling of nausea, no, throwing up.

Okay. Like I wanted to, you know, and so, but it was just like so heavy. It was like, all you can think about didn't know what to do about it. And honestly, I was so sick that I. Got to the point that I wished I wasn't pregnant because I was so sick. Yeah. I don't know if anybody can relate to that. Yeah. It is sad.

A normal feeling. I'll just share with you right now. I had heart palpitations. Like I developed like PVCs and like fainting spells. Wow. Not to scare everybody that's out there, but I remember thinking like I was, I want to live. Yeah. I want to live. I had moments where I was like, I want to live more than I want to be a mom.

And then I would have like horrible guilt. Um, but I think that I'm glad we're having this conversation because I think that there's a lot of moms out there that will have had those moments where you, or so sick, just like when you have the flu and you're like, I would do anything to make this go away.

Right. You know, and then we feel better and then we just let those feelings go. Right. So that was like a hard thing. You were alone in the hotel room. I'm alumna's hotel room. I'm so nauseous. I still have to work, you know, whatever. So, um, and you were just thinking, I just need it all to go away. Yeah, yeah.

That night I'm in a DoubleTree in Cleveland, Ohio, and I go to bed. I wake up in a pool of blood, like. Looked like a murder scene all over the bed, ran to the bathroom. It's like midnight or one o'clock and I go to the, is this. This is kind of gross. Oh, no. Things are probably going to get weird. Or this podcast is about education through storytelling and it is explicit.

And it's here to, um, teach. I say, like, when we were talking about this podcast, like we're going to cry together. We're going to laugh together or we're going to learn together. Okay. Um, but we want to hear it all because like all the things that we're talking about, and like you said, when you had your first miscarriage and like no one had talked about it, like this podcast and this conversation, like, hopefully this is just one more step towards opening up these conversations so that we're transparent and we help other people so that when they wake up in a hotel room and a pool of blood that they know what the next steps might be.

Yeah. So. Again, not prepared for this at all. Yeah. And I had had spotting, but it was more spotting than when I miscarried. This is before sorry, going back. That's okay. I think our readers are tracking. I'm tracking with you. I mean, our readers, listen to me. I think our listeners are dragging. Okay. So, and I had, so I had had more spotting with this.

Um, but again, nothing you can do. And I had gone in for several ultrasounds and everything had been, you know, the heartbeat was fine and there wasn't any, you know, I don't know. Placenta issues at this point or anything. So, um, I was more confident even with the spotting, but yeah, I woke up in this pool of blood.

Um, I mean, it was bad. It was a, it was, Oh, so I run to the bathroom and I've got my cell phone and I'm like pulling my pants down to sit on the toilet, cause stuff was coming out and I passed these huge clots. Like size of my hand. And at this point I'm only 10 weeks pregnant. So there was one that was the size of my hand.

And there was one that was about the size of an egg. Correct. Now, how were you feeling? Were you dizzy? Were you light headed? Do you remember feeling, or were you just feeling scared? Panicked, panicked, panicked. I had my phone. Coincidentally, my husband was in Charlotte at my parents' house because he was on a golf trip.

Um, and he was passing through, he had been in Hilton head and his passing through Charlotte and was going to come and the next day, so I called him. He didn't answer it's the middle of the night. I called the house phone at my parents' house, which they don't even have anymore. Um, and was probably screaming.

And my mom answered and I just said, mom, I lost the baby. Like my baby came out of me, you know, but it was very, very hard. Um, my baby's on the floor. I was just screaming, like my babies on the floor, maybe Florida, she's screaming and she's, you know, I don't know what to do, you know, I'm so sorry. Um, so I didn't know what to do.

So all of this has happened. All this mess was made and I ran to the, um, phone in the hotel room and dialed up the. Front desk, I guess, cause I didn't know what to do. Um, and I don't even remember this woman's name, but it was like having sent angel, she answered the phone and I said, Hey, you know my name's Krista and then room, whatever.

Um, I am like early pregnancy, first trimester, but I think I've just miscarried and there's a huge mess in the room. And I also don't know what's happening. I thought it was hemorrhaging. You know, I thought, I didn't know what was happening at all. Um, you know, I need help and I I'm here from out of town. I don't know anything.

Um, so she was like, okay, hang on. I'm going to call you an ambulance. Everything's going to be okay. You know, um, you know, we're just gonna like, Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry about the hotel room, you know? Yeah. All that stuff. So then the firemen come and the ambulance come and I'm like,  already, by the way, being worried about the hotel.

Yes. I know you are having a trauma. Yeah. So, you know, the, the medics come and, um, it's just like, and this is, this might like prepare you for delivery and stuff because it's just like, Yes, no modesty at all. I'm just like pantless. Yeah. Yeah. And it's horrible. And, um, there's nothing again, nothing you can do about it.

So, um, the medical, they came and they put me on the stretcher and I grabbed my bag and they I'm in Cleveland. So we go to a Cleveland clinic hospital that's close by and you know, it's probably 10 minutes from my hotel, but I don't know where I am so I could have driven myself probably, but I also thought I was like, Losing blood and all of this stuff.

I think everyone listening would have also called and I would have, I wouldn't have even caught the front desk. I was very calm of you don't even know where I think I would have called nine one one, you know, I'm in a hotel room. Sorry. Yeah. So, um, yeah, so the, the front desk called for me. So, um, they showed up and the medics gathered up what had come out of me.

Um, and we're getting in the ambulance and the guy says, I don't think that's your baby. You know? Yeah. And I said, no, it is. I said, you know, I I've been through this before. Um, you know, I know it is like, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but it's over, you know? And I, I can't have kids. Um, so he's like, no, I really don't think it is, but you know, we'll take it to the hospital and the doctors will look at it and you'll check you out.

And. No everything's going to be okay. So we get there and they get me into a room and, you know, time goes by and the ultrasound people will their cart into my emergency room, um, stall, I guess. And she puts the ultrasound. I think it was on my belly at this point. Um, again about 10 or 11 weeks along. And there's my baby.

Like on the screen sitting around, you know, you got two arms, two legs and a head and you can, you know, just literally bouncing Kristin, I didn't know where you you're going with this story, but I am like rejoicing with you right now. Say it was the most, it was the most like darkest place and to the most relief you've ever felt in your life.

So you're, so now you're laying there, but you can actually see your baby. Yeah. That I just like knew was like gone. Oh my God. I know. I know it was so crazy. And of course, like every five minutes, my, my parents are calling my husband's calling, you know, they're, they're crying in my parents' kitchen. You know, all this stuff.

My dad says, shoot, I already told people, you know, thinking. Yeah. Just so excited to jump the gun. So excited. So, um, What had happened was I had a sub chorionic hemorrhage. Yes. Which from what I understand and correct me if I'm wrong is blood pools between the placenta and the uterus wall. That's exactly the definition.

Okay. Yes. I have a client right now who had this exact same story. Okay. She's due January 29th. Oh my gosh. So close. So exciting. So yeah, so, and it was a large one from what, you know, I think relatively large, um, So that's what you had clots that were from the size of your hand. Yeah. And so when you were telling this story, I was hoping that this is where you were going with it.

Um, because I do know for anyone that's listening, this is a possibility not to get everyone's hopes up, um, that they will have, you know, the miracle of not losing their child, but it is possible. To have that hemorrhage, um, between the uterine wall and the placenta. Um, and then from my experiences is that it heals on its own over the course of the pregnancy.

So how did yours do that? So tell me about like, did you bleed again or, um, not to that extent. Um, and the other thing too, really quick with the spotting and the bleeding, um, I was also told early in this pregnancy that. Spotting was totally normal because the cervix becomes more vascular and there's just more blood vessels and stuff down there.

And so anytime it gets irritated, like AK having SAC, having texts, a bowel movement where you have to push anything like that, from what I understand, you can just irritate it a little bit and you might see a little pink or a little red, you know, when you wipe or in a little pantyliner, but. Totally normal.

Yeah. So thank you for reminding us yeah. Of that, because not everybody has that, but a lot of people do, but if a blood clot is coming out of you, that's so scary. Yeah. So I didn't have another event like that. So of course my husband flew up. He literally booked a flight at midnight that night and was on a plane at 5:00 AM and to come get me.

I mean, I was only a couple hours from where we lived, but I was just so shaken up. Um, and literally pantless in the hotel and then you get discharged. Yeah. So how long did you have to stay in the hospital? Five hours, six hours. Okay. And by the time I was ready, I think they let me stay a couple extra hours until my husband got there to take me home.

Um, so he got there. Well, I'm just curious really quick when you're in the hospital, do they give you IV fluids or anything to stop the bleeding or is it just monitoring, you know, just monitoring. So just a natural occurrence that your body is like going through, they just monitor you and then send you once those clots came out.

That was it. There was no more okay. Bleeding or anything. No more clots. Um, It was just a weird thing that happens, I guess you were still in your first trimester. Yeah. So what I understand from this condition too, is that it's very common in the first trimester. I think so. And so the next day we drive home the next day we go to see my OB, um, and she said, she told me the size of it.

I forget what it is, 20 centimeters or something. Um, and she said, what is going to happen is as your baby grows and your uterus gets bigger and there's more. I don't know this probably isn't the right word, but more tension in there are more things are fighting for space. I don't know. Um, any of those will be pushed out and there won't be any room between the placenta and the uterus anymore to gather blood.

I don't know. Um, so she said about when you're about 20 weeks, these things just kind of go away. Um, so she's like, I don't, and she was totally right. Like, I didn't have any other instances. Or that, um, awesome during that. So, yeah. Okay. Crazy. Now we're going to take a short break to just share a few things with you and we'll be right back with our guests.

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Quick, zip products also include a hundred percent happiness guarantee who doesn't love that. So there's no risk in ordering because there's free shipping free returns with us orders. So was the rest of your pregnancy, like uneventful or? Yeah. Okay. The move at seven months. But other than that, like blood pressure is like, you felt good.

Did the nausea subside? Um, yeah, about 15 weeks. About 15 weeks. Okay. And did you ever have to take a medicine for the nausea? No, not for this pregnancy. Okay. Um, so at seven months you moved to Charlotte? Yes, I'm sure. Did you unpack your boxes? I had a lot of help. My mom helped me a lot. Um, and a lot of our stuff was, went into storage.

Cause we were, we were living, we moved into a townhome even from a house and do a townhome, knowing that we would buy a house at some point, um, being so pregnant, like we just had to get like the first thing I could find that was yes. Good. Um, so. We had a little less stuff yeah. After we moved. So that was nice.

Um, so we haven't got all settled. I finally could decorate the nursery cause I knew we were moving. I couldn't really like buy anything yet. So that was fun. You know, all this fun stuff got to happen. Once we moved, we shopped for nursery furniture. And did you have a baby shower here in Charlotte? Yes.

Okay. Couple baby showers. We had a big gender reveal before we moved. So I knew we were having okay with the first, not the second. Um, so yeah, we were so excited. We were so ready. We were having a boy, um, was the first boy in the family on either sides. That was kind of fun for the Korean parents. Um, even if it was a girl, it would have been exciting too.

Um, I'm biased to boys cause I have two of 'em, you know, they're fun. I love boys. Um, Okay. So we get settled in our house. Of course we have a new provider I'm well into the third trimester. So, you know, you've got your appointments often. Um, and again, like nothing substantial going on in the pregnancy, just your normal checkups glucose test, that kind of thing.

Okay. So yeah, so everything's healthy. So did you take any childbirth education classes or hire a doula? Um, so I. Was interested in, on medicated birth, but I wasn't coming add to it. Okay. If that makes sense. That makes absolute sense. I wanted to dabble, so like I read Ima um, I read another book. I can't remember what it is.

Sorry. Um, I wanted to be prepared for any scenario. Okay. Um, I'm sorry. I took this class. It was taught by a doula and there were other duals in the class, like in training, I think. Okay. Um, it was at a birth center that I don't think is. Um, open anymore, but, um, it was a great class. It was a Lamont class, which was more than just your H.

So you learned how to breathe, learn how to breathe. There were a lot of people in the class actually having home births. Okay. Planning for home burrs or birth center births. Um, and I think actually the fact that we were planning on a hospital birth, we were. A rare, there were only a couple of us in the class.

Um, I think the people in the class were maybe more committed to an unmedicated birth than we were, but I just wanted to be prepared. And I also wanted my husband then to feel comfortable with words like vagina or cervix or just all of that kind of stuff. So yeah, I wanted him and to also understand like the different stages of labor and stuff, because I knew he was read the book and while he did protest.

So I'm about going to these classes on Sundays and fall, AKA football time. Yeah. He did go good for him. Yeah. It was like four Sundays, you know? So it wasn't like the Bradley method. Burt's 12 weeks. Cause he wouldn't have done that and more power to the men that. Do that. Cause I think that's so noble and awesome.

And that's amazing. I'm a husband. She's not one of them. So the fact that he was able to go to these classes was pretty good. Uh, again, like with the comfort level for him too. Um, so it was, it was very good. Um, so you, did you feel prepared for your birth by the time you were starting to have like the signs and symptoms of labor?

Yes. Okay. Do you write a birth plan or did you have a birth plan? I did not write it. I had it in my head had, and also my mom was planning on acting as our doula, so we didn't hire one. Um, but my mom was like all in wanting to be there and we wanted her there. I think moms. Make wonderful doulas. Yeah, she was great.

Yeah, because the whole concept is to have someone to support you. Like doula just means woman servant, or a woman character. It's similar. Whether it's like your sister or your mom, or if those two people are available or your best friend, then, then there are trained doulas, you know? But it's so wonderful.

So let's talk about like, The last couple of weeks or the last week, like leading up to your birth, like, how were you feeling? Feeling good? I was active. Um, we lived in a neighborhood that had trails. Um, so I would walk. At least a mile or two every day we have a dog. So that was a good excuse to get outside.

It was November. So it was, Oh yeah, it was cool and crisp. And like, I still had the AC running from the top all the time. Um, but yeah, no blood pressure. Nope. You know, preeclampsia things or anything. So I was feeling very good. Um, we were ready. Yeah. Um, so then how did it happen? So, uh, Let's see, we had just watched a show.

It was a Sunday night. I was 39 weeks and three days. Okay. Um, and we'd like, just turn the TV off to go to bed on Sunday. Um, and I felt like a tightening and I hadn't had Braxton Hicks that I knew of at least, um, throughout the whole pregnancy. So. It was like a little bit painful. So I was like, Oh, maybe this is it.

Of course, like immediately my senses are heightened. Um, 10 minutes later on the second nother, like another tiny, little bit of a painful tightening, um, 10 minutes later, another one. And it was like, Oh my God, I'm going into labor. This is so great. And I just knew it was it, but I knew also knew it was early labor.

And because of the class. And again, I wasn't committed to a natural labor, but I wasn't, isn't like a diehard epidural. Like I have to have it. I, it was a kind of like a, let's see what happens. Okay. You know, I think that's a great attitude to have. So, um, I didn't want to feel guilty if I got one and I didn't want to feel pressured into not having one because I made a decision before I knew what anything was going to be like.

So, um, let's see. Yep. Contraction started around 10 o'clock on the Sunday night. So I tried to lay there, but I was just excited and the adrenaline was starting to go. And, um, I let my husband sleep. I don't know if he did or not. I think he did. Um, but I, because of the class, I was prepared to labor at home for a long time.

We had the puzzles out, we had the birth ball ready that I'd already been sitting on for weeks. Um, you know, I, I was. Ready. I knew what to do. So I go downstairs and I unload the dishwasher and I just kind of tidy up the kitchen a little bit and just try to stay busy. Um, were you timing contractions or were you just letting them pop in?

I was, no, I was timing them on whatever app I had on my phone. Okay. Um, so, and they were regular and they weren't stopping. Cause I knew to get up and do something and if they stopped, then it wasn't labor of course, but they never stopped. Um, and it got to be the middle of the night and. It's always the middle of the night when you're already tired, like tired, you've already been awake all day, you know, poor us sleep, poor moms.

And like, why is it that last sleep is your last day? I know from a science perspective, like why it's at night, but poor, you know, So I know. So like three o'clock in the morning I take a shower. Okay. Because I went in to have blood right hair. I love it a little bit, you know, look okay in pictures. I cannot tell you how many of my clients I get there.

And they're like blow, drying their hair. And I'm like, you're adorable. But that means you're in early labor. My second labor, you will see, we are talking about that total opposite. So, um, And blow dried my hair. I put on makeup at like four o'clock in the morning, you know, whatever. And, um, around six, it got to the point though, like, I couldn't really like talk through them.

Um, but they weren't, they were maybe five minutes apart at this point, like I had to breathe. I had to like lean over and like breathe through the contraction, but it wasn't anything. But you'd had you slept now. Okay. And I try to like lay down at first, but I was just, right. So basically you had already been in like the early labor for eight hours and have not slept.

Yes. So you are tired, I'm assuming you're tired. Yeah. And I, of course had the plan, like in my mental birth plan was to make sure I eat before I go to the hospital. Um, so around six o'clock, my husband like gets up and, you know, he was sleepy, aware, I think all night of what was happening, but. I think once he saw me like having to like lean over and breathe, he was like call the doctor.

We're going. And in my mind, and I knew that I wasn't really anywhere close and that I wanted to stay home, but like, he was like, I think kind of like freaked out. Um, so yeah, the, I called the doctor and they said, okay, come on. Then it is today at 11. 1113. And I was like, Oh, what a cool birthday made 11, 11, the, the person on the phone with the OB GYN said, go ahead and come on.

And it sounds like you're really in labor. Um, so we. I have like a freak out moment. Like this is happening. We're going to have her baby. See, I'm going to get the D already packed to the car and no, no, but we did all those things, you know, got ready to go. So we get to the hospital and I hadn't like told my mom yet.

Then we were, I didn't want to bother her in the middle of the night. If it wasn't anything serious, I knew she would need to be rested and. Uh, in hindsight, we really needed to be rested cause this was long. So we like let her know. So she, you know, we get to the hospital and check in and they check my eyes, Starbucks and triaged, and I was like four centimeters.

Then they said, you're staying. Um, that's a really good, some people get sent home at four centimeters. So I don't know what, how they decide. Who's staying and who contraction. Pattern. Okay. That cause some people can be four centimeters dilated, right? Not in labor, walking around for weeks. Yeah. I actually just had a client that delivered last night.

I'm Monday and she was six centimeters dilated before labor even started with baby number one. So yeah, it really happened. It really has a lot to do with light. Contract. It's not just one thing or another. Okay. Like a bunch of moving parts that all equal labor. I said, you're saying you're having your baby.

Um, so it's like 8:00 AM at this point. I know I had my green smoothie on the way with. You know, protein and all that. So I tried to have like a full meal, but wasn't too heavy on the way. Good job. I eat Bojangles lean to the hospital. It was disgusting. And my birth story, it's like the worst regrets. So high five for green smoothies on the way to labor.

So, um, You were feeling good. We're feeling excited. So we're in the hospital and my mom had her copy of the birth partner book that she had read cover to cover a highlighted dog-eared taking note said she was armed and ready and excited, you know, so yeah. It gets to be new and they checked me again. I'm only five centimeters.

Okay. So that's far, I mean, five is a lot of centimeters dilated, but tell me, like, by feeling, do you like, remember at that point, like I know you were feeling tired. But what were contractions feeling like? Um, I had to stop and breathe through them, but in between I was okay. And they were maybe two to three minutes apart.

I mean, like my dad came to visit, um, and that was fine. I had the hospital that I delivered in had bathtubs. And so we thought maybe if I got in like a warm bath that I would relax a little more and. The contractions would be, would pick up and I would dilate a little more. So I tried that didn't help. So, uh, the doctor wanted to break my water and this was almost like a turning point, right.

Because I wasn't committed to unmedicated, but I also didn't. I was afraid to go down the path of interventions. Um, So were you still about five centimeters when you broke your water? So that was about two o'clock in the end afternoon. They finally break my water. Um, and it wasn't, it was insignificant. Um, it was totally fine, actually.

Not a lot came out. This is a funny story. It's a little funny side note, if you want to hear. Yeah. So my dad had the visit, you know, off and on throughout the day, I think, to like, to help my mom. And I mean, at this point it's like three o'clock in the afternoon. None of us have like eaten, you know, so. And he was excited too.

So, um, he had come to visit and, um, just left the room and I was sitting on a ball and like, my husband was sitting on a chair in front of me and I was Pat leaned over him. We were facing each other and I was leaned over him. And literally, as soon as my dad should the door to the hospital room to leave, my, the rest of my water came out in like, The huge guts.

It was so funny. And like, my dad would have been horrified that, you know, so that was like, as soon as that water broke. Yeah. It was kind of odd. Yeah. So I'm going to interject right here because sometimes when they break the water, the head will almost like reseal. And then when you're on the ball and you're like, rocking, your hips are moving around.

It creates sometimes space for the rest of the water to like break open. Cause when I broke it with the little tool yeah. Really was insignificant. Um, but that, that I was in the bed, but then I got up in a couple, you know, maybe an hour later this happened. So it was funny. Um, And then from that point, I think they checked me and it was seven centimeters.

And the contractions, you know, once that water breaks. Yeah. Uh, the pain really picks up, I guess. Um, and so I was breathing through things, but I was exhausted. And so we made the decision to request the epidural. And how many hours into labor were you at this point? Like almost 24. Um, I want to say about 2020 at this point is probably about five o'clock at night.

That's a long time. The contractions weren't that bad up until the point, you know, and the pet that I was so tired and all of that, um, kind of helped us decide, like we need, we need this. The number one reason my clients get an epidural is because of fatigue, not pain. Yeah. They just want some rest. Right?

They're like, I can handle the next contraction, but I just want to go to sleep. Yeah. So were you kind of feeling that, like you just wanted a break or was the pain, like, I need the pain to go away. I, he was afraid of the ring of fire, to be honest, to be perfectly honest. I was afraid of that. Okay. My whole pregnancy.

Right. And so I said, God, if this is this bad, now it's only going to get worse. Right. I don't know where, and we can revisit this after my second kid is born because yeah. Yeah. I have a client that literally likes saying this girl

as she felt during a buyer. Wow. Good for her. That's great. So you had heard about this ring of fire, which. Happens just at the delivery, but you were like, I need that to not happen to me. I just can't deal with that. Yeah. Okay. I will never be right again. So when you made the decision, like, get me the epidural, like how long did it take for the anesthesiologist to get there maybe 45 minutes or so?

I mean, and I wasn't like begging for it, you know? And did you already have an Ivy or did they have to put a knife? When I arrived at the, when I got into the delivery room from the tree garage, they put in the Hep lock. So it was in, but I wasn't. Ha getting any fluids, dead weight, I guess maybe at this point I had had some fluids.

Okay. But yeah, when I got to the hospital, they put that in, but then I was able to walk around and go out outside. They have like a little outside area, which was nice. Yeah. That's what I had wanted to do. I wanted to keep moving. I knew that that was part of it. Yeah. Um, and so, yeah, so everything was ready.

They had already taken the, you know, done the lab work and I had the fluid, so it was like ready. We were ready for the epidural. Yeah. Once the anesthesiologist was there. So he came in into that and he got, I hated that. I just, I'm sorry to scare anybody, but. It's okay. Tell your, this is your  okay. Physical like activity.

Okay. Um, so let's share with everybody a little bit about what it's like to get an epidural, because I also had an epidural with one of my birds and, um, I remember like having to just be really still and curl over. Yeah. But then the contractions keep coming. So what was stuck? Yeah. So for you, like what was the most uncomfortable part of the epidural?

It was probably more of the mental, like, Oh my gosh, there is a huge needle going in. Yeah, my spine. Okay. This is scary. Yeah. Yeah. Did they show you the needle? Okay. So you're just envisioning what it might look like. Okay. Picturing it to be way bigger and worse than it actually was. Um, so yeah, we got the epidural and it was fine.

And I think I had a good epidural because I could still move my legs. Um, but I couldn't feel much, however, it gave me the shakes. Aura, maybe that was Draper. Yeah. I had the shakes so bad that I couldn't. Lay down and rest. Okay. So that was kind of a, that was a big disappointment. So for everyone listening, the shakes are like super normal and they're like a very annoying part of labor and they can also happen like right after delivery too.

So I'll put some information about the shakes and the show. Okay. Yeah. That's a good, good idea. Because again, it's something I was not yeah. Prepared for it. Yeah. So a couple hours go by and yeah, like. My husband and my mom took shifts going to get something to eat in the cafeteria and you know, a little breather.

Yeah. Um, and then around, and then we got to the point where you decided, Oh, the birthday is going to be 11, 12, 13, even though I'd gone to the labor on the 10th. Yeah. Technically. But I was like, Oh, wait, that's even cooler birthday than 1111. Right. So I like it. So add a little ring to it. It's fun. So, um, and that was fine.

So around midnight they come and check me. And, um, 10, I guess I'm complete, I guess I'm completed at this point. I had had a friend recently before this who had had a baby a couple months before me and she pushed for four hours. And so I was heightened to that and I was sensitive to that. And I said, I don't really feel pressure though.

So I just kind of want to labor down until I really feel the urge because I don't want that to happen to me. Cause that was scary. Yeah. And for everyone that's listening. I am a hundred percent an advocate for laboring down. So 10 centimeters is just one of the, um, parameters that we're looking for, but the station of the baby, meaning like where the baby is, is that head high?

Is that head low? Is the head engaged in the pelvis? Like that's really important. And let me tell you, if you are not feeling that. Urge to bear down the baby is high . I think it's really important to like, save your energy and let the baby come down. So it's good to hear you say that. That's what you wanted to do.

Yeah. And so they let me do that for maybe an hour or two more. Okay. And they finally, I think were like, okay, this girl has got to have this baby. Okay. Um, so around 1:00 AM they're like, okay, we're going to start pushing. So, you know, you do a couple pushes while the one nurse watches and then to practice and you see what's happening.

And I don't know what they could see or couldn't see at this point. So all I know is we're pushing, um, again, at this point I've been awake for almost 48 hours. So, and you know, I had that smoothie. But that was a long gun. I might've had like half of a Popsicle. Well, at some point, so I was just cooked. And then I meant to ask you to rate before you started pushing when you were having the shakes and stuff, did you ever vomit?

No. Nope. Okay. No. Yeah. Um, so I almost wanted to though, because I knew that was transition. I get from those classes, like in the Ima I knew the signs, like if I could just get to the vomiting. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, Yeah. So we started pushing and pushing and pushing. Um, finally, and I like didn't want a mirror because I was afraid to see things, um, that I can't unsee.

Yeah. Um, but I got to the point with that I was asking for a mirror cause I, I couldn't feel anything. You know, and you needed some motivation. Yeah. And, um, so they brought it in and then finally I was able to get it, push her. We could see a little bit of the head. Um, and so that was good. And plus I could kind of feel how to push, um, put her whole it's hard.

Yeah. It's hard because. If it's good and heavy and it takes your pain away, it also makes it difficult to feel, you know, the, either the natural ejection reflex occurring that you can work with, you know? So I absolutely, I was their understanding. Yeah. Very hard. Yeah. Um, yeah. So did you feel like the mirror like really helped you like, okay, what I'm doing is I could tell like physically what I was doing.

Was working. Yeah. And then I could try to recreate that on the next push. Yeah. Okay. So I ended up pushing for like an, I think an hour and 45 minutes. Yeah. And it, I felt like an eternity and it was very scary for me. I don't know. I think I was just really tired, but also like what they've got, like the heart rate monitor on and like, maybe they shouldn't have said this, but like, Oh, the heart rate is low.

The heart rate is changing and I'm like salary. Then I'm starting to panic. Oh my gosh. Just take me back. Get this baby out. I want the baby in my arms. I don't want to do this anymore. Like I'm I. I'm worried for his safety. Now, I think one of the things too, that there are many heart decelerations that are indications of an emergency.

Right. Um, but I, in 14 years I have rarely, I mean, maybe one or two birds ever seen a baby be born without heart decelerations. Right. Because they understand when the head is being compressed and there's no amniotic fluid. Right. Over and over and over again, there are some natural decelerations that occur, but it's more important that when the contraction is over, what happens to the right.

And I, from what I understand, everything was fine in between. You can track your son was decelerating a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. But I don't think that hearing that just scares me. Yeah. And you're just already giving me a healthy my arms. I'm like, C-section, let's go. Yeah. And you know, we weren't there. So.

Then he was born. I don't know. It was so foggy at that point, which makes me so sad. Um, yeah, but it just, I mean, it, he was born at 3:45 AM. Um, Oh my goodness. That is such a long labor. So it's not uncommon. I know it's not uncommon. It's just really long. And like, people probably think I'm crazy thing. I had a 30 hour labor and it's like, no, you really didn't.

But I mean, contractions started and they didn't stop until he was born. So I don't know. Yeah, no, it's, I've been with, um, women before for almost 50 hours. Oh my gosh. Like where I'm like, I have to take a nap. So it is 30 is a long labor and you got all the way to seven centimeters dilated totally naturally like almost 24 hours.

And like, that's amazing. You're a rock star. Like if have a million people haven't told you, you are a rockstar, like you are a rockstar, so you pushed him out. I pushed him out. Everything was fine. And. You know, I was just so relieved. Cause like after the miscarriage and after the sub chorionic hemorrhage and all that.

Yeah. I mean, I just wanted to hold my baby. And so it was just so emotional and, um, it was just great. My mom was there. My mom like got his first cries on video. Um, so. Do you just remember, like holding him, like staring at him, like, it was just like, I'm so glad you're here. I love you so much. You know, we're going to get these lights off.

We're just going to be you and me, you know, it's going to be, yeah. We're together. Amazing feeling in the world. So did your husband cut the cord? Yes, he did. You know, in my mental birth plan, I was like delayed cord clamping, all of this. And, and, and my husband was on board with that. Um, and he saw the.

Doctor put the clamp on and he's like, Oh no. Take the clamp off. So I don't know. It's a crazy, I'm assuming that I don't know. We delayed didn't I think he did undo the clamp. Yeah. For a couple minutes, but I don't know. I feel really good. I feel like everything was like out the window, you know? But still the fact that you guys were trying to advocate for something that you wanted at the ankle.

Yeah. I know we have a plan and then we just, at the end of the day, you're like healthy baby in my ass right now. Absolutely. Let some of that stuff go, which is, you know, really good. Well, it's been really amazing hearing your whole life. Journey like through your pregnancies and getting your son here safely.

And you did such an amazing job with the labor and I'm on another episode. So if you guys like loved it hearing from Kristin, you are going to die. When you hear that our second birth was very precipitous. So the world just kind of took care of that long, first labor. So we're going. Um, so on our next episode, we're going to hear like part two of Christine's journey.

But before we get to that, tell me, like, what are your favorite like baby products or did you have a favorite baby product that you used? You know what it is, and this is so helpful. Is these quick zip sheets? Oh my gosh, everybody needs these. You guys, a crib, um, crib sheets are. Such a pain to change in my opinion, and are yes, 100%.

And so, and I will say this is maybe a controversial subject, but I'm a bumper mom. Okay. So I have the bumpers on. So the crypt sheet is even harder to change. Yeah. So what these sheets are, is it under the mattress and up over, and then there's a zip or that zips on the top. Of the crib. And so you just like zip off the dirty, the only change the part of the cribs sheet that you need, the JV touches that were real.

And then you sip on it like a clean one. Well, Kristen, thank you so much. Thank you really nice to hear your story and to get to know you. Thanks to quick zip crim sheets for sponsoring today's episode and verbiage Kristin and so many moms. Favorite baby product quick. Zip offers, great starter packs.

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And there is that hundred percent happiness guarantee.

Thank you for listening to birth story, Michael is you'll walk away from each episode with a clear picture of how labor and delivery might go, and that you will feel empowered by the end of your pregnancy to speak up plan and prepare for the birth you want. No matter what that looks like.

I am so excited to tell you about my first book that I wrote that is launching this summer. It's a 42 week guide to your pregnancy. It's a collection of birth stories. It has a ton of doula advice from all of the questions that my clients have asked me over the last 14 years. It has hysterical partner tips that you will want to read to your partner.

And it has journaling prompts because nobody has time to write a 20 pages in their journal about their pregnancy. So I've taken the Liberty to give you some prompts of things that I think you might want to remember back on after the baby's born. So again, you can go to birth story.com and preorder a copy today, and it would mean the world to me.

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