Preston's Birth Story

As I had mentioned before, I had been having mild contractions pretty regularly for a couple of weeks.  On Monday, June 25th, I noticed that they were beginning to change.  They were slightly stronger, and just...different.  It's hard to explain how, but they were just different.  They sort of wrapped around my abdomen slowly instead of just appearing like before.  We went to bible study that night, and they continued.  I actually had a few people mention that it looked like I would be going any day now.  I had the same feeling.  I knew that it was finally getting close.  We went home that night, and Jaidyn and I decided to have a little girls night.  She slept in my bed with me and we watched Cadet Kelly.  She fell asleep, and I tried to fall asleep.  I slept off and on from around midnight to 2:30am.  I had taken an ambien, and it had no effect on me.  I still woke up because of the contractions, which were starting to get stronger.  I started timing them around this time.  I honestly don't remember how far apart they were...I would assume 7-10 minutes.  They were definitely getting stronger though, and I got out of bed around 4am.  I called my mom around that time, and told her what was going on but that I would walk around and see if anything progressed.  I walked around for a bit and I began to notice a slight rectal pressure.  Hmmm, this was new.  I woke Kyle up around 4:30am.  He and I sat in the nursery for awhile and timed contractions.  After awhile we went downstairs to have some breakfast, then went back upstairs so that I could shower.  We called our Doula, Trish, to let her know that the contractions were picking up and that I was having pressure.  We talked about how since I could still talk and walk okay through my contractions to wait it out a bit and call her around 7am.  Kyle and I hung out in the baby's room for awhile longer, talking while I did my hair.  Around 6:30am, things were really picking up, particularly the pressure.  I had Kyle call the doula back, and when Kyle told her, "Meagan says she feels like the baby is about to come out of her butt (that's seriously what it felt like!)" she told us to get our booty's to the hospital.  We woke up Jaidyn, got her dressed, grabbed a few last minute items, and hoped in the car.  We were on the road by 7am.  Being in labor in the car is miserable.  Every bump and turn in the road makes your contractions so much worse!  Thankfully, the contractions didn't get really bad until we were close to Champaign.  We  pulled into the hospital parking lot at 8am, where we met our doula.  My mom and dad were both on their way to the hospital to keep in eye on Jaidyn.  Kyle wheeled me upstairs with sweet little Jaidyn by my side, holding my hand as we went up.  When we first arrived, all 6 of the labor rooms were full, so I went into the triage room. 

One of the nurses checked me and I was at a 5.  This is when my contractions got pretty bad.  I had a horrible time focusing, and would not have gotten through those contractions without my doula there (she was invaluable, and I highly recommend that everyone who can, hire a doula for their birth!  My experience would not have been the same without her.).  She showed me how to lean on her a certain way and rock back and forth, and it helped me get through those contractions while I was in that room.  Somewhere between 8:45 and 9am (I think), we were moved into a labor room.  I got on the bed as one of the nurses struggled to get my IV in me.  It took her forever, and my hand was bleeding all over the place. The nurse checked me again, and I was already at a 9.  I went from a 5 to 9 in a ridiculous amount of time!  I was in a lot of pain from the contractions and pressure at this point.  It was a pain that I will never be able to describe.  The pressure was almost unbearable.  Within minutes, my water broke.  It felt amazing.  Immediately that intense pressure that I felt before was minimized.  What seemed like seconds after my water broke I felt the urge to push.  That urge is unlike anything I have ever felt before.  I wrapped my arms around Kyle neck and pulled him as closely to me as I could.  I held on to him so tightly as I bared down and pushed.  I let out these yells and noises that I didn't even know existed within myself.  Apparently my parents heard me from the waiting room!  With what felt like one giant, everlasting push (my midwife said she thought it was 5 pushes total, but it felt like one big one to me!  Everything was such a blur in that moment, it was all so intense.), I felt my baby boy emerge from my body.  First his head, which was by far the hardest part to push out.  Then I felt his tiny little body slide out of me.  It felt so amazing.  It feels weird to say that, but it did.  Pushing was the part that terrified me the most.  I kept reading other women's stories about feeling the ring of fire when their baby's emerged from them and I waited for that as I pushed my own baby out.  But I didn't feel it.  Pushing was great.  It was the best part.  All I could think about in the moment was, "you are going to meet your baby soon...push!!."  The strength that you feel in that moment is unbelievably amazing.  You don't think that you are going to be able to do it, but you do.  I even remember saying to the nurses, midwife, and my doula right before I pushed, "I don't know what I'm doing!"  "Yes you do," they said, and they were right.  In that moment, your body knows exactly what to do.  All I can say is that God designed it so perfectly.  We spend so much time saying, "Thanks a lot Eve.  You ticked God off and now we have to deal with the horrible pains of childbirth."  But we don't realize how amazing the act of birthing a child is.  We don't realize that God gives us the strength to get through it.  I am glad that I felt everything, because if I hadn't felt the pain I wouldn't have felt the amazingness (that's a word, right??) of it all either.  After I pushed that giant push, I heard the most amazing sound!  My sons little cry.  And there he was, on my chest.  The most beautiful little boy I had ever laid eyes on.  All I could do was cry and kiss him over and over again.  I could not believe that he was finally in my arms!

I could not have done it without Kyle.  He was so strong.  As I held him closely, he kept telling me how amazing I was doing, and it helped me so much.  I had already warned him ahead of time that I would probably not be pleasant to him during my labor; that I would not want to be touched or talked to.  It was completely the opposite.  I needed him.  That is why without even thinking I grabbed a hold of him and held him as tightly as I could.  I depended on him completely to get me through.  That moment in the delivery room brought us so much closer.  After Preston was on my chest, the three of us cried and smiled and kissed and were just in pure bliss!  It was one of the most intense but wonderful moments of my life.  I am so glad that my son is finally here.  I feel like our family is finally complete.  Within minutes of his arrival, Jaidyn walked in the room to meet her little brother.  That moment was so special.  I had waited and waited for the moment when we were finally a family of four.  And it couldn't have gone any more perfectly than it did.

Preston Beauregard Creel was born on June 26th, 2012 at 9:17am, after an extremely fast, natural birth.  He was 7lbs 4 oz, and 21 inches long!  He has such long fingers and toes, and has his daddy's nose!  He was and is perfect in every way.  He has the most beautiful head of golden, blond hair, and adorable chubby cheeks that I can't stop kissing!  For his first few days of life, he made this adorable little snort sound that I hope to never forget, and smelled absolutely amazing!  I love everything about him, and I am so glad that he is here!  Thank you God for my perfect little boy :)

Preston~1 week old!