Gabriella, 4 months

It was Saturday, July 31, 2005 when I went into labor. Earlier that evening, my husband and I had gone out to dinner with all of our friends. At 5 a.m. I woke up to use the restroom and I remember feeling really heavy and wondering when this baby would finally come out! As soon as my feet touched the floor, I felt a gush of water...I realized that my water had just broken.

My original plan was to labor at home until my contractions became regular. My doctor said we could remain at home as long as the baby's movements were normal. However, after 20 minutes of no fetal activity, we both started becoming really anxious and decided we would be a lot calmer if we went to the hospital.

Right before I left for the hospital, I called my doula to let her know that I was in labor. As soon as she picked up the phone she said "Feri, please don't tell my your going into labor, one of my other clients went into labor an hour ago and I'm going to meet her at St. John's hospital right now". My doula said she would call her backup and have her meet me at the hospital.This was probably the worse news she could have given me!!! I tried to stay calm and fight back the tears. I kept reminding myself that everything happens for a reason.

We got to the hospital at 7 a.m. Although I was only 1 centimeter dilated, they kept me at the hospital because my water had broken. At 10 a.m., I still wasn't having regular contractions, so the nurse asked me if I wanted pitocin to speed up the labor. I refused because I felt it was too early to get hooked up to an IV and be confined to a hospital bed. Instead, I asked if I could try to naturally speed up the labor by walking. She agreed.

So I walked around Cedars for an hour. The nurse checked me again around 11:30 and I was 2 centimeters dilated. Happy with this progress, she allowed me to just hang out in triage and wait for my labor to speed up. At 2 p.m. my contractions were still very random...coming every 20-30 minutes. This time the nurse insisted that I get pitocin. She advised me that I would run the risk of getting a C-section if I didn't deliver within 24 hours of the time my water broke. So I made a deal with the nurse.

I told her that I wanted to try to naturally induce labor again by walking for another two hours. If by 5 p.m. my contractions weren't getting stronger, then she could give me pitocin....she said OK. So there I was again, walking the halls of Cedars. To my chagrin, the walking didn't make any difference. So at 5 p.m. I asked for the pitocin and I called the back-up doula to come.

The doula arrived just as the pitocin started to really kick-in. She had brought a birthing ball with her, which was probably the most helpful tool during my labor. I spent the next 5 hours on the birthing ball breathing and softly moaning through my contractions.

The doula was sitting behind me rubbing my back. She was amazing!!! I kept reminding myself to stay relaxed, to keep my muscles relaxed and let the contractions do their job. The combination of the birthing ball, the doula massaging me, the dark room and the soft music helped me get through 5 hours of pretty intense labor.

At 11:30 p.m. the nurse checked me again. After 5 1/2 hours of labor, I had only dilated 1 1/2 centimeters!!! I had gone from 2 to 3 1/2 centimeters. Part of me wanted to scream, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!", but I had prepared myself for this possibility.

At this point, I had a major decision to make about getting pain medications. Do I get an epidural or do I continue trying for a natural birth? My contractions had become so painful that I could barely breath through them. Plus, I had to dilate another 7 centimeters in 5 hours so that I would fall within the 24 hour time limit. I was honest and realistic with myself and knew that my best bet was to get the epidural. So at 12:00 a.m. I got the epidural. It was amazing, I went from being in the most intense pain to feeling nothing!

I rested for the next 5 hours while the pitocin and epidural did their jobs. At 5 a.m. the nurse checked me again and said the I was ready to push. I was so happy and shocked at the same time. I couldn't believe that I had dilated so quickly. At 5:30 a.m. my doctor arrived and 30 minutes later my baby girl was born. It was one of the most amazing moments of our lives.

I feel extremely blessed to have had such an amazing birth. Looking back, I realize that everything did happen for a reason. For instance, when I first found out that my doula wasn't going to be at my labor, I was devastated. But it ended up being a blessing in disguise. The back-up doula was amazing. Plus, my own doula finished with her other client early and was able to make it to my labor. So during the most intense part of my contractions, I had TWO doulas, one was massaging my back and the other was helping moan through the contractions!!! It's funny how life works out!

One of the biggest lessons I've learned from motherhood is to always enjoy the process rather than trying to control it. Whatever is meant to happen is going to happen. All you can do is live in the moment and count your blessings!

To all the future mommies reading this story, I just want to congratulate you on the amazing journey you're about to embark on.

Sincerely,

Feri Ebrahimi