A Peaceful Change of Plans: Jen’s Lifecycle WomanCare Birth Story

My June 17, 2018 due date passed without labor, but I knew it was just an estimate. Spoiler alert: my daughter was born on July 3rd.

On the 1st, Mike and I arrived at Bryn Mawr Hospital for my induction. I was nervous, but at 42 weeks I was also ready to not be pregnant anymore. We knew that our baby was measuring just over 10 pounds, but learned after checking in that we were at risk for shoulder dystocia. We headed back home after a membrane sweep. I called the next morning to schedule a cesarean and tried to make peace with the change in plan.

I had cramping all night from the sweep. I remember Mike wondering how soon I’d get scheduled. Would he be getting a bundle of joy for his July 5th birthday?
My cramps continued, but I went to the orchard with my mom. In the afternoon my cousin called me from Iowa and her choral group sang to me on speaker phone.

After a few songs I had to hang up because my back cramps were becoming unbearable. I called LWC and started timing the contractions. Not long after, my water broke and we headed back to Bryn Mawr. I got to labor at the hospital without an epidural, but by the next day I’d been at 6 cm for hours and there were no lows between my contractions anymore.

I agreed it was time for a cesarean. I surprised myself and didn’t feel afraid at all. We waited for shift change and Autumn picked up where Gazelle left off. I felt totally at peace in the OR and in no time at all Belén Abigayle was by my side, born in the same hospital as my mom, my brothers, and I.