Birth Stories Series: Rebecca's Story of Natalya's Birth

Guest Writer, Rebecca Hope

My story is different then anyone else I have talked to about giving birth. They always say no one will have the same story to tell because everyone's experiences are different. Mine was just that, different and not what I had planned or expected.

It seemed as though every night I would wake up with horrible contractions and for two months, the doctors told me that my baby could come any day now. I wasn't due til November 1st, but when I went to my regular appointment to the doctors the second week of September, I was told I was going into preterm labor and had to be taken to the hospital to have two sets of steroid shots poked in my butt so that in case the baby needed to come early, her lungs would be strong enough to survive.

So I was on bed-rest since September and had to quit my job and stay at home to make sure nothing else could happen. Like I said, it seemed every night my contractions were getting worse and worse and we would go to the hospital every night thinking the baby was coming and then be set home hours later and exhausted from false alarms.

On the early morning of October 19th, I woke up around 2am in a lot of pain. Tons of pain. I was screaming, punching the wall, and crying. My boyfriend at the time, now husband, asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital. I kept telling him no, its ok, they'll just send me home since the baby still had two weeks til she was due.

I then started feeling extremely sick and then started to throw up all over the floor. In the bathroom, bedroom, and living room. I then told him I think I want to go to the hospital. I could barely walk and there was no way he would be able to carry me down the flight of stairs so he started helping me get on my shoes (I was in PJ's) and then as he was going to the door, I threw up all over myself. But we had to go. No time to clean up.

So he got me into the SUV and drove to the hospital. I was trying so hard not to puke all in his car. The pain was horrible. I was pretty much laying on the floor in the front seat. So we got there and a police took me inside while he parked the car. This was around 3am now.

I was in lots of pain and the nurse put me in a triage room and hooked me up to the monitors like they always did. She measured me at 2cm dilated. She left the room and I started feeling really sick. I yelled at my boyfriend (husband) to go get the nurse. He couldn't find her and I couldn't find a trash can so I threw up all over myself again. And then again and again. Finally he found her and she came back and it had only been a few minutes and measured me again and I was now 10cm dilated.

She started calling people and they pushed me out of the room toward the delivery room and she was telling me "You're having a baby right now". I was shocked and scared. I told her I didn't want to have the baby today. I wasn't ready yet. i had only been to one Lamaze class and that was just an into to getting to know each other. It was too early for the baby. I had a couple weeks left.

I can remember being pushed into the delivery room and it was a huge room. Large tv screens everywhere and 6 nurses and one doctor. I was throwing up so bad. I was laying on my left side and throwing up in a bucket on the side of the bed while they are telling me to push. I remember hearing one guy ask if I wanted the epidural now and the doctor responding, "There isn't any time, its too late, the baby I can already start seeing the head. You are just going to have to push and do this the all natural way".

I was so scared because I can't even take a bee sting. I'm terrified of pain and didn't think i could do this. I was crying and the nurse grabs my face, puts her hand over my mouth and says "Whatever you do, do not open your mouth. Just push when you feel a contraction. Yelling, talking, or screaming will just make it worse".

So I did. Every time I had a contraction, I tried to push. But instead, I just threw up. So every time I threw up, I pushed the baby out more. My boyfriend (husband) held the bucket for me on the side of the bed and held my left leg in the air. I was on my side through the entire delivery. I was in so much pain, I couldn't even open my eyes through the entire time. I kept throwing up until my baby was born. Once she was finally out, I stopped throwing up. Throwing up while delivering was the only way I could do this with no pain killers because it went fast. It was only about 20 mins and then it was over.

Our brand new baby girl

At 4:06am, I had a little girl that was my own. I was asked if I wanted to hold her, but I was in so much pain, I said no. I can't hold her right now. Please give her to her daddy. I still had my eyes closed and I felt the nurse slapping my face and telling me I had to open my eyes. I realized for a second I slipped into a state of shock.

I couldn't move or respond to anything. The pain overtook my body and I just wanted to kill myself. But I finally was able to open my eyes and all the people were gone. Just one nurse left in the room cleaning up the baby and talking to me about how now I had to try and go to the bathroom. OMG, you're kidding right? She said I had to. I went with her and tried and nothing would happen, the pain was too intense. So they had to make me go by other means.

After it was all over, I finally got to hold my baby. She was 2 weeks early, 7 pounds, 6 ounces and we named her Natalya Elise. It took them 4 hours to get a room for me up in the hospital. So we laid in the delivery room until then. This was no ordinary hospital. It was more like a palace for giving birth. It had huge rooms and everything you could ask. it reminded me more of like staying in a hotel.

The rooms at the hospital where we were after the baby was born. The rooms have vaulted ceilings and can accommodate your whole family for visits and stays while mommy and baby rest in bed.

We were taken up to the room and after being there for only a day, they told us it was time to go home. After we left the hospital, I had the realization that I was now responsible for another life and I would never be the same person again. I had now a little baby that was going to be with me forever and ever.

My recovery was a bit hard since the pain stayed with me for a few months. I could not use the bathroom right for anything. the only way I could pee was in the shower with boiling hot water running. Otherwise, I screamed too bad to go. I could not sit down properly for a month and a half because it felt as though needles were poking me and all this pressure as if someone was punching me there.

But months later, the pain went away and I felt normal again and was able to feel like myself again. I don't think I would want to go through childbirth that way again. It was quite an experience to go through it without even Tylenol. Something that I was happy to be done with but got the most precious this out of it in return.

Natalya Elise Hope

Born: October 19th, 2006

Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies

Orlando, Florida

7 pounds 6 ounces

19.5 inches long

Proud Parents: Reggie & Rebecca