Samson's Birth Story
On September 28th, 2017 I was 39 weeks pregnant to the day. That was the day I went into labor with our beautiful baby boy. I didn't have a birth plan, or doula- I didn't want all of that. If anyone knows me I worry a lot. I stress over things that haven't even happened or possibly won't happen. That is just my nature, and I am working on it. So, for this huge event that I clearly had no control over I chose to let go and let God. My plan was to trust my body, the doctors, and the Lord.
I remember that day so vividly. I had such a busy schedule the day before (on the 27th) that I purposefully made no plans for the following day. I stayed home, cleaned up a little, watched the Great British Baking Show, and relaxed. It was around noon when I started to notice a couple things with my body. I had showered and then around 1pm I lost my mucus plug. Tim was out working and I didn't want to make a big deal about it but internally I was in shock. I knew this meant that my body was preparing itself for the baby's arrival. Before texting my family or husband I looked online to see as to how long it would take to go into labor. I read it could take a couple hours or even a week. Of course, I thought I would fall into the latter group of it all. Shortly after I called Tim. I remember tearing up on the phone and trying to find the right words to describe what happened and how I felt without crying. My sweet husband suggested me to call my doctor to let him know what happened which I did since I was considered "high risk pregnancy" due to my epilepsy.
At around 2:55pm I felt a little cramp lasting for less than a minute. Then again at 3:17pm. I didn't think much of it, but at the same time I wrote everything down because I hadn't felt any kinds of contractions, or Braxton Hicks up until that point. I ate a light lunch and carried on with my day. After watching another episode of the Great British Baking Show I went upstairs to the restroom, washed my hands and just like that at 5:00pm my water broke. At this point I realized the baby was coming within the next 24 hours. A rush of emotions filled my body. Everything from excitement to worriment all came flooding my entire being within seconds. Now, before this happened Tim and I joked around saying Samson would come during rush hour, and what do you know- HE DID! I immediately called Tim again and this time I really sounded concerned and told him it was time to go to the hospital.
At 6pm we left our home and of course we hit rush hour traffic as we both had predicted. Tim drove on the shoulder for majority of the trip with the emergency lights on until we made it to the hospital. We were admitted into triage around 7pm and I still hadn't felt any contractions. I was checked 30 minutes later to see if I was going to stay in the hospital or head back home. I found out I was 2cm dilated and 40% effaced. I couldn't believe it. I looked at Tim and started to tear up. He held my hand and kissed my face reassuring me how brave and strong I was. With his sweet words of encouragement I was able to regroup and reflect on what was to come. We were hours away from meeting our baby. I was induced shortly after because my water had ruptured for a while now and the doctors didn't want to run the risk of an infection, plus I hadn't felt any contractions yet. Soon after the doctors left I started feeling those infamous contractions. They started off as mild period cramps and slowly got stronger. I cannot describe the intensity of the contractions but they were strong and steady. Thankfully, my husband was there and helped me with breathing through each and every one of them. Around 11pm I was checked again and was 5cm dilated. The pain was getting harder for me to take on without any medication. I wanted to wait it out as far as I could without getting an epidural but at this point I couldn't handle the pain.The room that was once quiet and still was filled with loud cries. It took about an hour for the medication to work and once it did I was relieved. Seriously, thank goodness for the epidural. I was able to sleep and surprisingly it didn't slow down my progression to reaching 10cm. At 6:30am I was told to get ready to push- it was go time.
I was at a loss for words. I just looked at my husband, nurse, and mom. I listened to their uplifting words and pushed when I saw a contraction coming on the screen (I was so numb I couldn't feel them). I pushed for an hour and at 7:32am Samson Wilder Bruchez arrived Earth bound. I was so proud of my body and felt so blessed with the Labor and Delivery team God graced me with that morning. The room was filled with a beautiful calm spirit. The most wonderful part about giving birth was seeing my husband's face. Time stood still for a moment, Samson's cries filled the background as the doctors got him ready for me and Tim's face was all I could see. The amount of love he had for me poured out through every inch of his being.
Samson and I shared skin to skin with daddy right next to us. It was such a beautiful experience. It truly was one where you felt the presence of our Heavenly Father so near, binding his love for us as husband and wife and gifting us one of his precious angels to love and care for all eternity.
Welcome home, Samson. We love you little one.
XO,
Your mama