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It’s a boy! (inducing labor by breaking water)

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Please forgive me for taking a little break from my teaching resources to share the news of our newest addition!  If you like birth stories, this is for you.  If not, skip to the end. 🙂

It's a boy

I think it should be a rule that women who are 5’2″ should not have big babies.

If there is such a rule, my body hasn’t gotten the memo.

As always, I spent the last month of my pregnancy assuring people that “No, it isn’t twins.  Yes, we’re sure.  No, really. It’s impossible.”  Those last thirty days were long and painful. I don’t know that I’ve ever had so many looks of sympathy from friends and strangers – as I walked at a snail’s pace in the grocery store, in the parking lot, or at church.  The baby was mercifully out of my ribs, but it was so low that every step hurt.

As much as I dreaded natural childbirth, I was ready to get it over and done with.

My doctor wanted to induce me because of my history of big babies (our fifth baby was 12 days late and huge) and the fact that I had gestational diabetes.

But even though I was miserable, I wanted the baby to come on its own timeline.  I resisted the idea of induction, mainly because I didn’t want a host of medical interventions – least of all Pitocin, which would make it very difficult to have a natural birth because of the increased intensity of the contractions.

I felt that I had proved that my body could have big babies.  I had done it before.  What was the urgency?  But my doctor’s concern was that big gestational diabetes babies are built differently than regular big babies. He was concerned about shoulder dystocia, and was adamant that I not go past my due date.  He was willing to break my water first and see if labor started on its own before giving Pitocin.

Finally, I gave in.  We prayed fervently that the baby would come before the induction (at 39 weeks, 6 days), but that wasn’t God’s plan. On December 21 we left the house at 6:30 AM for the scheduled induction. I was worried and scared, and the tears flowed on the ten minute drive to the hospital.

At 7:15 AM, the doctor broke my water to start the induction.

My husband and I began our walks around the birthing center.  I held onto the railing, and he held my other hand as I hobbled along.  And so we moved – ever so slowly – around the perimeter, while I received the same looks of sympathy I’d been getting for the past month. After short periods of walking, we took breaks in which I sat on the birthing ball.  It was important that I keep moving to give my body every possible chance to begin labor on its own rather than with Pitocin.

Happily, at about 10:15 AM my contractions were becoming noticeable.  Soon afterward, they began to be painful.  I was ready to move into the shower, the place where I spent most of my labor for our fifth baby.

At about 11:30 AM I began what would turn out to be more than ten hours in the shower.

I sat on the ledge, with the jets spraying my back, and I held the long hose to spray water on my contracting belly.  My husband talked me through my breathing and relaxation exercises.  It was all doable.  But it was obvious this was not going to be quick.

Don’t you think that when you’re on your sixth labor you should get a short one?  I seem to defy all the birth predictions.  My labors have not gotten shorter – they have stayed about the same – typically 10-11 hours from first contraction to delivery.

At about 1:30 PM the doctor had the nurse check me to see how I was doing.  By this point he had decided we didn’t need Pitocin, since inducing labor by breaking water had done the trick. (Thank you, Lord!)   I was in enough pain that I hoped to be at least 6 cm dilated, especially since I had been at 3 cm for the last few weeks.

How discouraging, then, to learn that I was dilated just 4 centimeters!

Ugh!!  Three hours of painful contractions, and I had only moved one centimeter.  All I could think was, “This is going to take forever.  I should just get an epidural now and save myself the torture.”

But in my heart I really didn’t want an epidural, and getting one that early felt ridiculous and premature.  Sure, I was in pain, but it was manageable. And there were at least 5 minutes between contractions.  I’ve always had my mind open to an epidural if it felt necessary, but I knew it wasn’t time to give in.

My biggest goal was staying on top of my contractions and not giving in to fear.

Through each contraction I closed my eyes, breathed in and out, and visualized a tiny mountain climber getting to the top of another mountain.  I repeated “perfect peace, perfect peace,” as he climbed.  I was remembering a Bible passage which helped calm my fears in the weeks before labor: “You will keep those in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

At 3:30 PM it was time for another check.  My husband asked if they should keep the dilation number secret from me, and I quickly agreed. I knew how easily I was discouraged.

After labor was over he revealed what the number had been, and I’m so glad he hadn’t told me during labor – because it was still a 4!  That would have put me over the edge!

Two hours later, I was checked again.  Again the number was kept secret.  It was a 6.

The day dragged on and on and on.  It was getting much more painful now.

I was switching between sitting on the shower ledge and moving to the floor on my knees, draped over the birthing ball. This position was much more painful, but it increased the intensity of the contractions, and we knew that the more painful and intense the contractions, the sooner this whole ordeal would be over.

All I could think was, “There is no way I’m writing about this birth story. I don’t want to remember this!!”

Every two hours, the nurse checked my blood sugar.  The concern was that, with my gestional diabetes, my blood sugar would be high at the delivery, and then the baby’s would come crashing down after it was born.  If the reading was too high, I would be put on an insulin drip. The last thing I wanted was to be tethered to an IV.

After each blood sugar check, my husband brought me cheese, carrots, and some crackers. It was imperative that I stay well nourished, but I had to time my carb consumption so that it had two hours to work through my system before my next blood sugar check. I’m not sure if this was “working the system.” Whatever the case, it worked. 😉

Things were getting more and more painful now. I couldn’t believe we were still at it.  Oh, how I wanted to be done!

Before long I was hitting transition. Oh, the contractions! They wouldn’t stop!

They just went on and on, and now the breaks weren’t breaks at all – just lower intensity contractions. I was groaning with my breathing now, and the little mountain climber in my head had disappeared – because he never came down that mountain!!

I began to feel pressure and felt it must, must be time to push. We took the dreadful walk from the bathroom to the bed for the nurse to check. This time she revealed my number, and horrors – I was at an eight! I couldn’t believe it!  Two more centimeters to go at this pace – how on earth could I do it?  This was the only time during the labor that I lost it and began to cry.  “An eight? What?! How can I only be at an eight? I can’t do this anymore!!”

The doctor (who had come by in case this was it), nurse, and my husband all encouraged me. “You’re doing great, Anna! Keep going!”

Miserably I hobbled back to the shower, where transition was in full force.  This was where an epidural would have come in very handy. But it was too late to go back. There was no way I’d be able to sit still for it. I knew we had to be near the end.

By now I was elbowing my husband, hard, with each contraction, completely overwhelmed by the pain. My last labor included a very short, manageable transition.  This, by comparison, had turned into my hardest, longest labor.

Finally at around 9:30 or 10:00 PM we headed back out for another check. I was at nine centimeters, and the nurse encouraged me to stay on the bed, as I had just a little while to go.

That last hour was a whirlwind of pain and misery.  

I elbowed my husband with my left arm and gripped the nurse’s hand with my right.

The doctor wanted to check me to see if it was time to push – but how? There were no breaks!

Finally he had a chance – “The head is right there. It’s time!”

They urged me to hold my legs up behind my thighs, but I couldn’t focus – I couldn’t fight the pushing, and I couldn’t think about anything else at the same time.  I don’t remember if I ever grabbed my legs, but I just pushed past the pain, and in just a couple of minutes my husband cheered. “Anna, the head is out!”  I screamed through the last push, and we had our baby!  Oh, praise the Lord!

Immediately upon his exit our big boy sprayed the doctor.  I turned to my husband in exhaustion and joy, “We did it – praise God, we did it!  Four boys…!”

Our precious gift weighed in at 10 lbs 12 oz, joining his two sisters and three brothers in our busy, blessed home.  He was baptized just a few days later, in a beautiful Christmas service.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever!”

 

 

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Reader Interactions

127 Comments

  1. Haiyen

    God bless you, Anna. I am a mom from Vietnam who follow you for 8 years, I have a baby girl in 2014 like yours and had a Boy last year. Read your story with tears. I know that when a new life had come maybe somewhere they take other life gone. But we are here is mean that we had a chance to become a new life for ourselves (who are moms).
    I had my boy in the Taxi when I went to the hospital. Thank Univer that we an alive, we are alright. He is the Sun because he came to the world at 5 am.
    Read the period when you so hurt but you don’t need Pitocin, focus on the Breath with the voice in mind “I am ok, we are ok, all is well” – I cried.. We are really supper woman 🙂
    Welcome the boy to come to the Earth, and You have a new journey.
    With love from Vietnam
    Haiyen

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      That’s quite a story, Haiyen – wow! What a blessings that you had a safe delivery! Giving birth is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I praise God for giving me the strength to do it! Hugs to you!

      Reply to this comment

  2. Nicole

    Than you so much for sharing. I just had my membranes artificially ruptured because of gestational diabetes and I’m waiting waitNg for something to happen.
    And this is what I found in the meantime! Perfect peace. I think I’ll go with it if I’m lucky to ever get started!
    Many thanks!

    Reply to this comment

  4. Betsy Craft

    My youngest of four daughters turned 33 this year and she and her sisters never tire listening to their birth story.

    God holds a special place in his heart for good mamas like you. Merry Christmas!

    Reply to this comment

  5. Breeze

    Oh My! What a story. Thanks you for sharing it with us. I am so happy that you are both healthy and happy! Congratulations to your family and kudos to you for toughing it out! He is precious! God bless!

    Reply to this comment

  7. Upuli

    Congratulations Anna… No pain no gain… your new baby boy is so adorable.

    Though I visit your site so often this is my first note to you. thanks for your great work and i love using your work to help my kids.

    All the best wishes to you and your family…

    Reply to this comment

  8. Pria

    Congratulations Anna.. He s so adorable.. God bless the mom n the baby..Having gone thru so much on yr delivery.. take good care.. for winter borns are sure to keep us busy.. All the best wishes to the busy family.. Happy New Year..

    Reply to this comment

  9. Mary

    Bless you and your whole family. I had tears in my eyes as I was reading your story. I too went natural. I was blessed with three sons. Even though my labor was a lot shorter than yours, I remember having some of the same feelings you did. At the end it was all worth it, wasn’t it? It was all for our little one?
    Congrats
    Mary

    Reply to this comment

  13. Summer

    Congratulations on your newest addition! God bless you with enough strength and all the things you needed!

    A Happy New Year indeed for you and your beautiful family!

    You are awesome and amazing! Thank you for all you do and sharing your pics with us!

    Reply to this comment

  16. Elsie

    Congratulations to your arrival of your baby boy .I’m sorry for the hard labor you had to go through .It reminded me of my daughter my first born .It was long and hard and I did have an epidural was still hard even with the epidural. But my son 10 years later was very easy and I did have a natural birth with him .congratulations and I pray he will be a easy baby …

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      I’m glad you had an easier labor after your hard one, Elsie! That’s one of the hardest parts about anticipating labor – you just don’t know what you’re going to get! Thankfully our little guy is a great sleeper so far!

      Reply to this comment

  17. Megan

    I am a new reader and am SO IMPRESSED by your site and by your faith. Thank you for sharing your resources and testimony. And, actually, it is the birth of my second child a month ago that has me looking for a way to bring more meaningful inside activities into the life of my 20-month-old. Your website has me rejuvenated and excited!
    Thank you!

    Reply to this comment

  20. Janice Belanger

    Congratulations to you and your family. You are really blessed to have six healthy children. Rest, relax, and enjoy. I would also like to thank you for your generosity of giving. jb

    Reply to this comment

  22. Megan

    Congratulations Anna! Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I love birth stories… Such a reflection of God’s creativity, they are all so different! I’ve been blessed with two boys so far, and hope to have more! 😀
    Wish we knew each other in real life! I would gladly bring you a dinner; you’ve been such a blessing to me in my newly undertaken homeschooling adventure!

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      I would gladly accept the dinner if you lived nearby, Megan! 🙂 So glad to hear my site has been a help to you – it’s so much fun for me to create and share and a real blessing that other people can benefit.

      Reply to this comment

  23. Elaine

    Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy! Thank you so much for all the free resources. I have loved everyone of them. I am retired and am teaching deaf remedial children in four grades. Your worksheets, books and games have been invaluable. It is such a help to me! I will subscribe as soon as I can afford to. Thank you so much for sharing your hard work!

    Reply to this comment

  24. rebecca c

    Anna congrats, with the beautiful baby boy as well as the rest of your family. So glad to know you are one of many that still loves their babies. Children are a true blessing from God. Thank you for sharing

    Reply to this comment

  25. Patti

    Bless you Anna. The gift of life is so very precious and your family is an example of God’s love. Will you share his name? Congratulations to all of you and I pray your Christmas was amazing.

    Reply to this comment

  26. ESLJoy

    Congrats! I kept close tabs on your pregnancy comments, as we were due about the same time. We had our baby boy the day after you. This was our 3rd (2nd boy) and I also had to be induced because of being way overdue. Still had a natural, unmedicated birth after that (as I did with #2). Enjoy your sweet bundle.

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      Did you have a natural birth with Pitocin? I’d love your secrets in case I have to do that in the future… can’t imagine keeping up with those contractions without pain reliever! Congratulations on your baby and a natural birth!

      Reply to this comment

      • ESLJoy

        Yes, Anna, we did have a natural birth after Pitocin. I have a midwife who is great working with me. Twice now (with #2 and #3), I’ve had to be induced because I was at almost 42 weeks. Thankfully, we were able to have a “gentle” induction, starting the Pitocin at 1/3 to 1/2 the regular dose, and then backing it off all together once I really kicked into labor. As opposed to my first birth, labor pains were more intense after the induction. But the length of my labor was greatly reduced, too . . . from 44 hours with our first, to around 6-8 hours of active labor with the other two. (Of course, my boys weren’t quite as big as yours, though they were 9lb. 4oz, and 8lb. 9oz). I hope you never need to be induced with Pitocin, but if you do, a natural birth is definitely not out of the question. Like you, though, one of the worst parts is that you are attached to an IV the whole time . . . definitely not my favorite part.

        Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      That’s a big baby to start out with, Sandy! Mine have gotten bigger as we go along – my first was early and only 6 lb 6 oz – I wasn’t even tired of being pregnant when she was born!

      Reply to this comment

  34. haiyen

    Congratulations!!!! thanks for your share this post, i read every word i live in feeling with my second baby at last year. You amaze me how you manage to do for your family and time to share with everyone. Happy new year for you and your beautiful family. Big hug from VietNam.

    Reply to this comment

  35. Nancy Pittman

    That is a huge baby for you to have! I am 5’6″ and my middle child, a son, was 10 lb. 113/4 oz. and he came walking! (that was 42 years ago, and he’s still a big guy!) Congratulations to you and your family. What a wonderful gift to have given to all of you at this time of year.

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      Yes, he is a wonderful Christmas gift! 🙂 Our baby isn’t walking ;), but he is holding his head up already. It’s hard to be pregnant with a big baby, but it IS nice to have a strong, sturdy baby from the beginning. 🙂

      Reply to this comment

  36. Jo Hallagan

    Thank you for sharing your birth story with us all.Congratulations on a very big healthy boy.I envy you with a large family!! You amaze me how you manage to do so much !! Take care and all the best.

    Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      There is a lot I don’t do… like everyone I am always working at finding the right balance! Now I get to start all over again with our newest addition. 🙂 Hopefully I’ll find my new groove before too long!

      Reply to this comment

    • Anna Geiger

      Good for you, Claire! Are you reading up on any relaxation methods? The Bradley method book is very old (the photographs are kind of annoying), but I found its relaxation exercises very helpful.

      Reply to this comment

  46. Margie

    I have been eagerly waiting to hear about your newest family addition. I am so happy that your son is healthy and that the long, hard labor is now over. Thank you for sharing your story and for sharing all of your wonderful teaching resources!

    Reply to this comment

  47. Fam Bless

    Congratulations Anna, you have a beautiful family and I am glad you and your baby boy are doing great. You give me so much hope on natural birth with my pregnancy.

    Congratulation again, merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

    Fam

    Reply to this comment

  50. Regina

    I did not know you would have been worried about induction. I would have written you about it. They induced me and my youngest daughter was born.
    What a story. The blessing is we soon forget the pain and have the cutest little baby to take care of and love while our body heals.
    Congratulations on your precious new family addition.

    Reply to this comment

  51. homeschoolingmommie

    Congratulations! I could not imagine being in labor that long but I know the pains of labor. My labor with my four boys were quick but those pains and barely making it to the hospital without medicine is something I will never forget but it was so worth it. Get some rest and once again congratulations to you and your family on your new healthy bundle of blessings.

    Reply to this comment

  53. Josephine

    Congratulations. Children are beautiful but sometimes they don t help out LOL. I am so happy for you. It’s so apparent on your blog that you are a great mother and teacher. The Lord be with you and yr family. God bless the little traveller. He has started a great journey with fantastic parents supporting him. Happy New Year to all the family. Xxxxxxx

    Reply to this comment

  62. marelag

    Congratulations! on the arrival of your new baby boy!
    Sorry to hear about what you went through to bring your baby out! the welcome of every baby in our family is always unique, so that’s what make every child different and precious!
    Have a restful holidays!

    Reply to this comment

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