Eleanora’s Birth Story

I went in on Tuesday, April 13th, for my 41 week apt. I was, honestly, shocked that I made it to 41 weeks. I thought for sure that I was going to have this little girl early, before my due date. Starting at around 34 weeks I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions which was so different from my pregnancy with Graham. With Graham, I really didn’t feel any contractions until the day I went into labor.

I really wanted to try and give this little girl the chance to come on her own and experience what spontaneous labor felt like. With my last pregnancy with Graham I did a little self-induction at home and took castor oil the morning that I went into labor, so even though it wasn’t a hospital induction, it still didn’t feel like my body just spontaneously decided “now’s the time”. And I really wanted to experience that surprise with this labor.

But, little one had other plans. Let me just say, anyone who’s gone past due with a pregnancy can probably relate but those last couple weeks  (from 38-40+) are some of the longest weeks ever!

So I went in for my appointment, fully planning to discuss doing castor oil again the following day to see if that would kick my body into labor. I had an NST done (non-stress test) to make sure everything looked good with this little one since I was post-due. And though her heart rate and everything looked good, it wasn’t great, and they were concerned that if I went home and waited another couple of days she wouldn’t do as well when and if I did go into labor on my own.

So they recommended an induction. I remember just that morning thinking to myself, “there’s no way I’m going to need an induction.” I fully convinced myself that that option wasn’t even on the table and that I’d go into labor at least with castor oil. But, of course my top priority was to keep baby girl safe. But I’m not gonna lie, it was such a shock to hear. I had my own plan of what I thought the whole labor process would look like… I wanted to go into labor on my own, labor at home for as long as possible, and then get to the hospital and deliver in water. I was, honestly, really scared that I wouldn’t be able to go without an epidural on pitocin (which is the medicine they give to start up contractions). I’d always heard that contractions on pitocin were so much more painful than natural contractions. 

I had to let go of parts of my birth plan completely and accept that even if I needed an epidural I’d be fine. I also had to accept that even though parts of my plan were changing, I could still have a beautiful birth that ended with getting to meet my daughter in the end.

So, I headed home from the office, called Paul and told him “we’re having a baby tonight” and that he should go ahead and head home from work, and threw in last minute items into our hospital bags. Once Paul got home we packed the car and headed to the hospital. It was around 4 or 4:30 at this point. My midwife had recommended that we get something to eat on the way in because I wouldn’t be able to eat once I got to the hospital, so we stopped by Chick-fil-a and each got sandwiches and I got a lemonade.

At the hospital, we checked in and got situated in our room. I got an IV set up for pitocin and fluids and settled in the bed. I knew I didn’t want to sit in the bed the whole time so one of the nurses brought in a labor ball for me to sit on. The induction started at around 5 and for the first 2 hours or so I didn’t really feel much as they increased the dosage slowly. During this time we watched a lot of Impractical Jokers and just laughed and got excited together about finally meeting our girl.

Around 7 or so my contractions started to get more intense. We turned off the TV, played some calm classical piano music, and just focused on contractions. I also had brought a misting fan that we put some Clary Sage essential oil in. 

Sometime later, as things were getting more intense, I started feeling really nauseous (this was probably around 9 or 10 o’clock) just when I was at the tailwind of contractions and not long after that I threw up after a couple of contractions. I remember being so happy that I threw up because first off, it felt so much better to throw up than just be nauseous and also because I knew that vomiting in labor can be a sign of progression and also can help with cervical change. So, funny enough, I was really encouraged by vomiting. I remember at this time too feeling like her head was really low. I was starting to feel a lot of discomfort and achiness in my back in between contractions.

I got back in the bed and lay on my side for a few contractions and that’s when things really started happening. The discomfort in my back turned into feeling an urge to push. Our nurse had said that my midwife was in another delivery a while back but would come check me and possibly break my water after she was out, but I told Paul that he better go get someone to check me. He ran out the room and got the nurses and they checked me and found I was at 8 cm. They called my midwife and thank goodness she had just finished the delivery next door and came in quickly after that.

I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom and they said go for it, so Paul helped me to the bathroom and I had some bloody show, which is a sign that baby’s coming soon. The midwife was by my side as well just in case baby girl came out in the bathroom. But thankfully, I made it back to bed and lay down. I tried pushing a little, but asked my midwife to go ahead and break my water which she did and it was just a couple of pushes later that brought her head out and soon after that the rest of her body. She was born at 11:43 PM that night.

She was put up on my chest right away and just cuddled up on me.

And that was how Eleanora “Nora” Ann Yates came into the world. We waited until the next day to name her Eleanora which is actually a combination of two names that we both liked… Eleanor and Nora. I love that her name means “Ray of Light”, which is just what she is!

We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and then came home to introduce Graham to his new baby sister! Graham loves his little sister and is constantly wanting to kiss her and nuzzle up next to her. He was definitely a little aggressive with his love in the beginning and wanted to poke her and pat her, but he’s learning the word “gentle” and being so good with her. I can’t wait to see how they love each other as they grow up together.

Things that helped with pain in labor…

A couple of things really helped me during this time of active labor. First of all, Paul was so supportive and there for me with each and every contraction. He helped me change positions regularly, which I didn’t always want to do but I knew it would help baby keep moving and get in a good position. I alternated from standing and swaying with him, laying on my side in the bed when I needed to rest, sitting cross legged on the bed, and sitting on the ball. Second, I found a rhythm of breathing that I believe really helped me stay relaxed, which is probably the most important piece of advice I have for anyone preparing for labor. I would take a deep breath in and then exhale with a deep moan and fully release all of my breath. It was a way of breathing that my body kinda just fell into and what felt natural and I didn’t fight it. And lastly, while I was in a contraction, I had a few phrases that really helped me stay in it… 1) that millions of women have done this before me and 2) I reminded myself that the discomfort was temporary. I found myself literally visualizing the contraction like a mountain and once I recognized I was at the peak I knew I could get through the rest.

Caring for myself in postpartum

I’m now 2 weeks postpartum and there are a few things that have really helped me feel good during this time of healing.

Spring is in full bloom here and getting outside has been so helpful for feeling good. Every morning I open our blinds and curtains in the house and open our door…anything to get more light and sunshine in. I also have been trying to get outside at least once during the day for a few minutes or so, either just sitting outside while Graham plays and holding Nora or going out for a little walk around our street.

Second, being sure to nourish my body and focusing on replenishing energy right now has been so important. I’m not at all thinking about “getting my pre-baby body back” by adjusting how I’m eating. As always, I’m simply relying on my body’s cues to help me know what and how to eat (something I teach inside The Nourish Lab). I’ve found myself wanting lots of carbs, fruits, veggies, protein, fat… all the things! Oh, and my first meal home was sushi and a beer, two things I’d missed while pregnant.

Lastly, listening to my body with when to rest. I have LOVED being postpartum in the springtime. Everything has been so beautiful and I’ve felt so good! But I will say the downside has been I want to do far more than what my body is able to do. I’m ready to get out and get in my garden and start planting some veggies for summer, but I’m really having to dial it back to rest and recover. I’m honestly really enjoying the slow moments of just getting to rest and be with my little girl!

Life now with two babies…

Graham absolutely LOVES his baby sister! It has been so sweet to see him with her. We had the two of them by ourselves for the first time for two days after we got home from the hospital and then my mom and dad (his “gigi” and “pops”) took him to hang out with them for a few days while we settled in and rested a little with just Nora. It was so good for Paul and I to be able to just focus on one baby right now, but I have to admit I didn’t think it was going to be so difficult to be away from Graham. I missed him so much!

A couple things I already know about life with “two under two”… I know that I’m going to have to give myself grace to not always have the house clean, the dishes done, the dinner ready on time. Now more than ever I’m so grateful for Paul as my teammate in parenting and raising these kiddos. He’s been so much help so far and I forsee the most important thing for us is going to be communicating well with each other… how we’re feeling, when we’re overwhelmed, when we need help.

I’ll have to do another update after having the two together for more time.

Thank you for reading our story! I’m seriously an open book about all things my experience with pregnancy, labor, delivery, postpartum, motherhood, etc., so if you have questions, feel free to reach out!