Amanda & Justin

7 HOURS...

It was July 11th, 2019 and Amanda had a prenatal appointment. She decided at this appointment to get her membranes swept which could potentially put her into labor. At 2:00 PM I received a text from Amanda stating that her membranes were swept, and she was dilated to 3 cm and 70% effaced. The baby’s head was also sitting super low. All things could start progressing fast, so I advised her to take a nap as there was a chance, it may be a late night.

5:35 PM came along and I got another text from Amanda stating that her contractions were 15-20 mins apart. She asked if she could eat and I suggested she should, as once we got to the hospital, they would tell her she wasn’t allowed to. Amanda explained that she was able to talk through them and that these contractions started at 4:00 PM. 

At 9:16 PM I received another text stating that she went on a walk to hopefully get things going, but the contractions seemed to have worn off a bit. She was experiencing light cramping and low back pain. That night she got some well-deserved rest. Little did we all know that we would be meeting baby girl in just a few short days.

The weekend continued with no more signs of labor. Monday, July 15th, 2019 came, and she had an appointment scheduled with her OB Dr. Goad. At 1:00 PM she had her membranes swept again, but this time the OB was a little rougher. This made Amanda have a contraction! 

After her appointment, Justin dropped her off at her parents’ house. Justin and Amanda were having problems with the AC unit at their house, so Justin went home to check to see if everything was working well. Come to find out, everything was just fine (just in time for baby girl!) 

Amanda went grocery shopping with her mom. It was bachelorette night and they were getting snacks for the party! While at the grocery store, Amanda started to have some light contractions. This continued until they got back to her mother’s house. Her mother was very nervous and wasn’t calming down. Amanda had to tell her mom she needed to calm down, so that she could relax. After she explained this to her, her mom was able to refocus and help her daughter through the contractions. 

1:50 PM came and they started timing the contractions. They were about 5 mins apart lasting 45 seconds! This was great progress, and everyone was getting so excited to meet the baby! 

I had just awoken from an afternoon nap and received a text from Amanda at 3:26 PM. She stated that they were on their way to Banner Thunderbird Hospital! Her contractions were now 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute long. Amanda and Justin arrived at the hospital around 3:45 PM and got checked into triage. She was now dilated to 5cm and 80% effaced with the baby being at a -2 station! 

I arrived at the hospital at 4:15 PM and met them in their room in Triage. As soon as they told me how much she had progressed, I knew this was going to be a fast labor. 

Her room in triage was very hot! If I was hot, Amanda had to be VERY hot! When I walked in Justin was using a booklet to fan Amanda and she was trying her best to cope through the contractions. She instantly wanted to hold my hand and needed to be coached. I knew that being right by her side was what she needed to get through this. I had to coach and remind her on how to breath and moan through each contraction. She was having back pain, so we sat her up and applied counter pressure to her back and hips during contractions. Amanda was having a rough time, as she was now considered to be in active labor. She would cry every now and then and say she couldn’t do it. Justin and I tried our very best to comfort and encourage her by telling her YOU ARE DOING IT! I was amazed by the strength she had. I kept on reminding her that her body was made to do this, and that her baby girl would be here before she knew it. 

Amanda advised me that she asked for an epidural before I arrived. I had expected them to wheel her to her room to accommodate her with this request. We didn’t get settled in her labor and delivery room until 5:12 PM. 

Once settled into room 16, we were advised that her OB was not in today and that Dr. Boots would be delivering the baby. Her nurse Bailey was very friendly and kept assuring Amanda and Justin how amazing Dr. Boots is. She also stated that they would be checking her cervix again, around 7:00 PM and possibly break her water to get things going. We were all excited to see what she would be dilated to by then. 

After nearly 2 hours of waiting for her epidural, Amanda was about to get it! The nurse stated that only one other person could be in the room during this procedure, so I left her room at 5:25 PM to go into the waiting room. As soon as I turned the corner to walk down the long aisle into the waiting room, I saw their family standing with excitement waiting for some news. I explained to them, that Amanda was doing amazing and updated them on her progress. I explained that she was now getting her epidural. Everyone was so relieved for her and so excited! They were all excited to meet baby girl and couldn’t wait! I loved all the support that Amanda and Justin had in the waiting room. They really had a great support system. 

5:55 PM came along and I went back into her room as the epidural should be working now. Amanda was doing great and could barely feel the pain anymore. It was only pressure now. Because the epidural had helped relieve her labor pains, Amanda was ready to have her family and friends come in to visit. At 6:25 PM I brought in her parents, who were so excited to see her and cheer her on. Next was Justin’s mother and Amanda’s best friend Bridget, later they had Amanda’s brother and sister in law come in, and finally Justin’s father and his mother snuck in again. Amanda and Justin were thrilled to see their people and I think it encouraged Amanda with all the support that she had. 

After Amanda and Justin were able to visit everyone that came to support them, their new nurse Jodi came in around 7:15 PM to introduce herself. She had just started her shift and was ready for this birth! Jodi had been working as a nurse for 17 years, so she had lots of experience! We were all excited to work with her.

Jodi checked Amanda’s cervix at 7:32 PM and to all of our surprise she was fully dilated to 10 cm!! I don’t think Amanda realized what that meant, or she was just not processing it, because she responded “What?” and we all excitedly explained that she was fully dilated and ready to push! 

Dr. Boots came in at 7:37 PM to introduce herself to Amanda and Justin and check to see what station the baby’s head was at, along with breaking her water. At 7:40 PM she announced that baby girl was at 0 station and she wanted to wait to have Amanda push until she came down the birth canal a little more. This is so that it would be less work for Amanda to push to get the baby out. 

Jodi came back in at 8:15 PM to check to see the progress the baby had made. She advised Amanda to start pushing at 8:20 PM. Justin was at Amanda’s right side holding her leg and I was on her left side. We were both encouraging Amanda through each push. It took a while for Amanda to get the hang of this new stage called pushing, but once she got the hang of it, she was a pro!

Within a couple of pushes you could see the baby’s hair poking through! Jodi got a mirror for Amanda to see her baby’s head for the first time as she was pushing. While pushing, her body allowed her to have longer rest in between contractions. While waiting for each contraction to push, Amanda rested and aloud her body to relax. Her and Justin were both so excited to meet their baby!

It was finally time for Dr. Boots to come back in and assist with the delivery. Baby girls heart beat started to slow down during contractions and then would catch back up during the break in between contractions. They gave Amanda some Oxygen to see if that would help the baby. You could see the concern on Amanda’s face, and I tried my best to remain calm during a stressful moment and reassuring her that everything was okay. I was beginning to pray so hard for baby girl and thanked God for the long breaks in between contractions to give the baby a break. 

Because the Doctor couldn’t get the exact heartbeat of baby girl, at 9:07 PM she decided to try internal monitoring which involves the placement of an electrode directly onto the scalp of the baby. This allows the team to get a more accurate result from her heart beat. The whole time all of this was going on, my eyes were dead set on the monitor which was monitoring baby’s heart. I would then glance over at Amanda and smile to let her know her baby was doing just fine! 

9:22 PM finally came and baby girl was born! She was instantly placed right on Amanda’s chest, and they both embraced each other for the first time. Amanda and Justin happily announced that their daughters name was Amelia Jane! We all awed at the perfect name that Amanda and Justin had chosen for their beautiful daughter. Amelia was in fact a very healthy girl weighing 7lbs 11oz and measuring 20in long. 

Amanda and Justin, thank you for allowing me to witness such an amazing birth. Justin it was such a privilege to watch you support your wife. You were truly amazing and the love that you guys have for each other is admirable. Amanda, it was such an honor to support you during labor. You labored so well, and I was so proud of you from the very beginning to the very end. You are such strong woman, and YOU brought your baby girl into this world. Congratulations!!

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