birth story

baby girl taylor with mom and dad minutes after birth.
the taylor girls. jillian was acting so silly the first time she met camille.

camille taylor's birth story as i remember it:
my neighbor and i had the same due date: may 29th. she was scheduled for a c-section on the 20th. as i walked to my car for a doctors appt. the day of the 20th i couldn't help but think that she was no longer pregnant. here i am: 30 lbs. heavier than normal, 110 degrees outside, sleepless nights, and a 19 month old kicking my belly at every diaper change. therefore, when given the option to have my membranes stripped at the appt., i took it. as the doctor began i promptly regretted this decision. she later explained that if i am days away from labor this will do nothing, however if i am going to go into labor in the next few days it "may" expedite the process. after the sweeping of membranes i was dilated to 3cm and 60% effaced feeling stupid for agreeing to it.
that afternoon continued as normal but with a bit more pressure in my pelvis. a friend came over to watch idol and stayed to visit. i began feeling a bit uncomfortable with back pains around 9:30. luckily, the conversation was keeping me occupied as i continually became more and more uncomfortable. as jeff and i crawled into bed i knew something was happening. i had jeff get me a pen a paper to track the contractions. i told him that this may be the real deal. he responded, "well, if it is stop talking to me. i need to get some rest", then promptly feel asleep. :)
my contractions at this time were lasting 30 seconds and were 5 minutes apart. having decided to have a "natural" (i.e. no drugs) birth i wanted to labor at home as long as possible. i tried to follow jeffs lead and "get some rest". at 1:30 i couldn't lie awake anymore watching the clock. i began pacing the house. when i felt like i couldn't walk through my contractions i started watching crouching tiger, hidden dragon (i love that movie).
at 2:30, each contraction was more and more intense, forcing me to pause the movie and just concentrate on breathing through them. i decided to track again. lasting 1 min 10 seconds each and 3-4 mins apart i wondered if i should call the doctor. :) (pregnancy brain kicking in). i decided to first look it up in a book. i found my what to expect when your expecting book. frustrated with the out of date information i searched for something to tell me what to do. i finally found a "new parent binder" that prompted me to go to the hospital or call the doctor (no kidding). living 25 mins away from the hospital and it being 3:00 am i choose the latter. after expressing my concern of not wanting to be sent home from the hospital the nurse stated, "you might be sent home. but if you don't come in, you might have the baby at home." i woke up jeff, got a priesthood blessing, and we were on our way. of-course, the road we needed to take was blocked off completely. after our little detour we got to the hospital at 4 am. apparently the hospital had received 8 l&d patients in the last hour. we waiting, contractions continued, jillian wondering what's up.
finally, around 5 am i was checked and admitted; 5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. jeff took jill to his sister sarah's home and i started walking the halls. with each contraction i held onto the wall and imagined a wave rolling in and back out as i counted (like only a dancer at heart knows how): "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 3,2,3,4,5,6,7,8" randomly counting in 8's, 12's or 16's.
at 8 am i was at 7 cm and 90%. jeff and i went on another walk that seemed like one continuous contraction. this is the point when i thought, "this is what an epidural is meant for". jeff was great at keeping it light hearted and i found that by laughing i was able to deal with the contractions easier. jeff was my saving grace through it all.
at 9:45 i was 9 cm and we decided to have the doctor break my water. i was quickly in transition. from this point on i didn't know which way was up. i wanted a cool wash cloth, no i want a warm one, rub my back, wait don't touch me, etc. i was never like the crazy laboring women you see on t.v. but i felt like it. i remember very vividly gaining strength as i looked at jeff and he would tell me "you're almost done, you can do it". i pushed for approx 30 mins. and then sweet baby girl taylor came to us. our emotions were released.
jeff and i are happy that i went natural. it was the most difficult and intense experience of my life. it was an unbelievable and truly indescribable experience. i don't know that i'll never get another epidural but i do think every women and husband needs to experience a natural birth if they can.