This Blog Post is a little different from my traditional ones which are usually photography related but since I am a newborn, maternity, baby and family photographer in the Brampton, Caledon and Mississagua, I thought why not share my own birth story with you all, after all I've been there and know the anticipation within and I too have experienced the fear of the unknown.
As some of you may or may not know I am currently 36 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby. My son, Joshua is turning 6 in a few short weeks and my daughter, Amelia is 4. Both kids are very excited about their new sibling. Like my other pregnancies this one put a great deal of strain on my body. Although the nausea and vomiting subsided very early this time, taking care of 2 children exasberated the back pain, sciatica, CTS amongst other things. My husband ended up being away for awhile as his dad suddenly passed away out of town in September. I have always wanted to do prenatal yoga whilst pregnant and never got around to it. This time I made sure I got it done and it truly has been wonderful experience for my mind, body, soul and reconnecting with baby. And so I found 5 elements yoga studio. The instructors and women I have met are truly amazing, many first time moms. It took me back in time to my first pregnancy and my fears of my impending labour and delivery. Many years ago a dentist I worked for (I am also a dental hygienist) once said at a staff meeting "When someone has a great experience they tell no one, but when they have one bad experience they tell everyone." As I advanced in my pregnancy the first time I felt as though everyone told me the absolute worse stories and heightened my fears. I would come home crying after hearing stories of people being in labour for 42+ hrs. Luckily my birth experience was a much better one than I expected. And without further adieu:
I was pregnant with Joshua in 2011. I saw many people on a daily basis as I worked 5 days (sometimes the odd 6) and of course many were so excited for my first pregnancy wishing me well. We found out Joshua's gender as we really wanted to know if we were having a boy or girl to plan accordingly. I'm really not great with surprises.
On October 21st, I worked my last day. I didn't pack a hospital bag or a baby bag. I was convinced by the many people around me telling me that boys are always late. I was exhausted and too tired to pull myself to do it that night so I put it off to the next day. The dental assistant that I worked with at the time, Janet was convinced I was going to have my baby the very next day. I heard it out loud but really didn't take it seriously...it was her premonition. The next morning, October 22nd I woke up with awfully severe backpain. I stayed in bed most of the day with a heated pad and slept...I thought it was the exhaustion from work. That afternoon, my husband comes into the room and says you really should get up and go for a walk. I really didn't want to but got up and somehow managed to get dressed. We went to the mall to exchange a sleeper I bought for baby. I loved shopping for cute baby things, but that day I just wanted to get in and get out and head right back to bed and my heated pad...my happy place for the day.
At the time we lived in Surrey, BC. My friends were so excited as no one had a little baby, Joshua would be the first in a long while. That night they had a birthday party for a friend's cousin, he was turning 40. I really didn't want to go anywhere but my husband encouraged me to as our friends would really want to see me. Again, I managed to pull myself out of bed and head over to their place which was less than 10mins away. I was convinced the back pain and tired feeling I was experiencing was just pregnancy related.
At about 8pm we had dinner and everyone chatted, danced, drinked, partied etc... My friends were amazing, giving me the most comfortable chair, pillows even offering a heated pad to aid my backpain. Then, at 10:30pm the contractions started. I still didn't think anything of them as painful as they got, how could I be in labour this early? Aren't boys always late? My husband started timing them based on what we learned through our prenatal classes. My friends were overjoyed, many saying "Baby's coming tonight!" I just shrugged it off "no no there just braxton hicks, its too early." I really felt unwell and my husband took me home. We got inside and I sat down, the contractions were getting stronger but my denial was still there. I went to the bathroom and there was a lot of bleeding! My water didn't break but the bleeding was a lot. We called the birthing unit at Surrey Memorial and they asked "What colour is the blood?" I responded with "um....red". Unsure of what exactly that meant. We decided to head to the hospital and I said to my husband "You know their going to send me home right?" As he helped me get on my shoes, he says "Your belly looks like its dropping." I looked down and he was right, it was dropping but me, being stubborn or naive or both thought nothing of it. We got into the car and headed to the hospital, which was only 8mins away. The contractions were getting intense and then the lightbulb went off, I was in labour! As we drove down King George Hwy we passed several ambulances and cop cars...something was happening on the streets but we didn't think anything of it. We pulled into the street for the hospital but it was barricaded with caution tape and police cruisers so we parked down the street at my prenatal clinic and walked to the hospital. The contractions were now 3mins apart. As we got to the side entrance a police officer stood there and said "The hospital is on lockdown, you'll have to go somewhere else, we aren't letting anyone in or out." The next closest hospital in New West was also on lockdown, which meant we would have to drive to Langley about 30-40mins away. My husband tried to reason saying "My wife's in labour!" but the cop said he really couldn't do anything. We began walking to the car, me crying from the pain and disbelief of what was happening. Then suddenly the cop comes up behind us and says he'll escort us in. We waited 15mins in an empty waiting room and were brought in. They checked and I was 7cms dilated. Within 20mins I was 10cms! However, the position of Joshua's head was not ideal so he needed to be repositioned before pushing. With a lot of nitrous oxide and patience, Joshua was born at 3:37am on October 23rd, just 5hrs after active labour began.
I hope this story inspires you to be strong and remember that your body will do what it needs to. Regardless of all that you endure everything fades the very moment you hold your sweet baby in your arms. Afterall, if it didn't I wouldn't have done it a 2nd and 3rd time. Unfortunately, I never had newborn or maternity photos done for Joshua. I tried to get in touch with a few photographers after he was born but technically they like it to be done within the first 14 days. My photography career didn't kick off until 2014. I have been faced with situations where I see older newborns which typically requires more patience generally but I never deny the opportunity for parents to capture these precious little memories. Newborns grow so quickly and preserving those memories are so important. If your interested in taking a peak at my portfolio or contacting me see the links below or even if your interested in prenatal yoga (I strongly recommend it!) And in case your wondering the lockdown lifted a little while after Joshua was born. There was a shooting down the street and the victims were taken to Surrey Memorial and Royal Columbian in New West.
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