Brynna’s Birth Story

Each child makes their entrance into this world in their own way. No two stories are exactly alike. Our little Brynna is no different. She surely made a splash into the world and we’re thankful she’s here and healthy.

Brynna’s story seems fitting to start at my 40 week appointment. My appointment was at 3:40 pm 7/31/13. I was hooked up to the monitor right away to check on how the baby was doing and if I was having contractions. The baby was doing great and I was having contractions but not really knowing it. I was dilated to 3cm and 70% effaced. My doctor stripped my membranes and I was then dilated more to 4cm. All these things considered my doctor was thinking the baby would be born soon…as in maybe that night or the next day. Leaving the clinic I didn’t feel any different. I was thinking my wish for a July birthday was not possible at all. I felt a contraction or two at supper time (6:30) but nothing painful. After supper we went to pick Sevea up from the Witzel household. While visiting with Keeley I felt a couple contractions but again nothing real painful however I was starting to think that labor may be starting. We got home and put the kids to bed. I decided at 8:15 that I should start timing the contractions since I knew it was extra important to head to the hospital earlier this time.*** Our plan was to track the contractions for roughly a half hour and then see about getting ready to go to the hospital. My contractions were picking up in intensity and were coming about every 5 minutes or so. We called the Zimmers to let them know that we thought we’d be going sometime that night. Thankfully they were on top of things and headed right over. Andrew stayed with the kids while Carissa, Troy, and I headed to the hospital.

***I tested positive for Group Strep B this pregnancy. Many women have this bacteria and normally the woman has no clue she even has it. The bacteria can come and go so testing at the end of pregnancy is routine. The bacteria is not a concern for the mother but if passed on to the baby during delivery the baby can have health issues resulting from contracting the bacteria. The chances of passing the bacteria on to the baby are low and if the mother is given antibiotics 4 hours before delivery the chances are reduced even more.

We got to the hospital at 9:30 and even though my contractions were more intense at times I still thought I might be sent home. We got settled into a room and the nurse checked my cervix which was still around 4cm but I had thinned a little more. She wanted to monitor my progress over the next 1/2 hour to see that I was indeed in labor before starting the antibiotics and admitting me. I spent that 1/2 hour laying in bed dealing with the increasingly intense contractions. The nurse came back at 10:20 and after discussing my previous labors with the doctor, they decided to start the antibiotics and admit me. I decided to walk the hallways to help progress things along before they started the antibiotics. At 11:15 I was given the penicillin and I knew at this point there was probably little hope that I would make it until 3:15 to get to that 4 hour mark.

I had wanted to try for a natural non-medicated birth since I was successful with both Sevea and Cohen. After having Cohen I thought that this would have been a piece of cake since the pain wasn’t all that bad until we really got to the hospital. We were there for 19 minutes remember, I can handle that. This time was much different than with Cohen. The intensity of the contractions came on sooner and the amount of time in between was shorter. I found that the coping techniques I used for the other two were still what I needed to make it through this time. When I was laying in bed, I held onto both Carissa and Troy’s hands while listening to Carissa’s instructions on breathe deep in and then breathe out. It kept my focus and was exactly what I needed. Troy added comic relief to help me stay relaxed during the short break in between contractions. When I was walking around I’d brace myself on Troy’s chest and breathe through the contraction. I vividly remember dealing with contractions when having Sevea this way. But all things changed when I decided it was time to get into the tub.

At 12:15 the nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 6cm. Carissa suggested I try the tub and I jumped at the thought. As soon as I got situated in the tub the relief was immediate. It seemed like I had a longer break in between contractions and they were easier to deal with. I thought maybe the tub was stalling things and there might have been a chance to make it to 4 hours. Shortly after this thought however my water broke. All three of us knew that this meant the baby would be here very soon. I got out of the tub and back into the bed. The nurse checked me again and I just had a little lip left so she went to get the doctor. This little baby had plans of her own. Without me knowing what was happening and Carissa and Troy yelling at me to hold on and breathe through it, they checked under the blanket and saw her crowning. With Carissa yelling that the baby was coming and Troy trying to hit the nurse button, little Miss Brynna was born with a splash onto the bed. Thankfully a nurse had just entered the room. She tossed her gloves aside and sprung into action, taking over the situation. She commented that “it was like the end of a water ride” and splash our little Brynna entered the world at 1:06am on August 1st, 2013.