Unexpected Deliveries Leave Lasting Impressions

Having been a mother that went through the labor and delivery process twice already, I went into my third (and final) pregnancy with a birth plan that I had memorized and ingrained into my husband should I try to wimp out at some point. I already knew what it was like to deliver in a hospital with an angry staff, a faulty epidural and nearly every intervention possible aside from a c-section. I also knew what it was like to deliver in a hospital with a kind, calm, caring staff and no interventions other than a perfectly placed epidural.

What I hadn’t experienced was a drug-free labor at home with an intervention-free birth in the hospital. That was my dream and my plan for delivery day with the last baby I’d ever give birth to.

However, in the midst of all my planning, I forgot the most important thing about giving birth …. plans were meant to be broken. Babies have their own way of choosing how to make an appearance and that was something I learned the hard way.

Emmaleigh Sue Helen came into this world just hours after my water broke. Even though it was technically her due date, she must have been pretty cozy because labor and contractions never began. Instead, I found myself in the hospital with labor being forced by Pitocin, a drug that causes contractions. It was a decision I regretted just minutes into the first few contractions. They were the most horrendous pains I’d ever felt in my life and so much stronger than natural contractions. Every single bit of my birth plan was thrown out the window at that point and I was heartbroken. Looking back it seems so trivial to be upset about not having the labor and delivery I dreamed of, especially on one of the most miraculous days of my life.

While I may never be able to have the labor and delivery of my dreams, I do have three perfect children that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Childbirth is such an incredible moment, and I’d love to know what went through your mind when you held your baby for the first time? By replying, you will be entered to win an exclusive Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and a $50 donation in your name to Global Giving.

Please join the Million Moms Challenge and sign up today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Million Moms Challenge. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest runs October 17 to November 13, 2011. A random winner will be announced by November 15, 2011.

Official Contest Rules