Back to Vera’s Birth Story: My Labor and Delivery

So, to start from where I left off on Vera’s birth, I was admitted and finally really in labor! They admitted me at 6 cm. I never thought I would be that far along and not in active labor. I figured I would be in labor at 1 cm, and then progress to 10.

(Once again, reading this post is voluntary, and I know parts of it are graphic, so please stop reading at any point. But for those of you who don’t mind and want to know the details, here we go!)

Learning what active labor meant and being patient was soooo difficult, but I am so glad I was and that she made her entrance when she was ready!

As I was being admitted, I definitely was nervous. If I had to bet someone that evening when we headed up to the hospital, I thought we would be sent home immediately, but with the peace of mind that the baby was okay. Our families were at our Kentucky home in bed and when we left them, I tried to reassure them that I really didn’t think this was it. I did not want them to stay up late waiting to only learn it was a false alarm again.

Well, they all got calls at 1 am telling them this was really it! I got moved into a regular room and the contractions were really hard at this point. I labored more walking around the hospital, and then labored much on the toilet ( crazy, huh?). They explained that is actually a comfortable spot to labor… I learned so much, but definitely didn’t think I would labor for a while on the toilet—the embarrassment just keeps coming!

I cannot even describe the labor pains. I knew it would be bad, but I never imagined it would be as bad as it was. When I got to 7 cm, the pain was seemingly unbearable. I had to receive antibiotics through an IV that they were trying to get in quickly before the baby was born. Trying to get an IV into tiny veins amidst contractions is NO JOKE! After they got my IV in, they started administering the antibiotic.

As they were administering the IV, my face starting tingling. The only person in there at that moment was my doula. I explained to her what my face was feeling like and she said that I might be tensing up my face in contractions and that I should try and relax. I tried to relax my face but it kept getting worse. The burning got worse and worse and my face felt like it was being injected with fluid. I could quickly tell something was wrong. Immediately the nurse came back in and administered Benadryl through the same IV. I clearly was having an allergic reaction. My face swelled up like a balloon and my eyes became swollen shut.

They were trying to not give me too much Benadryl because they needed me to stay awake! My face was in so much pain. I was trying to not just break down between the swollen face, the pain from the swelling, and then being in labor–not exactly how I envisioned my labor to start!

I couldn’t see anyone in the room because of my eyes being swollen shut. At one point, I kept asking Josh who was in the room. I was just judging off of the noise. I remembered someone coming in to pray at one point and asking who it was. It was Josh’s mom, Ms. Renea! My mom and she came in to see how I was doing. I was in a ton of pain, I had a cold rag over my eyes trying to help with the pain and swelling, a fan in my face, so I had no clue who was beside me talking and touching me. Looking back, we laugh, but I also feel terrible that I asked that to my mother-in-law!

I tried to get back up and walk, but the pain was just too much. I had envisioned taking a bath, as I was in a room with a bathtub, but there was a water ban, so we weren’t allowed to use the water! I know this is all sounding terrible, but outside of the swelling and immense pain, it really was an incredible labor experience–just wait, I am getting there!

So, I finally just retreated to the bed. They gave me a peanut type pillow to lay on my side but also allow the baby to come down. The contractions were so intense. I at one point literally thought I was dying. Literally.

I was just so ready for her to come out. I was so grateful to be experiencing all of this, but bringing a baby into the world is hard, hard work!

As I was laying on my side, my midwife checked me again and told me I was at 9 cm. If she had said anything but that, I do not know if I could have made it! I think that was my light at the end of the tunnel. At this point, I knew the only thing that would help me make it through was scripture and prayer.

My sweet friend, Erin, and my wonderful sister in law sent me some scriptures that I wrote down in a journal and I had Josh read those to me close to the end. It helped me focus and remember what a miracle this conception and birth was! Although at one point, I did ask Josh to stop reading them as it started getting on my nerves. I think everyone had a good laugh at this point.

Soon after she said I was at 9 cm, I told her I felt like I could push. She asked me to push to see if I really was making progress bringing her out and I guess she could tell I was.

She and the nurse then asked me what position I wanted to push in. I thought I would labor in different positions, but imagined pushing in a regular position–legs in stirrups, on my back, etc… So that question kind of threw me off guard. I think I asked what they meant and for them to give me some options.

They mentioned squatting, laying on my back, a birthing ball, and also a part on the bed lowered down to where you could push on your hands and knees. Honestly, I just wanted the baby to be out. I didn’t have much time to consider my options on how to get her out. They just told me to choose what felt most natural in that moment.

So, the option that seemed best in the moment was on my hands and knees. Yes, cue the embarrassment once again. Swollen face girl who can’t see a thing giving birth on her hands and knees- sounds completely normal, right? Nothing goes normal with me–you guys should know that at this point:)

This hospital and staff is just outrageously amazing…putting the baby and momma’s health first, and then after that trying to allow things to happen as naturally as possible. The best of both worlds! Nicole, Beth, Sarah, Rebecca, Jennifer, Kate—they all were exceptionally amazing and I truly miss them!

So, I began pushing. This was by far the most painful part of labor for me. I was having pain from the contractions paired with the pain of the baby making her way out. I remember screaming my lungs out and yelling, “This hurts so bad!!!” Majority of my labor I was pretty quiet as I was trying to channel my energy and prayers into this birth, but at the end, the screaming had to come.

I think I pushed around 8 good times. Then I felt the most amazing sense of relief paired with joy unexplainable. Josh was able to help deliver the baby and I remember him yelling “She’s crying! She’s beautiful!” Mind you, I cannot see her because my eyes are swollen shut, so to hear her and have Josh tell me what was going on was amazing.

I crawled up the bed and turned on my back and got to have that sweet baby lay on my chest. I couldn’t yet really see her, but to feel her breathe and to have that sweet body on my chest was absolute heaven.

Quickly after she made her entrance into this world, her daddy prayed over her and thanked the Lord for her incredible life. This girl is an example of what faith can do. Josh explained later to me that in that moment of seeing her birthed and him delivering her—the LIFE that was brought forth is one incredible thing. To see his wife alive, healthy and whole—to see that same wife who was told that she would not bear children, and then to see this perfect baby being born of her body, it brought him to immediate prayer. I love so many things about Joshua Taylor, but one of my favorite things is his discernment and listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

He gives money to people, randomly asks to pray for people, is bold in his faith, and has incredible favor with people. But to watch your husband follow the Holy Spirit’s leading–there is nothing more attractive than that.

And that is what he did. I don’t really remember the prayer he prayed, but I remember him thanking the Lord for my life, for this baby’s life and what her life represented. After we had Genevieve, Josh and I had lost much of our desire to bring a child through the world biologically. After we experienced adoption with Genevieve, we realized we hit the absolute jackpot and my desire to conceive had been dimmed by the adoption process and being so in love with our first born. So, we in essence stopped praying to get pregnant after a doctor told us it was impossible, and we thought if the Lord gave us more children, it would be through adoption.

But here’s the thing, others didn’t stop praying that. My father-in-law, friends, family members, people I don’t even know had been praying I conceive, when I wasn’t anymore. Adoption was never second best, and my desire to conceive had been overtaken by the desire to love my Genevieve and pray for a possible next adoption. (Obviously God was doing that too…)

If you don’t think others’ faith can move mountains for you, just ask a spouse who got saved from the prayers of their spouse, or ask an addict who has recovered because of their praying mother, and now ask me who carried and birthed a baby. A baby I had stopped praying for, but others hadn’t. She is here because of others’ faith. Having carried her and looking at her now each day—wow, words cannot describe how grateful I am for this faith!

Her name, Vera, means faith. I love the meaning of names and I believe they can be prophetic. So, when I heard the meaning of Vera, it couldn’t be more perfect. I pray she has great faith, as her very existence is faith personified.

A few hours after Vera was born, my eyes became less swollen and I was able to open them enough to see Vera. Oh my goodness- she was and is stunning. We had amazing skin to skin time with her, our parents were able to see her and hold her, my sister came up to the hospital, and then Tammy came later…all of those days of worrying if it was false labor- of wishing she would have come–of being patient and not trying to speed the process along, it was all over and she was here.

Oh, sweet Vera, you are one beautiful miracle. I’ll never, ever, ever stop telling you that.

I will share more as I can. Love you all!

Aly