Every Woman Writes Her Own Birth Story

This is the story of what I learned giving birth in a teaching hospital....​

Gramercy Park, where I lived at time.

Some time before I became a childbirth worker but some time after I witnessed calves being born on a farm, I gave birth to our baby boy. It was a beautiful sunny day in May in New York City.

At the time I did not know about doulas and natural birth alternatives, but I knew I did not want any medications. I didn’t want medications because I’m a bit of a nature girl and I was concerned they would intervene and slow down the natural process. I figured if it was just one day I could bear it.

I did know enough to seek out a midwife at our hospital, however in my last trimester I risked out of using midwifery care due to gestational diabetes

I was using the local, public hospital at the time I became pregnant, I did not have health insurance and when I asked my Obstetrician how much it would be to pay out of pocket for the prenatal care and actual birth, the answer was around $20K. So I visited a public hospital just a few blocks from my apartment to see if they could help. I learned about the cost of medical bills. 

Can you guess which New York City hospital it was? It was founded in 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the US. Its psychiatric wing has a famous history and recently in 2014 it was in the new for successfully taking on ebola patient, and Doctors Without Borders’ MD, Craig Spencer. If you guessed Bellevue Hospital you are correct!

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Bellevue took me in and I received medicaid, which I was embarrassed to tell my mother and family because they would not agree with going on medicaid, however I didn’t have a lot of options, so I did what I needed to do for the health of my baby. When my sister asked my mother who was paying for the healthcare, my mother told my sister, “You are, dearie.” (my sister was a New York resident). Thank you New York residents!

So the morning of, I was getting ready for my office temp job when my body produced a giant gush of fluids on the bathroom floor! Was it pee or was it amniotic fluid? I felt pretty sure it was fluids, so called the hospital around 8:00 a.m. and they said to come in, so naturally I postponed going in and opted to clean my apartment instead. This was pre-doula days so I didn’t know much, but I knew NOT to go the hospital right away, especially if your water has broken but you are not contracting. 

Around 10:00 a.m., I waddled up and over the 7 blocks and 2 avenues from 20th and 3rd, on Gramercy Park South, to  27th and 1st in Kip’s Bay.  

I went to buy some milk from a street cart vendor when I arrived at 27th and 1st, and he wanted to gift it to me. He actually got kind of offended when I paid. I should have let him gift it. I learned a lesson in grace. 

In I went to the hospital with my milk, red medical card, and little overnight bag. Bellevue is a teaching hospital, affiliated with NYU and I can safely say the birth of my son provided lots of teaching opportunities for lots of residents. 

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In triage there was the intern who tried and tried to put the large gauge IV into my RIGHT hand only to find out about 30 mins later that he was supposed to put a smaller gauge IV into my LEFT hand, where he tried and tried again. That day, an intern learned where and how to put in an IV. 

Around 11:00 a.m. someone must have checked me because they said I wasn’t contracting and I wasn’t dilated, so they wanted to give me Pitocin.

I called and let my fiancee, and now husband, know that I was at the hospital, but having a very strong work ethic (never misses a day of work type of guy), he thought nothing of saying he’d be there as soon as work was done. For some reason I didn’t really care as I was satisfied to labor without his presence - without a daddy either not knowing what to do (hire a doula if you want your partner to learn how to be more involved!), or seeing me such an intense state. 

They admitted me to labor and delivery where I was watched over by nice nurse. I don’t recall her name but she helped me breath. Since I was not contracting, they wanted to give me some artificial oxytocin known as Pitocin or pit. Now as a birth doula, a labor support person, I know many other ways to get nature's oxytocin hormone to release (as well as the negative side effects!), but not having a clue about anything because we only took one parenting class at Bellevue, I agreed. 

Next thing I knew, all I can see are my white knuckles gripping the bed rail and my nurse saying, "Ms. Rachel, you need to breath for baby! Breath for your baby!" It was a command and I’m glad she reminded me, because otherwise I definitely would have forgotten to breath for long periods of time. I learned about my own strength that day. 

They kept offering pain meds but I was concerned they would slow things down and I didn't want the whole process spiraling downward (I later learned was called the "Cascade of interventions"). As it turns out, I was glad I didn’t have any pain medication because I could feel just how horrible these chemical induced contractions were. Pitocin contractions are much more forceful than a natural contraction, which is more of a wave – Pitocin ones are more of a strong spike. 

Being able to feel the contractions made me realize how strong they were – much too strong – how could my baby breath? Now I understand more how it works and how during labor the baby and its cord (supplying oxygen and nutrients) gets kind of squished during contractions and the baby’s oxygen supply gets cut off until the contraction is over when the bay catches its breath again. If I’d had pain medication I would not have felt how strong the contractions were and know how my baby was not getting a break from being squished. I said, ‘turn it down, turn it down” I wasn’t getting a break, they were on top of one another!

After several hours of labor I said I couldn’t take it anymore and I wanted pain medication. A doctor came in – like a real doctor I think (not a student) - and told me I was all the way open and let’s do this. Okay. Let's do this.

It was close to 6:00 p.m. and my fiancee arrived around that time, but all I remember is his washed out red shirt with a constellation of little white bleach stains that he wore. I asked him to stand at my head and shoulders. (I secretly replaced this shirt with new one sans bleach stains after).

The local residents also arrived - in came, what seemed like no less than 15 residents and interns to see this crazy lady on pit with no pain meds deliver her baby (it was probably closer to 8-9 interns). It was a wall of white coats - short and long. They all stood there watching, framing the room. I didn’t really care how many people were present – I don’t know why. My mother, mother to 6 children, always used to say, all modesty goes out the window when you have a baby and I found that to be true -  I really didn’t care who or what was in the room. As long as me and my baby could breath and my fiancee was at my head and shoulders, I didn’t care. I know this would not be true for many other women who desire privacy. 

The attending was present and she was lovely and very encouraging. I don’t remember much from the pushing phase other than it was really exhausting. I was so tired from laboring all day and the pushing phase was so intense and required so much energy. I felt I could NOT do it! Now when I coach moms, I am glad I know just how exhausted they are when they need to push their baby out, so I can support them the right way. It is hard to imagine the exhaustion. I learned how it feels to have absolutely zero energy left and be told you have to bicycle up a giant hill anyway, on a hot day. 

The attending told me I was a good mom and I hadn't even had my baby yet. She made me feel so good with just a few words of encouragement here and there.

Our baby boy was born at 6:30 pm. Our hearts completely exploded with love and joy upon welcoming our son.

Whisked away to nursery because I was “high risk” – I asked my husband to follow them as I didn’t want a switched at birth scenario or anything - haha protective mother I guess! They returned baby soon after and with it my fiancee brought a pint of Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream, my favorite and something I’d gone without for months due to the gestational diabetes. Thank you Steve! 

My mother, Virginia, birthed 6 children & my grandmothers, Mary Virginia & Memo, birthed 5 respectively. I would birth 2.

Baby took right to breastfeeding and soon after, my mom in law arrived and looked with such treasure on her new grandson – it was a site to behold! My parents came the next day and that will always be one of my favorite and most treasured memories is my mother and father coming to meet my new baby – my son and then 3 years later, my daughter. Now that my mother is gone, I treasure those moments even more. In my doula role, whenever a grandparent visits a mom right after the birth, I think how the parents will look back on that as one of their favorite memories and they will miss the grandparents some day. Of course, I cannot say that, but I try to do whatever I can to contribute to them enjoying the moment as much as they can.  

So, to me and my Irish sense of humor, the birth was a comedy of errors. I could probably write the same story through a traumatic birth lens and getting poked with IVs, provided not comfort measure, having a classroom full of residents present, but I really don’t feel that way -  I feel I had a pretty good birth because it was fast and positive and I could feel what was happening in my body. I learned each birthing woman writes her own story. ​