Kara's Surprise Hallway Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

The day before my second son was born I started having mild contractions around 15 minutes apart. It was the day after my due date, so I was ready to have the baby. Having labored for 30 hours and pushed for 3 hours with my first son, I was hopeful for a shorter labor this time around, but not sure what to expect. My husband and I went for a walk to try to get things going, but the contractions still stayed irregular and fairly mild. We had an ultrasound scheduled that day, so we went to that appointment and everything seemed normal. The tech even stated that because of some of the practice breathing she saw the baby doing, it might be a few more days before he was born. After the appointment we went to spend some time with our older son who was staying with my parents until the birth. My contractions were intensifying, but were still irregular. It was a cold day, but when we got back home, we bundled up to go for another walk. My contractions started to pick up in intensity and get closer together on the walk, but when we got back home they became irregular again. We ate dinner and I had some very intense contractions as I was eating. I called the midwife at that point to see what she thought since the intensity was so much stronger that I was finally having to breathe and move through them. She told us to continue to labor at home until the contractions were more regular at five minutes apart and to try to get some rest. I went to bed and tried to rest between contractions, but they were so intense it was getting to be difficult. I decided to try to get in the bathtub to get some relief. While in the tub my contractions started to come closer together and it was hard to find a comfortable position, but when I got out and moved around the contractions again became more irregular. I tried getting back in bed, but the contractions were so intense that I was struggling to breathe through them. We called the midwife again and she agreed that we could come in to be checked out. While getting ready to leave I started shivering and shaking and was still struggling with the intense contractions. We didn’t recognize at the time, but hindsight showed that I was starting transition at that point. I struggled to get from our upstairs bedroom to the car, stopping to labor on the toilet to try to get some relief. It took over 30 minutes, but I finally made it to the car around 1:30 in the morning.
The drive to the hospital took about 20 minutes and we had to pass speed cameras and there were several police out with people pulled over. I told my husband not to rush that we had plenty of time and there was no need to get a ticket on the way to the hospital. My husband even made sure to straighten out the car in the parking space before heading inside. In order to get to the maternity floor from the parking garage there is a sky walk and a long hallway. As we were crossing the skywalk my contractions started to come right on top of each other and I struggled to walk. My husband started to worry and kept asking if he could go get me a wheel chair, but I was so worried about being left alone I kept telling him no. We were about halfway down the hallway when I realized I had the urge to push and told my husband that the baby was coming. He had already been on his phone trying to call the maternity nurses, but got the computerized generic hospital answering service instead. He had the presence of mind to pull off my pants and stated he could see the baby’s head. He then called our midwife directly and luckily she was already in the hospital and came to us. I was on all fours over a bench in the hallway and started to push as my body was telling me to do just as the nurses and midwife came running to us. I was so focused and in my own head that I ignored the midwife telling me to turn around and just pushed my sweet baby out in that hallway in a position that was comfortable for me.
Then came the scariest five minutes of my life because the baby came out not breathing and the nurses ran off with him. The midwife and other nurses got me in a wheel chair and I told my husband he needed to go find our baby! Luckily he had started crying and breathing as soon as they got him in the stairwell to go to the maternity floor, so he was crying in the room they were taking me to. Then it was a whirlwind of nurses taking my blood, getting an IV started, and the midwife having me deliver my placenta.
All anyone could talk about was how crazy it was that he was born in the skywalk and that none of them had ever delivered there before. The midwife had thought she was talking to a nurse when my husband had called her, so she was apologizing for her reaction to him when he said he wasn’t sure if it was a head or a bag of water that he was seeing, and that he didn’t have an “emergency deliver kit” with him. Luckily he didn’t remember anyone being short with him, he was just relieved that he wasn’t going to have to deliver the baby on his own. I was finally able to hold my sweet baby James, and he latched right away. With the Star Wars movie coming out all anyone could talk about is how he should have been named Luke Skywalker for where he was born. We go used to hearing everyone who came into our room comment about how we were the ones who delivered in the hallway. The best part is the picture of the wet floor sign my husband took when going back to the car to get our bags. We now have a picture of just where James was born and the best birth story! I’m so glad I was able to labor so long at home, and push in the position I wanted to be in.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

Not getting too worked up about my previous experience, and reminding myself that the second time would be different.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

Process my first birth with a childbirth educator.

What surprised you about your birth?

Giving birth in a hallway! But also how different everything was between the 2 births.

We were about halfway down the hallway when I realized I had the urge to push and told my husband that the baby was coming. He had already been on his phone trying to call the maternity nurses, but got the computerized generic hospital answering service instead. He the presence of mind to pull off my pants and stated he could see the baby’s head.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

Deep breaths and counter-pressure from my husband. Staying focused and picturing my body preparing to give birth.

What position did you end up delivering in?

Squatting and leaning on the bench in the hallway.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

A huge sense of relief, and flat out amazing!

What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?

Trust your body and find what helps you relax.