Trigger Warning: I am going to share MY birth story images and all.
Vaginal birth photos will be shown at the end of the reading. If you feel like you cannot handle these pictures please leave now. Thank you!
March 2nd, 2021
The day our lives changed forever. The day our family became complete. Another best day of my life added to the list.
It all started March 1st at around 4 o' clock in the afternoon. I was experiencing some cramping, manageable, but still bothersome. They went on and on and decided to see how they were by the time Devyn came back home from work. The intensity increased very little, but they were still constant. We decided it was best if we headed to the hospital just to be safe due to having my grandmother here with my oldest, Charlie-Jo and corgi Odin. We went in got hooked up to all the monitors, and within an hour got sent home. "Early labor" is what they said was happening. Could take a couple of days, weeks, we don't know. We got home around 10:00 PM and headed to bed. For the last time in my life, I slept a good 8 hours. I woke up to cramping very small, nothing major. It just felt like a period. Got my daughter dressed and took her to school. On the drive to school they came harder. It felt like someone was singing a bat right my lower stomach. They came and went and I was able to breathe through them. "It's nothing," I thought, "just fake labor." My grandma and I dropped her off and decided to go to Walmart because we needed some essentials for around the house. We went and OH MY GOD... I was being hit by a semi truck every 5 minutes! (Fun fact I went into labor at Walmart with my daughter as well!) We got what we needed, headed out and stopped by Panera Bread, because my crazy little old lady was hungry. They were faster, and stronger. I was driving so I had no choice but to pull through. They were still about 5 minutes apart but STRONG! She got her food and we went home. At this point, I had a feeling it was happening, but Devyn was at work and I didn't want to be sent home from the hospital, again! I threw myself into a hot bath and the yelling began. The pain was at an all time high, and at this point there was no breaks in between contractions. My grandma kept telling me to go in, but I insisted I would wait for Dev to come from work. (Thank goodness I didn't wait.) I finally caved in and we were off to the hospital at 1:45 PM. I got dropped off at the emergency room doors and basically dragged myself into Trinity Health yelling my lungs out! I couldn't walk more than two steps without needing to take a break. The receptionist realized what was happening and guided me up to L&D - I kid you not it was exactly like the movies LOL!
It was around 2:00 PM already when I finally got into a room and stripped down. The nurse checked my dilation and I was at a 4! Which was crazy because I was only at 1.5 the night before. Something was definitely happening! At this point Devyn is still at work not really knowing what was going on. He had to leave early once because of false labor and we did not want him to have to do it again. "Is this the real deal, is it really happening?" I asked the nurse, "you're having a baby today Mrs. Saldivar!"
Devyn walked in as I was getting the epidural and suddenly all the worry, all the pain had went away - the epidural kicked in - just kidding lol! Seeing him at the doorway took a GIANT weight off of my shoulder. My safe place was there. My best friend. My person, and we were about to have our little person. I was at 6 CM while getting the epidural and shortly after I jumped right to 8cm, and then 30 minutes after I was 9.5 and it was time to push. As I was pushing, I kept peaking over at Devyn and I could see the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Can you see him is he there?" "Want to feel him?" the nurse asked while grabbing my hand and guiding me to where his head was. My son, my one and only son was about to be born. I smiled and pushed some more, I couldn't wait to meet him.
A couple of pushes later at 5:20 PM a blue in the face with a quiet baby was born. Our baby boy was born with the cord wrapped around his neck which caused him to sound a little muffled. The nurses instantly did skin to skin and worked around our bonding time trying to get his cord unwrapped. They did an amazing job by keeping my wishes, and also keeping him safe. He was so beautiful and so warm. I'll never forget the feeling of his wet body being put into my arms and onto my chest. There he was - a little person that was half of me, and half the person I love.
Atreus Isaiah Saldivar 5:20 PM 7.13 LBS 19.5 IN of perfection.
