The birth story of baby number three.
The roads were dark and empty, illuminated only by street lamps.
It’s 11p, surreal, and I’m sleepy. I cannot quite process that we’re doing this: my husband and I were driving to the hospital on Thursday, September 28, for my first-ever induction.
Twelve hours earlier I had met with my doctor for my last scheduled visit and she suggested that I could get induced tonight. Naturally, we jumped on it.
[If you’re familiar with how our daughter arrived in 2021 you’d likely understand why we were nervous to just wait for this baby to arrive when he’s ready.]
For the past two weeks I was 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, and his head down-facing as it should be. And knowing that things could change within two hours to two weeks wasn’t necessarily that calming…
We found the labor and delivery area and were led right to a delivery room by a nurse named Kate. (She was a hoot and kept me laughing pretty much all night.)
After changing into the height of hospital fashion, I was hooked up to an IV and the pitocin was turned on.
I wish I could say it was just minutes and bam! baby but it didn’t quite work out that way. In fact, it was kind of better.
I was told that things most assuredly would escalade after the water-breaking.
Kate cranked up the ‘tocin incrementally as the night crawled by. By level 14 I was gripping the bed’s handrails and breathing in and out, man. The contractions were so close together (every 3-5 minutes) but by the time my doctor came in the morning I had only progressed to 6cm.
Talk about disappointment! Almost felt like all that was for nothing.
The next step was to break the water and see what happens… and that’s when it could get super fast.
So around 6:30a Dr. Duke broke my water and at 7:16a Greyson Anthony Webb entered the world.
I’m choking up writing this because his arrival was the close of a super intense 45 minutes. I was at the point that I really didn’t think I had the mental or physical stamina for that last sprint—but God did it through me.
I told Kate I wasn’t sure I could do it without an epidural and she looked at Chris and said, Oh, she can. (But she still validated me and started the fluids in case I could still benefit from it within 1/2 an hour’s processing time).
That poor bed. I held onto the those railings like there was no tomorrow and tried to get all the oxygen into my lungs—then breathing out to balance out those powerful contractions. I was useless for conversation and could barely consider letting go of the bed to sway on the birthing ball or simply move into another position.
Then of course as soon as Kate left the room I felt the urge to push. I remember yelling out something like Yes, I need to PUSH!! And with the next contraction you better believe I did.
Yowzers. In that tiny space of time there was suddenly like ten people in the room clad in scrubs—I saw them all looking on so pleasantly and supportively before I closed my eyes again. Just when my eyelids closed the most kind-faced doctor gave me the most encouraging smile and nod and mouthed, You’ve got this.
Dr. Duke slipped in right behind him and asked me, Are you ready? And I’m pretty sure I shook my head, bracing myself under the next wave.
I know that first push was Greyson’s head so all I had left was only the time between that first push and the next contraction. Duke said it would make me want to push with all I’ve got and that would do it. And she was so right.
Out he came and unto my chest, the slippery, warm, purple baby boy. Another magical moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Pass me the tissues, please!!
Kate appeared next to me with congratulations. She was so kind to stay the extra 16 minutes to see the little guy we were all waiting for…
All these people involved were so gracious. And I’m so thankful for a great village to bring in my precious little people.
I didn’t think I could push another baby out of my body without some numbing… honestly, simply because I was overthinking the intensity that I’d experienced once before.
But despite how impossible it felt, we did it.
What a beautiful thing new life is.
A few captured memories:
We’re so in love with this perfect addition to our family.
Grace + Common Sense 
Leave a comment