It’s Friday! That means it’s birth story day! Half my readers are rolling their eyes, and the other half can’t scroll fast enough past my intro!
Today Jennifer from The Brock Blog is sharing the birth story of her son, Joshua.
As always, please be respectful of any differences you may have between the author and yourself. Sharing a birth story is deeply personal and no two births ever go the same. Be respectful, and please feel free to leave a comment or head over to Jennifer’s blog/social media accounts to give her some love!
If you have been around blogs and the online world of pregnancy and birth, you will know what a **trigger warning** is. However, if you have not ever seen this before, it simply means that this story may contain parts that bring on anxiety or even PTSD for women who have gone through similar things (whether the outcome was good or bad). In this story, there is a small trigger warning related to breathing issues for the baby, so please do not read if you feel that it will be a trigger to you.
To view the other birth stories that have been published on my blog, you can click here.
If you would like to submit your own birth story, please email me at thegloriousmundane@gmail.com
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Joshua Alexander was born on March 2, 2016 at 1:45 in the afternoon. Although I would say it was an easy labor and delivery we had our share of complications. I went in to be induced on March 1, two days shy of being 41 weeks pregnant. I was severely anemic and had a horrendous tooth infection that I could do nothing about until he was born. I tried ALMOST everything to naturally bring on labor. My husband bought me a yoga ball that I bounced on from sunrise to sunset while I binged watched One Tree Hill and colored in my time consuming adult coloring books, I walked almost 2 miles on a treadmill every night while my husband and his best friend worked out, I ate ALL the spicy food I was able to get my hands on (Which is no problem for me. To me the spicier the better. LOL), and we even tried sex….but none of that worked.
When I went to be induced I was only dilated to about 1.5 cm and not effaced at all. At 7 that Tuesday night the process began with the cytotec. I had my husband, mom, and aunt there for support, and boy did I need it. Around 4:30 am on Wednesday I started my iv pain meds and they started the pitocin. Every 2 hours they came to give me another dose of my meds and at 11:30am I was at a 4 so my doctor came in to break my water. They thought that it was going to be another 7-8 hours before I even went into what they called “Active Labor” but within 30 minutes I was to a 6 and having the most painful contractions.
They gave me my epidural at about 12:30 pm and at 1:15ish I started pushing. Joshua heart rate suddenly began dropping after he started to crown. My doctor ended up giving me an episiotomy and tried to use a suction cup to get my son out but when that popped off he had to pull him out forcefully.
Now, I’ve heard my whole life that once your baby takes his very first breath and you hear him/her crying as they enter the world it is music to your ears. Well, I heard no music. What I saw terrified me. My son was the purplish blue color of a blueberry. There was no sign of life. I glanced over at my mom trying not to burst into tears because I knew that something was wrong. Babies aren’t supposed to be blue and purple. My mother did her best to reassure me that everything is okay. The issue was that the chord was wrapped tightly once around Joshua’s neck cutting off his airway.
Quickly my doctor cut the chord and air began to fill his lungs.
As I was being stitched up and they were cleaning him they noticed that his oxygen levels were dropping and he was having problems breathing on his own. His lungs were filled with fluid. I got to spend about 10 minutes with him before they needed to take him to the nursery so they could hook him up to oxygen. He was screaming. As they put my 7lb 13oz miracle on my chest and I started talking to him he began to calm down some. The screaming became small whimpers and he just laid there content but still not breathing well.
Our first family photo!
Joshua spent two days in the nursery and one day in my room. My recovery went well. On March 3 I was walking to and from the nursery constantly so I could check on my son and rest. We had very few visitors because of how miserable I was. Now I am fully recovered physically and am still working on my emotional recovery.
Joshua’s first picture in the nursery before they hooked him up to his iv’s and oxygen!
I would love to have more kids in the future. Labor and delivery doesn’t scare me, the postpartum depression does. BUT postpartum depression won’t stop me from loving my son and being the mother I am so desperately trying to be. It may get hard but it will get easier in time as I surround myself with people who will uplift me and pray for me! Joshua means Yahweh is Salvation, and I truly believe that God saved him. Satan tried so hard to steal this blessing from Joe and I, and is still trying to steal this blessing from us through my depression but I truly believe that God will be our saving grace. He saved me from depression before and He will do it again.
About Jennifer Brock
My name is Jennifer Brock. I am a stay at home mom and a loving wife with dreams of being a missionary, writer, and worship leader. Once my son was born I had to put my dream on hold. In this time that I am not pursuing my dreams I decided that I would use my love for writing to bring hope, joy, and laughter to those willing to read it. I have battled many mental illnesses and am willing to talk to anyone who needs someone as well as share my story. Like every mom I have my good days and I have my bad ones but I have just learned to smile through them. Keep Smiling! 🙂
What a beautiful story! I teared up a bit.. I can’t imagine seeing my baby born purple or the fear you must have faced. So glad he is doing well now and happy to hear you are doing your best to overcome postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is no joke, especially after some trauma during delivery. God is the great healer though and can heal depression just like any other illness. Always like reading these stories.
I love birth stories! No eye rolling or scrolling over here. I can only imagine the panic and dread that filled Jennifer when she saw her sweet baby turning colors. Thank you for sharing her story!
I love reading birth stories – thanks so much for sharing your emotional story, Jennifer. Give yourself time to heal both physically and emotionally ❤️
I love birth stories! I’m glad the baby is doing fine. Modern medicine really saves a lot of lives, especially young lives!
What a beautiful story of a courageous mom! Thanks for sharing. Glad baby and mom are doing well.
What a beautiful story! I teared up a bit.. I can’t imagine seeing my baby born purple or the fear you must have faced. So glad he is doing well now and happy to hear you are doing your best to overcome postpartum depression.
So glad mommy and baby are healthy! I love reading birth stories
Postpartum depression is no joke, especially after some trauma during delivery. God is the great healer though and can heal depression just like any other illness. Always like reading these stories.
oh i love birth stories! and i love when mamas talk about and are open about postpartum depression
I love birth stories! No eye rolling or scrolling over here. I can only imagine the panic and dread that filled Jennifer when she saw her sweet baby turning colors. Thank you for sharing her story!
What a sweet story! I love how every woman remembers her story so vividly and each one is different.
I love reading birth stories – thanks so much for sharing your emotional story, Jennifer. Give yourself time to heal both physically and emotionally ❤️