Gabriel’s Birth Story
Written by: Jessica Gonzalez
I still remember the day I found out I was pregnant, it was Mother’s Day 2010. I was over the moon excited, I had always wanted to be a mama. I was currently working as a preschool teacher and I was beyond ready to have my own little love to snuggle and explore life with. I loved everything about being pregnant, the maternity photos, the kicks and hiccups coming from the baby, my big round basketball belly and the catering I received from everyone around me.
Flash forward 9 months later and I was miserable- I woke up on January 1, 2011, with a terrible rash that covered my stomach, thighs and chest. After visiting my doctor, I learned that I had Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, also known as PUPPP or Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. It is an itchy, bumpy rash that begins as the stretching of the skin causes an inflammatory reaction due to damaged connective tissue. The doctor told me about 1 in 200 pregnant women get this and it shouldn’t be an issue. A few days later, I became even more uncomfortable, and the rash had spread- I also developed a fever and hadn’t slept in days… I was so uncomfortable, I just wanted relief.
At that point, I was only 1 cm dilated so the doctor recommended using a Dilapan, which is inserted to dilate the cervix gradually. I asked her if we could wait a few days and she agreed. Thankfully by the next visit, my body had naturally done its job and I was 3cm dilated. Because I wasn’t showing any signs of active labor beyond the dilating and the rash was draining me both physically and mentally, the doctor decided I should be induced. I waited out a few more days and planned my induction for January 13th (one day before my due date) so I could labor with my favorite doctor. I remember my husband and I watching movies and napping the entire day before being induced because we knew life was about to change drastically. The next morning, I called the hospital at 5 am to see if a bed was available and was told to come right in.
We took our time, I got showered, went to the bathroom (I was so nervous about shitting myself during labor) and drove through the car wash, lol. As we entered the hospital, I felt pretty relaxed, I felt like nothing could possibly go wrong at a hospital surrounded by so many doctors and nurses. The day dragged on, I felt like everyone was pacing around me waiting for something to happen. Once the Pitocin kicked in the contractions started and came on pretty strong. I had practiced hypnobirthing during my pregnancy and really liked the idea of being “calm” and moving around during my labor, but I had to be hooked up to the IV and heart monitor due to the Pitocin.
As the hours passed, I became more uncomfortable and I decided to go ahead and get an epidural- I don’t remember being nervous, I just assumed getting an epidural is what people do during labor, so, why not? I was able to nap, watch TV and play card games once the epidural kicked in. Later that night, around 10:30- I was told it was time. I remember crying hysterically because I wasn’t sure if I was truly ready…. I was so worried I wouldn’t be good at giving birth or being a mom. It was the first time I second guessed myself throughout the entire 9 months. I started pushing and knew right away I didn’t know what the hell I was doing…. I was still numb; I had no idea what was going on and there were a lot of people in and out of the room telling me to “push”. My mom, my sister, my husband, his aunt, nurses, doctors, even students at one point. I just kept focusing on my husband in my ear “you got this, babe, you can do this….”
Once I felt the burning, I knew the baby was close, I pushed a few more times and finally heard him enter the world at 11:41 pm. We named him Gabriel Andres (my husband’s name backwards). The moment we found out we were having a boy, Dr. Gabriel was paged in the doctor's office, and we just knew that was a sign. Andy cut the umbilical cord and they placed Gabriel on my chest, he was screaming in my face as I cried in his. I just kept thinking this poor little guy doesn’t want to be here with these bright lights and loud sounds. I was so excited when everyone was asked to leave for the night so I could process what had just occurred. I layed there with my legs wide open, the doctor sewing me up from tearing so much and just stared at Gabriel’s wrinkly, pink skin.
Andy took him from me and didn’t put him down for the rest of the night- Andy experienced all of the “firsts” within the next 24 hours- he got peed on first, he held Gabriel during his first sneeze, and he burped Gabriel successfully for the first time. We spent the next two nights in the hospital, never letting our baby out of sight. The nurses kept asking us if we wanted to sleep while they took him to the nursery, and I just couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to spend time away from their newborn already! From that moment on, I felt like it was my responsibility to cater to him and I didn’t want anyone else’s help. I wanted to prove how ready I was, how responsible I could be. We finally made our transition home. I still had the rash, which was supposed to disappear right after birth, but decided to linger for weeks. Once we were home, I didn’t even care. I had a beautiful and healthy baby boy, and we were ready to begin our journey together as a family of 3.
