Fast Delivery With First Baby: Be Prepared to Expect the Unexpected With Childbirth! by Christie Gosch

My husband and I spent countless hours preparing for the birth of our first child. However, nothing we learned or did prepared us for what really happened.

A week before my due date, I awoke with a start. I "heard" a pop sound then proceeded to go to the bathroom only to notice my water had broken. We called everyone then waited for what we figured would be a long labor and delivery – it was my first and I am fairly small. 

My first contraction came within minutes, then the second, then the third. They were approaching three minutes apart and soon I was unable to talk through them. I felt lots of pressure and what I thought was the baby moving down into the birth canal (this was within 30 minutes of awaking!).

I panicked and asked my husband to call an ambulance. Instead, since he thought I was overreacting (who wouldn't?), we got help and got to the hospital, which was a harrowing 30 minutes more. The baby was born within 15 minutes, with no intervention, and was completely healthy.

We, however, were absolutely dumbfounded. Many felt I was lucky, but I think hours of labor prepares you mentally and physically. Instead of being fully present, I was in shock and it took longer for me to bond with my baby.

Being able to tell my birth story over and over and having people listen to the intensity of it all was very useful for me to be able to fully digest what had just happened. This, and figuring out how to get some decent sleep, gave me the clarity to come out of the fog I felt and connect with my new baby. I also learned how my body reacts to childbirth and got myself to the hospital when I was just feeling pressure with my second child. He arrived within an hour of casually checking in!