We recently welcomed the newest addition to our ohana, Luna Marisela! She was due on September 4, but she arrived early on August 23. Bella officially became a big sister, and we couldn’t be happier that she now has a little sister to grow up with.

Many people have asked about my birth experience and how it compared with our first.

With Bella, I went into labor naturally. Zac and I were at the gym with some friends. I was walking on the treadmill when I started feeling period-like cramps. They weren’t painful but were definitely noticeable, and I realized that they kept happening every few minutes, so I started timing them. They were consistently happening about every 10 minutes, so I got off the treadmill and went to go find Zac. He wasn’t done with his workout yet, so I sat on an exercise ball and did some stretches and hip circles until he was done.

When we left the gym and got in the car, Zac said he wanted to go shopping, but I calmly told him that we should go home because I started feeling what I thought were contractions. We got home at around 5pm and the contractions were gradually getting stronger, so I decided to take a shower and have some dinner. Thankfully, my water had not broken yet (I was worried that it might have happened at the gym), and I was trying to labor at home as much as possible. The hospital is less than 5 minutes away from where we live, so I was waiting until the contractions were significant enough before heading there.

We ended up checking into labor & delivery at around 7pm. By the time I checked in, I was already dilated about 4 cm. The contractions were getting stronger, and I was dilated at 7 cm when I finally opted for the epidural. It was already late at night, so I had to wait a while before they were able to get an anesthetist to come. I received the epidural at around 3am, and I was finally able to get some rest. I tried to sleep, but I was half awake for the rest of the night.

I fully woke up when I noticed that the epidural was wearing off, so I pushed the button on the pump for additional medication and kept doing so about every half hour. At around 9am, I was fully dilated and the medical team started getting ready to deliver the baby. I was nervous because I was completely numb from the epidural. I could not feel anything below my chest, and when it came time to push, I couldn’t even tell if I was pushing. It took about 45 minutes of pushing and resting until my firstborn finally arrived.

Now, with Luna, I had a much different experience. Since I was considered advanced maternal age, at 37 weeks, I was having twice-a-week appointments on Tuesdays and Fridays to do non-stress tests. With these NSTs, you’re hooked up to a monitor to check heart rate and fetal movement.

At my 38-week check-up, I had an appointment with my doctor and the NST right after. My doctor did an ultrasound and took measurements. She said that the baby’s stomach and head were measuring very small and wanted to look into it some more, so she told me to move on to the NST and that she would get back to me.

The NST turned out fine. The heart rate was good and fetal movement was normal. My doctor came in during the test and said that with the measurements she found earlier, she was worried the baby wasn’t getting enough nutrients in utero and officially diagnosed me with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). She suggested that I be induced so that the baby would be able to get the nutrients she needs outside the womb. I was apprehensive at first, so she said she put in an order for me to get a more detailed ultrasound to confirm her findings.

That appointment wasn’t for another few hours, so I decided to go home first and have lunch. I told Zac what happened, so he started getting our hospital bags ready so that he could come with me to the next appointment. I had lunch with him and Bella, not realizing that it would be the last lunch I would have with her as an only child.

Zac and I left for the hospital, and my mom stayed with Bella. We went in for the ultrasound, and after the additional measurements were taken, the nurse had us wait in the room while she met with my doctor. When the nurse returned, she said I needed to go straight to labor and delivery. This was around 3pm. She brought us up, and I went into triage to wait until a room was ready for me. Zac ended up going back to the car to get our hospital bags.

When I finally got to my room, they began hooking me up to the machines. When the labor & delivery doctor arrived to check in on me, she said that I was already dilated 3 cm and having contractions, but I honestly didn’t feel anything. My doctor had scheduled for me to be induced at 6pm, so I tried to relax and get some rest until then. I was able to order dinner for Zac and me, so I figured we might as well eat since I didn’t really know when I would be able to eat again. When 6pm came, one of the nurses explained to me how the procedure was going to go. They were first going to give me medication to help ripen my cervix. It’s administered either by mouth or vaginally. They were planning for the latter since it’s easier to remove if needed.

They put in the order for the medication, but there was a hold-up with the pharmacy, so it wasn’t until closer to 10:30pm that things actually got started. They administered the medication and explained that they could leave it in for up to 12 hours and they would continue monitoring me for any changes. It took a while for it to kick in, but eventually, my contractions were beginning to get stronger. A few hours later when one of the nurses came in to check on me, they found that my contractions were way too strong and distressing the baby, so they removed the medication. It worked, and the readings went back to normal. It seemed like it would be a while until I would actually deliver the baby, and the nurse said that I could still eat, so Zac and I ordered boba, mango sticky rice, and cake to be delivered with Grub Hub.

After getting some more food and drinks in my system, I decided to get the epidural because I was expecting to eventually be given Pitocin. The anesthetist arrived much sooner than when I was in labor with Bella. The actual administering of the epidural hurt a lot, but after that, the pain from the contractions subsided. I was able to rest and relax for a while, but then one of the nurses rushed into the room and called for the rest of the team. My contractions were only 1-2 minutes apart, and because of the epidural, I wasn’t feeling any of them, and I was not fully dilated yet. The frequent contractions were causing the baby’s heart rate to drop, so they gave me medication to reduce the contractions.

The medication worked, but it made me very jittery. It lasted a while, but at least the baby was doing better. At around 8:30am, I was fully dilated, and my medical team was preparing for me to deliver the baby. I wasn’t completely numb like I was when I had Bella, so I could feel the pressure down there from the baby, but there was no pain. With just two pushes, Luna was born.

This experience with Luna was definitely a lot more stressful than with Bella, especially with all the painful symptoms I experienced during pregnancy (skin rashes, swelling, carpal tunnel…). I prayed so much for Luna to arrive to us safely and healthy, and I’m very thankful that God answered my prayers.

I am grateful for my little family and will cherish the rest of my days with them.