Brant Asher Strawder | February 25, 2023

Friday, February 24:
“What was that?!” I woke up around 4:00 AM with a sharp jolt in my belly… “Is this a contraction?!?” I had no idea! I mean as a first time mom, you don’t know what in the world to expect. I opened my phone and found my contraction timer app that was shared with us in our birth class. It only lasted about 45 seconds. Ronnie would be getting up for work soon, so I decided to go get in the bathtub– my favorite place to relax and get relief from back pain. I didn’t feel the cramping again, so he decided to go on to work and I decided it was best for me to take the day to rest.

And then I felt it again… I grabbed my timer app & this time it was about a minute. 12 minutes later, another! I called Ronnie and told him I think we’re having a baby today! From 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM, contractions were very sporadic, but definitely happening. Then after 10:00, they stopped. Cold turkey. No more contractions. I found tears in my eyes and we decided to get out and walk to get some fresh air. My mom came to get Saige, our dog, so we could have time & so she’d have her if we were in labor. I spent time laying down (trying to nap with no avail), reading birth affirmations, listening to Christian Hypobirthing, and sitting on my ball.

As I heard Ronnie start to snore, my contractions started getting a little more consistent… and then more intense. Definitely more intense than earlier in the day! I was so afraid they would stop again, so I let Ronnie sleep and text my mom to update her. Around midnight, I knew they weren’t stopping. I woke Ronnie up and told him I think we need to head to the hospital! He helped me get into the shower, but my contractions got so intense and close together so fast, that I needed him to stay close by. My contractions became so close together and so intense that I wasn’t much help packing the car and it took us probably an hour or so to even leave.

Saturday, February 25:
The ride to the hospital was the most intense and longest hour of my life. Do you know how many red lights and bumps there are between Enterprise and Dothan?! My contractions were 1 to 3 minutes apart, lasting 1 to 2 minutes. I couldn’t get comfortable or find any relief in the car.

Ronnie quickly calls our parents as we are rushed to a room. Like my hospital bed was zooming down the hallway. We were surrounded by people getting me checked in, hooked up to monitors, asking all the questions. It wasn’t long before I decided laboring in that ugly restricting gown was not for me. I even had a cuter one in my bag, but didn’t want to feel weighed down and choked out. The nurses helped me get out of it as I decided I wanted as little touching me as possible (just my bralette was perfect).

Praise the Lord that MY doctor was on call and would be delivering our baby! After he makes it in (with CPAP indentions still on his face), he checks me and says I’m more like 8cm, but still had some cervix in the way. This meant I had some time for our parents to arrive. I knew I needed my mom by our sides. One of the many reasons we LOVE my doctor is his faith, openness, and humor. He prayed with us, praying for a smooth and safe delivery, and then explained some options and what to expect. Since I was already so far along, this was my moment to decide yes or no on the epidural. I was so exhausted (remember, I’ve been up since 4:00 Friday morning) and decided yes to the epidural to try to give my body some rest. I really wanted to be aware and know when my body was ready to push. He explained that there was a button to control how much of the epidural you get (so I knew I was still in control). This gave me peace of mind, hoping to get some relief but still feeling in control.

While laboring, Ronnie was the absolute best supporter I could’ve asked for. He was keeping me hydrated, moving the fan off/on me, keeping my bath cloth fresh. I had a great plan for my diffuser with carefully chosen oils for the best vibes, playlists made, my camera for all the pictures, etc… but when you spend most of your labor time at home, none of that matters when the waves are super intense and coming back to back. And most of that was still in the car & I was not letting Ronnie go back and leave me alone!

5:00 AM– its time to start pushing. I had Ronnie on my left and mom on my right with my first nurse coaching me. One thing I didn’t really understand was how to push… so strange. My body knew when I needed to push, I just wasn’t very effective at it. Like how do I “not push with my face”?? Ronnie is rotating my ice water, cold bath cloth, fan off and on, and my oxygen mask (after hyperventilating, the oxygen was needed). At 6:00, it was nurse shift change. This made me nervous because I wasn’t sure if I would get another good nurse. But the Lord sent the absolute best nurse named Madi. She was gentle but assertive, which is just what I needed.

I couldn’t rest because my contractions were super close together but the exhaustion was overcoming me. I was insanely nauseous with all of the pressure. Like something had to give- either out the top or bottom. My mom had a vomit bag in her hand while holding peppermint essential oil under my nose to help. Dr. Scott told me once I could throw up, my baby would be coming shortly after. I thought he was just saying that, but shortly after I filled up the baggie, I felt a million times better. He then told me to get serious, it’s time to meet my baby. I was so, so tired that I kept telling Ronnie and Mom they had to help me push. They each had an arm behind me as I pushed with all my might.

As the team began to clean the room around us (at Southeast, you labor, deliver, & stay all in one room… it’s amazing), I did end up having to get a few stitches from a second degree tear. Being the “weirdo” that I am, I asked to see my placenta & wow, it was huge! I was so proud of my Ningxia placenta that gave me a healthy baby!

After about 2 hours of uninterrupted skin to skin, the nurse came to weigh and measure him. Our tiny miracle weighed 6lbs 12 oz at 20 in long. At this point, Brant was still awake! We couldn’t believe how alert he was (& still is). We had breastfed some, but after the nurse gave him back, he fell right to sleep with mommy and daddy. Shortly after this, we allowed our family members who had been anxiously waiting to come in a few at a time to meet him. Those first few hours of just the three of us were so special and full of bliss!

That night, Brant had his first bath and he absolutely loved it! I took my Young Living Seedlings baby soap for him to be bathed in. He smelled like a fresh lavender baby. Watching Ronnie with him honestly had tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat. The Lord heard our cry and sent us the most precious and perfect baby boy after almost two years of waiting.

I started my AfterEase and Milk Rich drops (by WishGarden) in juice & Ningxia that afternoon. AfterEase helps with the after-birth cramps while Milk Rich helps get your milk supply started and Ningxia is replenishing your body with all the nutrients (and also boosting your milk supply). I honestly credit my smooth postpartum journey to keeping my body well nourished.

My L&D was truly perfect. The one thing I regret is not having someone taking more pictures during L&D, right after he was born, and our first few days together (we had packed my camera, but since we got to the hospital with no time to spare, it was left in the car until later).

We are absolutely in love with our precious angel boy. Brant is perfect and we could honestly stare at him all day! The Lord has and always be by our sides and in ever little detail.

xo, the Strawders