Worth the Wait | Meet Alyssa & Wyatt

“I’m so uncomfortable. I need to change positions,” was the first thought that crossed my mind at 2 a.m. on July 16, 2025. As I rolled from one side to the other, I felt my water break. Somehow, I managed to make it to the bathroom without waking my husband and without leaving a watery mess behind (truly a miracle).

Once I realized what had happened, I called out to my husband “Baby, my water just broke!”. We were both instantly filled with excitement. Our time was here, and our baby was on his way. Sleep was no longer an option for me, so instead I focused on tuning in to my body. Out in the living room, we turned on calming, peaceful music, and I began using the yoga ball. I moved through gentle pelvic motions for a time, and then transitioned to resting my weight into the ball while my husband massaged my hips and back. I focused on my breathing, grounding myself with each inhale and exhale. I also made sure to eat and energize my body, I wasn’t sure when I’d have a real meal again once we reached the hospital.

As the sun began to rise, we stepped out onto our back deck. My husband held me as we watched the morning light fill the sky. In that quiet moment, we were both completely ready to meet our baby, and for everything else ahead.

At that point, my contractions weren’t painful for me, but I knew they were there. I was starting to feel tired, though, and decided it would be wise to rest before the intensity picked up. We laid together on the couch, and I positioned myself in a way I knew would help the baby's positioning, encourage dilation, and keep me comfortable. While I rested, the contractions grew stronger and closer together. We began timing them, and by around 8 a.m., they were consistent enough that I felt ready to head to the hospital. I still wasn’t in pain, I could feel each contraction clearly and focused on welcoming them as they came.

I walked into the hospital around 8:30 a.m., and the staff was shocked to find me 6 cm dilated, calm, and ready to have a baby.

Once I was settled in, I quickly progressed to 8 cm, but then my labor stalled and intense back labor set in. I rested for a few hours, giving my body time to continue opening, but when I still had made no progress, my doula and husband stepped in to help me progress. The two of them worked together to get me moving, helping the baby descend and supporting me through the intensity of the back labor.

The next twelve hours blurred together as I slipped into labor land - moving my body, resting in the tub, riding wave after wave of contractions. After 24 hours of labor, I found myself stalled at 9.5 cm. At that point, I made the decision to get an epidural so I could sleep and give my body the rest it desperately needed before meeting my son.

That rest was everything. I woke up the next morning and worked on getting dilated that last .5cm. Once I was there, my wonderful L&D nurse helped me through pushing. After two hours of pushing (my stubborn boy just kept getting stuck on my pelvis) he was finally in my arms. Thirty-eight hours of labor were worth it for that first moment with him laying on my chest.

While my birth didn’t unfold exactly the way I had imagined, I feel confident that I made the right decisions for my body at every step. That, to me, is what birth is meant to be. Every experience is different. Birth is fluid, ever-changing, and requires listening closely to your body. I spent the majority of my labor working with my body, not against it. My hope is that every mother finds the strength she already carries. To settle into her body, to trust herself, and to experience birth the way she believes she was meant to.