River Aiden's Birth Story

River Aiden, born at 8:58pm, 20.5 inches long, weighing 7lbs, 12oz. 

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December 1st
I woke up that morning with a quiet feeling in my body, the kind you can’t explain, but you trust. Something told me today might be the day. So I did what I always do when my nervous energy needs somewhere to go: I cleaned the house, hung my very last Christmas wreath, and folded a load of laundry. Nothing dramatic. Just nesting in the most ordinary way.

I had my weekly doctor’s appointment scheduled for 3:30 p.m., so I figured I had plenty of time to get a few things done beforehand. And I did.

At my appointment, while my doctor was examining me, I had a contraction. I was 3 centimeters dilated, and without hesitation he told me he was admitting me to the hospital. Suddenly, it was baby day.

I called my parents immediately and told them to leave Long Island, New York, and head to New Jersey. Of course, it was rush hour, which meant at least a three-hour drive, but I felt completely fine. Calm, even. I went home, took a shower, blew out my hair, and put on a little makeup. I remember thinking I might even make soup.

By 7:00 p.m., my husband looked at me and said, “Are you crazy? You’re having consistent contractions and they’re getting worse. We’re going to the hospital.” He called a friend to come watch the boys because my parents were still on the road  and thank God he did.

We were admitted and settled into a hospital room by 8:00 p.m. That’s when the doctor came in to check me again. I was 4 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. He told us he was going to step out to grab dinner and would be back shortly. He truly believed we had plenty of time.

Oh, how wrong he was.

From 4 to 10 in 58 Minutes
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At 8:58 p.m., River was born.

In just 58 minutes, I went from 4 centimeters to fully dilated. The epidural never came. I was completely unmedicated, and the contractions were relentless, one right after the other, with no break in between.

I leaned entirely on the meditation and yoga breathing techniques I had practiced for years. I truly don’t know how I would have made it through those contractions without them. I wasn’t lying in a bed, I was 

standing, hunched over, rocking back and forth, breathing through wave after wave of intensity.

It was just Rich and me in the room. No chaos. No crowd. Just us.

He was an incredible coach. He rubbed my back, reminded me to breathe, and kept telling me I could do this even when I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.

At some point, I felt it. That unmistakable urge.

I told him, “It’s time to push.”

He ran to get the nurse.

When she came in, she didn’t believe me. She asked me to get onto the bed so she could check. And the moment I opened my legs, she screamed, “BABY!” and ran into the hallway yelling for help.

Suddenly, the room exploded with movement.

Doctors. Nurses. A mad rush of bodies and voices.

​My doctor didn’t even make it in time, it was his third backup, along with several nurses and my husband, who delivered my baby boy. It was fast, wild, intense, and completely unforgettable.

Exactly How It Was Meant to Be
That moment, those minutes, are forever ingrained in my mind.

My final piece entered this world swiftly, powerfully, and with a story I will tell forever.

The truth is, I always wanted an unmedicated birth, but I never intentionally planned one. In this case, I wasn’t given a choice and somehow, my baby boy gave me exactly what I had always wanted.

A natural birth.
With my last baby.
My River Aiden.