Oh My God, I'm Someone's Mom: A Brief Birth Story
Despite being two months into motherhood, I’m still kind of in awe when I look at my daughter. I’m obviously obsessed, but at the same time, I also have moments where I feel like I’m watching someone else’s baby and waiting for them to come pick her up. Maybe it’s because of how she came into the world that I’m still in shock at her existence.
Monday, February 16, 2026 - President’s Day, appx. 4:15pm
I don’t always keep track of when my firm has a holiday coming up. So while working the previous Friday, I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t obligated to log in on President’s Day. Outside of some one-off emails here and there, I wasn’t really doing much. Instead, I occupied my time doing things like folding laundry, researching daycare centers, and playing The Sims 4.
I specifically remember being in the middle of a CAS (Create-A-Sim) session, something that can take well over an hour (and sometimes doesn’t even lead to actual gameplay). I had my day mapped out: after unwinding on the Sims, I would then pack my hospital bag, clean up the main floor of our home, and outline more training items for the paralegals who would be taking over some of my tasks at work once my maternity leave starts.
A little something about me: I’m naturally anxious. Even though my due date was set as March 7th, I was adamant about getting certain things done ahead of time. This was my first full-term pregnancy, and it’s actually more common to go 40 weeks or more rather than have the baby early. Even so, I figured if I operated as if I would have the baby on February 23rd, I could avoid unpleasant surprises.
I thought I was so smart.
Yet in the middle of my CAS session, I felt…wet. My first thought was “I know my bladder is weaker but there’s no way I’m peeing myself right now.” I immediately stood up so I could attempt to make it to the bathroom, and that’s when it hit me: the water is still going.
On a random Monday while playing on my computer, 19 days before my due date, my water broke. I was completely thrown off. I can’t say I was necessarily afraid in that moment, more so shocked. After this moment of disbelief, I rushed to the bathroom and slapped on a pair of post-partum underwear (essentially a diaper); thankfully, I bought them just two days prior. Otherwise, I would have just continued ruining underwear and leggings.
I called my husband, who likely thought I was asking about what he wanted for dinner that evening (pregnancy brain had me forgetting to thaw meat most days). “Hey…um…I think my water broke?” I said, as if there was any question it could be anything else. He let me know that he’d leave work and come get me, so then I contacted my OB. Here I was, thinking I’d be completely ready. But then our baby girl said: “Watch this.”
I hurriedly packed my overnight bag with a change of clothes, more post-partum undies, and more things that, in hindsight, I didn’t really need. Shaquan did the same when he arrived, and in between that, I called my mom to let her know that, apparently, I take after her (I was born about 10 days before the due date). I got a call back from my OB; she asked about pain, contractions etc. Luckily, I wasn’t feeling much of anything, so it didn’t seem to be very urgent. With that, we fed our dog and left for the hospital.
Thanks to good old Northern Virginia rush hour traffic, we got to the hospital a little before 7:00 pm. Again, the reality of the situation wasn’t really hitting yet. Everyone always says that for first-time mothers, labor usually lasts between 12 and 24 hours on average (I’ve heard plenty of stories of labor going well over 24). Even though I was going into labor earlier than expected, I wasn’t expecting any real action to happen until some time later.
Everything felt very routine and mundane at first. They checked and verified that my water did, indeed, break. They asked me all the standard questions about my health, the pregnancy, any medication I was taking, etc. They then got me situated in a labor and delivery room where they could monitor the baby and me. Around 9 or 9:30 pm, they checked my cervix, and I was only half a centimeter dilated. In other words: there would be a lot of time before anything major happened. We called our parents and they agreed it would make more sense to drive up the following morning rather than try to come that very night.
From there, Shaquan and I were just chilling. He went downstairs and picked up dinner, and we ate and talked. I sent a quick email on my phone to my colleagues, specifically those who had transactions closing that week. I picked out a playlist that I would use during delivery (since I never got around to assembling one myself). My contractions were very mild, not much different than a light period if I had to describe it.
One of the L&D nurses came in and let me know they’d administer something to help “soften my cervix”. Honestly, I can’t remember which drug it was (there are a couple that serve this purpose). I had my first dose before eating and then another dose about 1.5 hours later. Everything was going swimmingly.
But then my contractions got real. Like…super real. What was initially mild cramping became a nearly unbearable feeling that was as annoying as it was painful. The pain quite literally went from 0 to 100, then 100 to 1000 within a matter of minutes. The nurse who administered my ‘softener’ noticed my pain and asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get my epidural.
I had already planned on getting an epidural for my labor, but I was hoping that I could tough it out through the contractions a lot longer than I did. I felt defeated, but I also felt immense pain, so I agreed to get the epidural over with. Within minutes, a few more nurses came as well as the anesthesiologist who would be administering my epidural.
The funny thing about hospitals is that they have to give you the run-down of the epidural and have you sign to confirm you understand all the risks. But by the time the guy was going through the obligatory spiel, I couldn’t really hear or focus on anything. I just wanted him to shut up and stick the needle in my back so I could get some pain relief (I didn’t say this out loud, I just felt it to my core). Epidural application is intricate; you’re expected to sit completely still while it’s being done. My contractions, however, were becoming more intense, and I had to keep giving warnings to “wait wait wait” because I didn’t want to risk it being applied while I’m writhing in pain. And all through that, I was praying that the epidural would actually work; there are instances in which an epidural doesn’t take, and you’re put into a situation where you’re birthing without it.
During this time, I noticed the nurses in the room exchanging looks. I didn’t question it in the moment; I figured they didn’t like how dramatic I was being. Or, at least I felt I was being dramatic. I felt embarrassed being in this much pain because I felt like it was way too early for any of this. I wasn’t doing a blood-curdling scream like in the movies, but I most definitely wasn’t quiet either. It’s crazy how easy those breathing exercises are when your uterus isn’t being squeezed to death. What I was doing was a mix of deep breathing and terror groans. I would soon realize that those glances they exchanged weren’t from disgust or judgment. It’s because they knew something that I didn’t know.
Eventually, the epidural was given, and the pain relief was almost instant. Yes, I could still feel the contractions, but they were MUCH more manageable than they were before. Now that I didn’t feel like my uterus was being strangled, I could now feel the beads of sweat on my forehead as well as my drenched back. One of the doctors (honestly, I only knew one person was a nurse and another was a doctor. Everyone else? I didn’t know their titles and didn’t really care) had me lie back so they could check my cervix.
“Oh..you’re at a full 10 centimeters!”
If I were an animated character, my eyes would have popped out of my head. Apparently, my cervix was ‘softened’ to the max because I went from being less than 1 centimeter to 10 centimeters dilated in under 2 hours. I looked over at the nurse who had been with us since our arrival, and she calmly let me know that: 1) Everything is going to be alright, and 2) we’re going to get ready to push.
Let’s just say I was happy with my decision to have an epidural. What I felt during my pushes was more akin to ‘pressure’ than ‘pain’. I knew I would feel the pain later, but I was happier with the fact that my anxiety was under control. With the lack of pain, I could also feel just how drained the ordeal really had me.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 2:33 am
My husband was doing a much better job of keeping up with time (for obvious reasons). According to him, it was a little over an hour of pushing from there. Before I knew it, our little girl had arrived. I distinctly remember her only making a soft noise when she came out. They actually had a hard time getting her to let out a hard cry, but overall, they assessed that she was healthy and everything was functioning normally.
Moments later, our baby girl was placed gently on my chest for skin-to-skin. To my surprise, her eyes were already opening. At this point, Shaquan and I hadn’t fully committed to a name. We had our top 2 (after narrowing it down from 8), but decided that we would know her name after the fact. I took a look at her and, without even thinking about it, I greeted her:
“Hi Brielle”.
From my water breaking to giving birth, the entire process took roughly 10 hours. With how fast everything happened, it took a while for it to truly set in for me that I brought life into the world. That the kid I was carrying inside me for several months was finally here. That I’m not just someone’s daughter, but that I now have a daughter of my own.
I’m obviously too new to motherhood to have any advice or words of wisdom on parenthood. At this point, I’m still waiting for Brielle to keep consistent control of her neck. But as someone who has given birth, I do have suggestions for folks who are planning to give birth in the near future.
Pack that Hospital Bag - Granted, our girl arrived nearly 20 days before her due date. But I would say it’s a good idea to get that hospital bag packed at the start of the third trimester, rather than the tail end. The reason we were so late getting to the hospital was because of traffic, but also because neither one of us had our hospital bag packed. Luckily, there’s not a whole bunch to pack; it’s mainly clothes and toiletries. There are plenty of packing checklists available online, so if you’re planning for a hospital birth, start there.
Make/Find a Playlist - I planned to create my own birthing playlist, but, like my hospital bag, I did not get around to it before the time came. Luckily, there was one by user MusicSermon called Sonic Sanctuary that aligns with the relaxed vibe I was shooting for. Some people want a more relaxed vibe, some want something a little more hype. It’s a good idea to have both ready. I think this (along with the epidural) really helped me focus on the birth and not whatever my anxiety was trying to tell me in the moment. Plus, there are songs that I will always associate with Brielle and her birth (“If It’s Magic” by Stevie Wonder was playing when she was born).
Everyone’s Got an Opinion - There’s a lot of debate on hospital vs. home birth, medicated vs non-medicated, epidural vs. no epidural, breastfeeding vs formula, etc. But the only opinion that matters is your own. You won’t satisfy everyone, and that’s okay! Because at the end of the day, you’re the one giving birth here. Do what makes you comfortable and ensures your mental stability.
I love how things turned out for this birth. I honestly wasn’t looking forward to the endless hours of labor that I heard was common for first time moms. She came exactly how and when she was supposed to. I love this little girl, and I hope I can be a wonderful mother to her.
—Raven 🎈