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Camilla Mae – birth story

About a month ago, our world changed forever with the addition of our beautiful baby girl. Camilla Mae arrived on October 14th, at 10:09pm, weighing 7 lb 8 oz and 19 inches long. 

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

Waking up each morning I still can not believe that she’s here and she’s all mine. Amazing how such a tiny little thing can evoke such strong emotions and give so much happiness and joy. Since it has been such a long from the last time this household had a baby, the experience is like having a first child all over again.

Jeremiah 1:5
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart …”

I have an almost 7 and 9 year old, so I have done this whole birthing thing before, but this delivery, just like the pregnancy has caught me completely by surprise. I thought I totally knew what I was doing, but as it appeared I had no idea.
My expectations of what the labor and delivery was going to be were very largely based on what I already experienced twice before. Having said that, this time was nothing like the other two.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

I was expecting for my contractions to start, gradually increasing in pain with all the other signs of approaching labor. Then, when the pain became too uncomfortable to stay home, I would go to the hospital, they would give me an epidural and a little while later I would welcome our precious daughter into the world, pain free. This was pretty important to me.
Things didn’t go as planned this time, haha!

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

I really wanted to have my daughter on a Friday – this would give me the most recovery time after the delivery before I had to go back to school next Thursday.  Babies are unpredictable though and do as they please, so while I wanted to have her on a Friday I knew it might not happen like that.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

I was having really strong Braxton Hicks for weeks before she actually came. Sometimes, I was having regular contractions for hours on end, but then everything would stop. Now I was 39 weeks and very much ready to meet my baby, but there was no sign of actual labor coming on. I was still having regular Braxton Hicks a couple hours at a time, but since they were not painful, just really uncomfortable and tiring, I didn’t take them as anything more than Braxton Hicks.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

My niece Jasmine visited us in the hospital.

At my 38 week appointment we made a plan with doctor that if by 39 weeks and 2 days (which would be a Friday) I don’t have her on my own, the doctor will strip the membranes and hopefully it will start the actual labor. If not, the plan was to have the induction scheduled the next day (Saturday). I was already 2 cm dilated, so the doctor was really optimistic that it would work.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!I continued to have the contractions on and off. Each contraction would completely drain me of strength, even though not painful. The night of the day when I was to have my membranes stripped I was having regular contractions again, and this time I was thinking that this was it. I left messages to my instructors in school telling them that I’m not coming to school, because I am probably going to have my baby that day. By morning everything died down.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!
At 3 pm I went to see my doctor, she stripped my membranes and leaving the doctor’s office I was having regular contractions, about 7 to 3 minutes apart, but they were still not really all that painful. I’ve had too many false alarms before, so I didn’t take them seriously. I came home, with my nesting instinct in full swing, made dinner, finished frosting the cake I started making earlier, picked things up around the house and by 8 pm, the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, lasting from 15 to 60 seconds each. At this point I called the doctor’s office and asked them if I should go to the hospital. They asked me if the contractions were increasing in pain and I said that they were not – they feel the same as they did when I left the office at 3 pm. The doc said that it was still good idea to go to the hospital and get everything checked out, but there might be a chance that I will be sent back. Hearing that there is a chance that I might be sent home, I wasn’t in any kind of a hurry. After all, I have had the same kind of contractions for weeks and still, here we are with no baby yet.  

When my husband came home, I told him that he can have dinner, take a shower, then I’ll take a shower and we’ll go to the hospital. That was the plan. By the time I was taking a shower it was 9:10 pm. There, my water broke and my contractions started to feel painful. If the first one was about a 2-3 on a pain scale of 0-10, then the third one was a full 7. I got out of the shower as quickly as I could and I realized that now I am in some deep, deep trouble – because the pain is unbearable and I still need to get to the hospital. I woke up my husband, who by now was sound asleep in bed. He got dressed in about 10 seconds and was waiting for me by the door with my hospital bag in hand.

The level of pain I experienced while driving to the hospital was beyond anything I have ever experienced before. I had two of my other children with an epidural, so this was new to me. My husband seeing me writhing in pain, was scared that I was going to have the baby right there in the car, but I wasn’t worried, I still thought I had lots of time since the pain just recently started.

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3

At 9:40 pm I got to the hospital and had a team of people rush out from the emergency room to come get me out of the car and to the Labor and Delivery floor. I got out of the car and into the wheelchair and another contractions started. I shut my eyes, grabbed onto the handles and shocked beyond belief that I waited so long that now I have to endure this pain of these contractions went through another contraction. When they got me to the Labor and Delivery room, they checked and told me that I was 8 cm dilated. I was furious with myself. This. Can. Not. Be. Happening. I knew that at this point, no epidural is in sight and I will have to experience the childbirth with no anesthetics. It felt like being submerged in hell with no escape route. This was not what I had planned for, nor what I expected. Contractions were coming one right after the other, and lasted for what seemed like an eternity. There was no break or time to get any energy back, before the next one hit.

Arrival of Camilla Mae | Let the Baking Begin!

My doctor got there and told me that soon I will have the baby, but the agony I was in, those words were not very encouraging, because that meant I would have to push while experiencing even higher level of pain then I am in right now. That was unimaginable. When she said “soon”, I was thinking at least an hour or two, since I know that it takes about 1 hour for each centimeter of dilation. Around 10:05pm though, 25 minutes after arriving to the hospital, I was told that we’re ready to push and get this baby out. Oh the terror I felt. It was all about to go down. Well, two pushes later baby Camilla left the comfort of my belly and flew into this world screaming. She was laid on my chest immediately and stared right into my eyes. The relief,  the joy, the happiness – uncomparable to anything else in this world! All I could do at this point was thank almighty God for the perfectly beautiful baby, who we can call ours and for the gift of motherhood which I get to experience for the third time.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17

Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Welcome to Let the Baking Begin! I'm Marina and my love and passion for eating only the most delicious foods drive me to share that love here on Let the Baking Begin (since 2009). With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, you know the recipes are tested and retested until perfect. I'm so happy to have you here. Enjoy! Read more...

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  • When making The Chocolate Honey Cake do you bake “all” the layers together ,one on top of the other ?

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  • Congratulations to all your beautiful family!!! May God bless your little angel all the days of her life! You are blessed!

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  • Tanya

    Marinochka! Congratulations with your baby! She is absolutely a doll, just picture perfect! I love the picture where you are in the hospital and your girls came to visit, your husband holding her, and the last picture of all of the girls together! That is just priceless and so dear! Thank you for sharing your family with us! We love you Marinochka, you are an inspiration to all of us in the kitchen and in life! Thank you for everything!

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    • Thank you so much Tanyusha! As hard as it is with everything that’s going on, I’m just so overwhelmingly happy to have my precious little Camilla, it is hard to put it in words!
      The last picture, the one with all three of my girls is the one I have as a screensaver on my phone and my heart is just so full every time I look at it.
      Thank you so much for commenting and for your words of kindness!

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  • snowflakes

    you have such beautiful family..your baby is perfect..may the lord bless you and your family. Good luck and good wishes!!

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  • Nat

    Congrats!!! Your daughters are beautiful. God bless!

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  • Tallya

    Congratulations! Birth is so fascinating, we never know how it will go. I am getting very close to the birth of my 4th child and am very excited! We have had the last 2 births, breech and at home and planning to have this one at home also, hopefully in water this time so no epidurals here 😉 Prayers appreciated.

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    • Z.L.Y

      You know what my nurse told me when i delivered 4th baby a week ago without an epidural? She said: never say you can’t do it, you can do it… So you will do it… May Lord bless your delivery and recovery… by the way with 4 babies much easier

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      • In theory we know that no one died from the pain of the childbirth alone, but at the moment it sure seems like it’s a feasible possibility lol

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    • Hi Tallya,
      Wow, you sure are brave to deliver your kids at home, I’m too much of a worrier to do something like that. When are you due? Good luck and blessings to you on your delivery!

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      • Tallya

        Statistically home births end in a lot less deaths and emergency c-sections than hospital births! My estimated due date was on November 26th, I gave birth on the 28th 🙂 Baby girl did so good and I was able to give birth in the birth tub like I wanted to. I was also able to catch my own baby and it was the most amazing feeling, praise the Lord! Currently resting at home and in my own bed. Thank you for your well wishes, Marina:)

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  • Z.L.Y

    Congratulations… your girls are so pretty… May Lord bless your family…
    I totally understand your pain of not having an epidural during delivery. Lol. I delivered 4 kids (4th child I delivered one week ago, plus i was induced) without an epidural. So totally understand all of your pain level…

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    • Z.L.Y,
      Thank you so much! So, your memories of the birthing experience are as fresh as mine are, haha! Congrats on the delivery of your baby, was it a boy or a girl? Hope you’re adjusting well to life with a newborn, especially with three other ones! Blessings to you!

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  • Mila

    Marina God bless your family!!! Love your precious girls!!! Camilla is bunch of joy. Interesting story, thanks to God you made to the hospital, and that she is healthy!!!

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  • Congrats once again Marina!!! She’s so adorable! God bless your family!

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  • Nataly

    O, Marina, I’m so happy for you, you are a real hero!!! Thanks for the story, it even made me cry a little bit, I’m so happy for you, that all the pain and negative moments are in memories now, and you have such a precious and sweet girl near you!!!! I enjoyed the photos very much!!! May God provide you with strength and wisdom to take care of your big family!

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  • Tatyana

    Congratulations! What a blessing!

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  • Silvia

    O. she is so precious. Congrats. Thank you for all those amazing photos you posted. She is a doll. May God bless you and your family.

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  • Oh my!!. Marinka, she’s soo perfect!!!!!! The last picture of all three is absolutely beautiful.. So happy for you, my friend.. Congrats..

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  • Mary

    What a beautiful name you chose! And of course the baby is absolutely charming and stunning. Much good luck and good wishes to you and your growing family!

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  • Vee

    Congratulations!! You have a beautiful fasmily.

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