Ryan Rae Harbuck was left with a new life to build after a paralyzing car accident in her teens. She shared her fears about going into labor with her injuries during our interview on the Real Life Momz podcast. She said, "I wanted just to live my life as I would live it no matter what, and I wanted to have kids.” And there just wasn't much information about women in Ryan’s situation who were pregnant, had delivered babies, and raised children. It was a bit discouraging for Ryan, and she found the lack of preparation very scary.
Fortunately, she had a fantastic obstetrician who gave her confidence and frequently had her come in for daily exams. She kept telling her to trust her body, that everything would be okay, and that she could carry to full term.
Finally, at 38 weeks gestation, she had an appointment and as her doctor checked her cervix, Ryan will never forget the look on her doctor's face when she told her, she needed to go to the hospital right away, that she could feel her baby's “hair.” Ryan’s worries had come to light. Ryan and her husband made it to the hospital. Ryan states, “I couldn't feel any of the contractions; thankfully, my son was born fine, and I was able to push him out naturally. It was as if I was in the right place at the right time; had I not had that appointment, I'm not sure I would have known I was in labor as I didn't feel any different that morning.”
So when Ryan became pregnant again, she was filled with apprehension; every day from week 20 onwards, she thought she would deliver her baby overnight. “I would wake up in the middle of the night and check the bed” because Ryan feared the baby had been born. She even purchased pH test strips to determine whether she was urinating or experiencing amniotic fluid leakage. It turned out that her body did give her cues. “I experienced a strange side pain and a pain in the back of my teeth. I couldn't understand what it was, and I just went about my day, thinking it was my baby sitting oddly in my belly. Despite these signs, I chose to ignore the pain and went on with my day. In hindsight, I now realize these were cues that I was in labor, but I had chosen not to pay attention to them,” said Ryan.
The following day, Ryan had an appointment for her planned induction, and she even told her husband to stay home since she knew it could take a while. But when she checked in at the hospital, they told her she was in active labor. She couldn't believe it! The day before, her body had given her signs she was in labor, even though she couldn't feel the contractions. Her second son was born healthy, and it just goes to show that our bodies are usually trying to tell us something, but we're typically ignoring it. What a giant life lesson!
Get Ryan's book today at https://amzn.to/3KVC5Pq (As an Amazon affiliate, at no extra cost to you, we will earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
Tune into the Real Life Momz podcast to hear our entire conversation at https://www.reallifemomz.com/s5e15 Or catch it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2in7pJxN6nI
Lisa Foster, Host of Real Life Momz Podcast
