Throughout the pregnancy, I always assumed you would be early or at least on time (like your Mother likes to be). I NEVER dreamt you would be LATE! As the time drew nearer, I began to get anxious. Your Dad tells me it was your plan all along to begin teaching me patience! We tried everything to coax you into the world. We walked and walked and walked until Daddy’s knees hurt! We ate spicy food, climbed stairs, drank red raspberry leaf tea, took evening primrose oil…you name it, we tried it. I became a non-believer in the Old Wives Tales. Jess even came to visit right before your due date and we wished that you would come out while she was here. We were hoping for her Dad, Ken’s birthday (April 29th), but no dice.
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| Jess trying to squeeze the baby out ;) |
A few major media events happened right before your were born. On April 29th, Prince William and Kate got married. Almost half the world watched on TV or the internet. Jess and I taped the wedding and woke up and had tea while we watched (so very British of us). Your due date, April 30th, came and went. On May 1st, our 1-year Anniversary, Travis and I celebrated with a tribute to our honeymoon. Travis surprised me with a Turkish lunch and a Greek dinner! We also went house hunting looking for the perfect future home for our family (just dreaming, really). Also on May 1st, Osama bin Laden was killed by US soldiers in a covert operation almost 10 years after 9-11-01.
On Monday, May 2nd, I decided to get on with life and quit worrying about when you would make your entrance. I had a doctor’s appointment and the midwife stripped my membranes, basically separating the bag of waters (your home) from my cervix, to see if she could help things along. I went home and started on some chores. That night, after we went to bed, I could NOT get comfortable. I tossed and turned until 3am. I finally went into the bathroom and cried. I had “hit my wall”. I just couldn’t do it anymore! I got myself together and started feeling crampy, which was not unusual (I had Braxton Hicks contractions for a month before you were born). I didn’t think anything of it, but I couldn’t sleep, so I went out to the living room and lied on the couch and watched TV. The crampiness continued and then measurable contractions 5 to 8 minutes apart kept coming. A little stronger, a little stronger. Around 6am I decided this might be the real thing. I woke up Travis and started some bath water. Travis woke up and came in to help me time contractions. They got closer and closer together, some around 3 minutes apart. I got out of the bath and they got even stronger. 2 minutes apart! Then I felt my water begin to leak. Time to get to the hospital! We threw together our bags, loaded the truck and went to the hospital around 8:15am.
When we pulled into the Labor and Delivery drop-off, my water broke even more. I got out of the car and was walking toward the entrance and Cassie (my friend/coworker) was on her way to work and saw us pull in. I was in a zone, so I couldn’t talk, but she gave me a big “you can do it” (she was one of my natural childbirth inspirations and advice givers throughout my pregnancy). We got into the triage unit and they checked me and found that I was 3.5 cm dilated and clearly in active labor. They sent us upstairs and got us into our own delivery room. The nurse came in who was a tiny little Asian lady. She was a little hard to understand, but very nice. We forgot the birth plan in the truck, so we just told the nurse and doctor that we were going to do a natural childbirth without medication and that I wanted to be active and use the Jacuzzi tub. They hooked me up to measure my contractions externally. Around 9:30am, the doctor came in and checked me again. Still 3.5 cm dilated. They started a Jacuzzi tub for me and I got in. I remember the contractions coming so strong and then in between them I was able to fall asleep. I read that this might be possible. It was only for a couple minutes, but the rest in between contractions was great. I stayed in for about 45 minutes and then got out to walk around and sit on the birthing ball. They hooked me up again to measure contractions and they were so strong this time that I was having trouble breathing. I was hyperventilating. Travis and the nurse were coaching me through the breathing and got me to calm down. At this time, though, your heart rate dropped and they had to put me on oxygen to help you regain strength. It helped and they kept me on oxygen for the remainder of the labor.
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| Me in labor |
Somewhere around Noon the doctor came back in and asked if I’d like to be checked. I felt desperate to know after the nurse had told me that the average time is an hour per centimeter once you hit 4cm. I didn’t know how much longer I could take the pain. They checked me and the doctor said “oh my, you’re at a 9…we’re gonna have a baby soon”! I remember asking “about what time, do you think”? She said she would be surprised if we didn’t have a baby by 3pm. I thought to myself “OK, I can do this for another 3 hours if I have to”. My Mind is My Power - that was my mantra. So, the contractions continued and I decided to stay in bed because they were so strong. Around 1:45pm, the nurse began to ask if I was ready to push. I really didn’t know. And almost immediately, I felt the pressure. I said yes, I was ready shortly after that and I began pushing through the contractions. It helped. It was much better than sitting through the grueling pain of contractions. It was the greatest pain I could ever imagine. Those first pushes were mind numbing. But, I couldn’t wait to meet you. I remember thinking of all the things in my life I’ve gone through and all the decisions I’ve made, there’s always been a chance to back out if I wanted. THIS was NOT one of those times. It was the only thing I’ve ever experienced where I could not back out. That thought drove me further. I pushed with all my might. Finally, Travis looked at me and said “he’s coming, he’s almost here”. More motivation! I pushed some more and could hear them talking about you crowning. So close! Finally, the last push was so awesome. You came out all at once, it seemed. I saw a glimpse of a tiny purple body and the nurses and doctors were saying how big you were.
You were placed immediately on my chest and I was hooked. The love I’ve never felt, but longed for, was finally happening. Words will never explain how powerful that feeling is. I looked at Travis with tears in his eyes and it was as if time had stopped. We did it!
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| The love I speak of... |
The nurses left us alone for some family time and we stared in awe at you. We just kept saying how “perfect” you were. You also latched on to nurse right away and I felt like we were one again. Suddenly, all the pain I experienced was forgotten. I would do it again in a heartbeat. That feeling is a powerful drug and I never wanted it to end.
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| Big Boy! |
The nurse came back in to check on us and she did a routine checking of my uterus to see if it was clamping back down. Unfortunately, I had abnormal blood clotting. They panicked a little and the doctor had to come back in to scrape my uterus. More pain! Ugh, I thought it was over! I was just glad that the complication was with me and not you. Daddy held you while they worked on me some more. Finally, we were able to move into our new room.
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| Proud Daddy! |
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Proud Mama!
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BIG hands and feet
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| Our little "Bubby Boy" (your nickname while you were in my belly) |
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| Our Happy Family |
We got into the new room and stayed there for the night. The next day we decided we’d like to go home if possible. The nurses made all the arrangements and we were home within 24 hours of you being born!
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