Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Let me start this post by saying I LOVED being pregnant! I felt great 95% of the time, I loved my maternity clothes, and I loved feeling my baby squirm and kick, and wondering what he was going to look and act like! I was very blessed with such a wonderful 9 months...then week 40 came! I was miserable the week of my due date! I couldn't sleep, I peed 82 times a night, and did I mention I looked like I was carrying a litter, wherever I went people would stare!!
It all became unbearable when my due date (July 28th) came and went. I was having contractions throughout that night, they were bad enough to be annoying, but not so bad that I wanted to kill my husband. Still, I was miserable and wanted to see if I had progressed any, and I could NOT wait until my Saturday appt. (I'm impatient, remember), so I asked if I could come in on Thursday (the 29th), they checked me, and praise the Lord I was at 4 cm!! The Midwife, surprisingly, offered to admit me to the hospital, give me my epidural, and break my water to get the show on the road! She told me that this was a "one time offer" that would expire in a couple of hours and that she didn't want me to call her in the middle of the night because I was still "uncomfortable". So, that was it....the DECISION was up to me (see my post Little Ms. Indecisive)!!!!! I was scared that I had to decide if I was ready to meet my baby, or let nature take it's course...YIKES!! As my mom drove me home, she helped me to weigh the pro's and con's (there weren't any of those), and as I experience some "for real" contractions, I decided to take the plunge and meet my baby! We turned around and drove to the hospital. I cried the whole way there.
I was admitted around 6pm on Thursday, July 29th. It was just me and my mom, as we waited for Chris to get off work. I changed into my robe, they hooked me up to monitors...and so, it began, no turning back now. We were watching the evening news when HE walked in. Dr. Good-Looking Anesthesiologist Guy. This was the moment I was most worried about, but when HE walked in, I knew it would be OK! We laughed, we joked, HE numbed me up, and it was ALL good! An hour later the midwife broke my water, and then we waited...


Chris finally showed up after tying up loose ends at one job, before he starts his new job next week. I was progressing well, and the midwife encouraged us to get some shut eye...Chris obeyed Dr's orders in the waiting room, while I battled some OUT OF CONTROL indigestion!!! The heartburn was nothing new, and was something I struggled with ALL 9 months. I was checked again, and it was show-time! 10cm! They wanted me to give a couple of good pushes to get the ball rolling. I pushed with ALL my might! I pushed a little too hard, and my indigestion took it's toll, and I tossed my cookies! It was actually a good thing because I felt so much better!! Chris was still following Doc's orders of getting shut-eye, and he was following so well, he couldn't hear his phone ring...we had to send a nurse to fetch him. Thank goodness my momma was there!

When the father of my child finally showed up, and I finished watching the Zumba infomercial, I began to push...really push! I'm glad now that I had lifted weights, and kept up with my gym regimen while preg-o, becuase that was one tough work out! I apologized to everyone in advance for farts or anything else that may have escaped me and pushed for 1 1/2 hours, taking some breaks for ice chips.I was very comfortable and taking everything in stride, praising the Lord for allowing epidurals into the world, and not knowing how people survived child birth with out one, because I was having the best time! My mom was the best coach and encourager, and my husband was able to watch and be amazed!

I was so close to meeting my baby, when the room started to fill with various nurses, they started to turn on the "baby warming lights", preparing their work station for when he would make his grand appearance, people were cheering me on...and I started to freak out! I wasn't in pain, I was just panicking from all of the stimuli around , and Chris telling me his "head is half way out"! I started to scream at the top of my lungs " GET HIM OUT!!!!", "I WANNA GO HOME!!!!" and "I WANT A GALLON OF WATER!!!!" They told me sternly to calm down and push...HARD...because this baby was BIG! I could feel the baby wiggling his head trying to help his momma out! The midwife said she had never seen such an active baby before! And with one last push, I entered into my new role as mom on July 30, at 3:24 am... He was beautiful! My very first words were that he looked "just like Chris". We cried as I held him in my arms, and Chris cut the cord.


The nurse asked us to make a guess at his weight, and I guessed 8lbs 5 oz. because that's what the sonogram read earlier that day...boy was that wrong! I had just pounded out a WHOPPING 9lb. 6 oz TODDLER! Everyone was amazed, and the midwife was shocked that I didn't tear more, or better yet, need a c-section!

The after birth was BY FAR the WORST part of the birthing experience! I was shaky from the meds, trauma, and the most intense work out of my life! My eye's were all googly, and I was sooo thirsty! Chris asked if he could bring in the 15 people who had patiently waited in the waiting room all night. I begged not to because I looked as if I was violently convulsing, but he promised it would only be for 10 minutes.

When all the visitors came in they quickly noticed I was not in the best condition for entertaining visitors, and I'm pretty sure I scared my best friends and sisters from ever wanting to have children...ever! They all ignored me and doted on my little miracle...and went on their way. I started shoving graham crackers in my mouth and drinking water like it was going out of style (still convulsing)...only to regret that decision seconds later...I tossed my "crackers" but started to feel better. This part was not fun.

After the hustle and bustle died down, all the visitors left, and the room had been cleaned up and cleared out, I experienced the most amazing moment in my life. The nurse handed me my "gift," perfectly swaddled, and I began to nurse, he latched on immediately. I locked eyes with my son, then with my husband, and we cried together as we welcomed the life that the Lord knit together in my womb and graciously and mercifully gave to us. It was truly a miracle.

Thanks for dropping by and reading about my exciting adventure entering into mommyhood!

4 comments:

  1. soo awesome and what a good job you did (i wasn't there just hear say, LOL). You are going to be a great Momma and Chris an awesome Daddy. Please let me know if I can do anything for your new family. Love you guys, Ally

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  2. this is beautiful. I almost cried while reading! Its so good you wrote it down so you'll always remember in detail how you felt!

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  3. I'm so happy for you guys! You never fail to make me laugh! I love your story!! Congrats!

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