Don't worry, this post isn't too graphic (really, it's not graphic at all). I didn't know enough about child birth to know what was going on so it's pretty basic.
Marley was born at 8:30 pm on a Saturday. It was a cloudy day to begin with but I remember seeing sunshine through my window later in the afternoon – it seemed to coincide with when I received my epidural;)
I had been
having contractions for 2 days prior to going into active labor. There are
times written all throughout my work notebook documenting the times and lengths
of my contractions. I remember while I was training my temp (a new age hippie
who helped me prepare for labor more in the 30 minutes she was with me during
my contractions than all the birthing classing I could have possibly enrolled
in), she could tell I was in the middle of a contraction because my face would
go red. She shared her birthing experience with me and while it was beautiful
in hindsight – it was downright terrifying hearing it in that moment. My
estimated due date was January 28th. On Friday the 25th I
left work telling people not to expect me on Monday because I was going to have
a baby! I didn’t really believe it, but I was so-oooo ready to meet that girl
and positive affirmations couldn’t hurt right?
Ben and I went for a good long hike/walk through the back
trails of Murray Park with Scooter that night. We hiked up a snow covered hill,
well, Ben hiked, I lumbered:)
But it felt great to have that crisp cold air coursing through my lungs. I
honestly believe that was what got labor going for me.
The next morning I woke up to a feeling that I had wet the
bed. But there really wasn’t anything there and I had gone 2 hours without a
contraction (they had been going every 20-40 minutes for that previous 2 days)
so I decided I had imagined it and that I was going to go back to sleep and
take advantage of the absence of those cursed contractions. Haha, ya right! A
first time mom ignoring something that might mean the onset of labor? Fat
chance. I stewed on it for about an hour. Then woke up Ben and he recommended
that I call the doctor. I stewed on that for about another hour while I
casually showered. Little did I know that Ben was packing up our stuff for the
hospital. I finally called the doctor 2 hours after my water ‘allegedly’ broke
because the contractions had started again. This time closer together and more
powerful than I had ever felt before. He said, “It sounds like it’s time. Come
on in.”
We had to wait in one of the personal waiting rooms while
they ran some tests to make sure it was my water breaking. The contractions had
gotten so strong by this point that I was back to throwing up regularly again.
After a few hours and a multitude of tests, they admitted me. They started me
on Pitocin (I had no idea what this was; I just trusted them to do what they
had been trained to do). Shortly thereafter, I asked for the epidural. The anesthesiologist
had me sit cross-legged on the bed and wait for a contraction to hit before
inserting the needle. This was truly the only terrifying part of my birthing
experience. Having to sit cross-legged and hold completely still during a Pitocin induced
contraction while a huge needle is stuck in your back that could easily
paralyze you with one mistimed twitch. Gah. Terrifying. Afterword’s though, I
took advantage of not being able to feel the contractions and enjoyed a nap.
Fortunately the epidural started wearing off and I was able
to feel enough pressure that I could kind of tell when to push. Although I
still relied on the nurse coaching me since I didn’t really know what I was
‘pushing’. But apparently I was good at it because she made me stop so the
doctor would get there in time to deliver the baby. I only pushed for roughly
45 minutes. When she came out, they couldn’t get her to me fast enough. I
physically needed her to be near me. I thought I would be grossed out by
all the goo, but no. I couldn’t have cared less. She was a whopping 6 lbs 8 oz.
of pure perfection.
My favorite part about the hospital was when my family got
to come in and see her after the birth. There’s a great picture of her sticking
her tongue out at Marthie. Cynthia captured the moment perfectly.
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