I am leaving the birth story for my own purpose as I will be making this 365 Challenge into a book when I'm done. So you may skip the long and boring details. I won't mind.
Sunday evening at 9:30 after watching Karate Kid and excited to see efforts improve on hanging up jackets, I proceed to shimmy off the couch and when I stood I realized my water had just broke. It has happened before so we weren't alarmed and tried to think of what needed to be done before leaving. Justin got the kids ready for bed and I packed for them to go to Grandma and Grandpas and got their things ready for their first dance recital, which I was realizing I was probably going to miss and was really sad about. We hung out for a bit and watched something about pretty white horses. I figured we better get going once the contractions started to become regular and stronger. We got to the hospital a little after 11:00 and got settled in. I was dissapointed to find out I was only at a 3 and was thinking I had a long night ahead of me. The nurse wanted to keep me on the monitor to make sure the babies heart rate was what it should be, but with all my moving around it was hard to keep a good eye on it. So she was a little concerned, as was I. The contractions were becoming more painful and more frequent and I was feeling the intense need to push. She checked again and I was at a 7. I am not ashamed to say that I was wishing I had not gone natural for the fourth time. I felt like there was no pause in between contractions and that I or Justin weren't getting any break. He and I are the perfect team. He was always right where I needed him and worked so hard to aleiviate any discomfort he could. With each contraction he would squeeze my hips together to releave some of the discomfort. Each time I could tell he was getting tired, but he never stopped and always asked what else he could do. As painful and at times unpleasant it was it was an amazing experience with my wonderful companion and I felt so close and connected to him. I will also admit curse words were ringing in my ears for some reason. After a few extremely intense contractions, my stomach uneasy, and my whole body shaking I was ready to get this baby out. The nurse checked again and I was at a 9. I was so close and yet it seemed so far away with each intense contraction. She told me not to push because she was the only one in the room. A team of doctors were called in the care for the baby and my doctor was on her way. She told me to lay on my side and Justin was putting pressure on my thigh to keep them closed until help arrived. My mind was spinning and reeling to get the baby out. To not push when your body is telling you to push is so unbeliveably difficult. I started to panic because I could feel him coming out and keeping my legs closed was so nerve racking and painful to say the least. Ten minutes had passed since she said I was at a 7 and then the docotor arrived and gave me the go ahead. I pushed and the relief I felt was amazing. One more push and he was out.I always curse myself for choosing to go natural, but in the end I feel much rewarded. The exhilaration is so intense. Instant joy and love for baby I was cursing for causing the pain minutes earlier overwhelms me. They layed him on me and I was able to see what a beautiful boy he was. He barely cried, if at all. They took him to check him out and make sure he was okay. With him being 3 weeks early I was so worried thinking something was wrong, but all checked out okay. I was soaking up the moment, enjoying the relief and exhileration and thankful for him being healty. What an absolutely wonderful experience to be a part of and we have a beautiful baby boy to hold and love and take home to join our family.
