Description:This is my baby boy's birth story. The only photo I have from that night isn't the best quality, but it's highly representative of how I felt that day so I felt I just had to use it. Yeah, that's me...looking like I'd been hit by a Mack truck in the beginnings of labor (and at 3:44 am, I might add--you can see the time on the clock in the photo...LOL). I really didn't want to hide the journalling since it's the focus of the layout, even though it's incredibly long.
The tag reads:
"You and I will never be this close again.
By morning you will be a tiny person all your own...
No longer the kicking, demanding bulge in my body that I have grown to love so well.
I pray God will safely guide you on your journey tonight,
And I ask Him for the strength to help you all I can."
And for those who enjoy impossibly long birth stories, here's what the journalling says:
"June 20th, 1 am...I wake up with contractions. I'd had Braxtion-Hicks contractions since week 20 of my pregnancy, but they'd never awakened me. I started timing them as Daddy snoozed on, and they were 7 minutes apart. Hmm, they'd never been regular before either. After an hour of regular contractions, I finally wake up Daddy.
4:30 am...My contractions are now 4 minutes apart and we're almost ready to head into the hospital. Just as I pick up the phone to call and tell them we're coming, Daddy comes up the stairs with our video camera and says he can't get the tape out. It's STUCK!!! I get so upset—no video of my baby's birth?? While we're futzing with the camera for about 10 minutes, I realize I haven't had another contraction.
6 am...My contractions have stopped. We take a walk through the neighborhood to try and get them going again. Nothing doing. I'm so angry!! I call my OB/GYN triage nurse about it, and she says, "I wouldn't go into the hospital until your contractions are 5 minutes apart for an hour." Mad and tired, I go back to bed while Daddy heads to work. Before I doze off, I channel surf for a while and come across an advertisement for a set of children’s Bible stories on video. The very moment I get to that channel, they are showing an excerpt from the Christmas story at the very moment that the Angel Gabriel says, “Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy.” I took it as a sign from my little Gabriel and from God that he would be here very soon.
9:30 am...I'm napping and get awakened again by contractions. They're a little stronger, but only 7-10 minutes apart. This time I call Labor and Delivery at the hospital, and, I get the same advice, "I wouldn't come in until they are 5 minutes apart for at least an hour." My irregular 7-10 minute apart contractions continue for two hours, and then start to putter out again.
Just after Noon...My contractions have stopped again. I’m so upset that I decide this must be false labor.
3:15 pm...Here we go again. My contractions are even stronger, lasting longer, but are still around 10 minutes apart. I'm on my knees with some of them, making Daddy rub my back because it hurts so very much. By 5:00, I'm sick of being in pain, and I just don't really give a rat’s behind about their "5 minutes for an hour" rule anymore. We grab our suitcases, drop Malibu off at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and head to the hospital.
5:30 pm...Finally in triage at hospital, I gown up and get hooked up to the monitor. The placement of the monitor is taking forever because they can't seem to find a spot where they "register" my contractions. I assure them that I AM having them. Around 6 pm, the nurse gives me an internal exam and finds that I'm 4-5 cm dilated and 95+% effaced with bag of water bulging. The nurses debate for over a half hour about admitting me because my contractions are still 7 to 10 minutes apart, sometimes 15. They finally they decide to admit me.
7:15 pm...I'm finally in a room and the contractions are getting so strong. I really feel like I'm gonna just poop a load (sorry...HA!) so I go sit on the toilet. I've got bloody show finally and I can't get comfortable. I ask for an epidural and the nurse tells me the doctor is concerned that an epidural might make my contractions putter out again. So, my doctor wants to “break my water and get them nice and strong and regular.” I nearly laughed aloud at hearing this—could these pains GET any stronger??? So I lie on my side in the bed and just grip the side rails as hard
as I can with each contraction as I wait for the doctor to come in and break my water. Daddy continues to try and massage my back, but it’s not helping very much.
7:45 pm...My water breaks on its own. I, literally, feel Gabe sliding down the birth canal the second it breaks and I can't seem to stop it. I start yelling at the nurse, "Water broke....I'm pushing, I'm pushing, I can't stop!" She yells back at me to concentrate on "HEE HEE HOO"ing. Well, I "HEE HEE HOO" my butt off to keep from pushing...so much so that I start to hyperventilate. My contractions are on top of each other all the sudden and I’m having a really hard time. I notice my fingers and toes are tingling so the nurse gives me oxygen. The nurse calls for anesthesiology for the epidural and puts an IV in my hand. My doctor sticks his head in the door in the meantime, and the nurse says my water broke on its own. Dr. Elias smiled and said, "Wonderful!" I never wanted to scratch someone's smile off so badly in my life.
8:15 pm...Mr. Anesthesiologist shows up and the nurse goes to give me an internal exam before the epidural is put in for comparison’s sake later. She makes a face as she's doing so, and then announces, "Sweetie, you're not getting an epidural tonight...you're ready to push." Ok, NOW I'm panicking. I clearly remember yelling at her, "I CAN'T DO THIS NATURALLY!!!" She looks me square in the eye and says, "You're going to HAVE to." The next 15 minutes were a blur. My nurse makes one call on her phone and suddenly there's 10 people in my room. The bed is broken down, Dr. Elias rushes in and gets help getting gowned up, one nurse is helping me concentrate on HEE HEE HOOing, Dr. Elias is shouting instructions about something or another, Daddy is looking like he's about to pass out, another nurse has her hand at Gabe’s head and is telling me to try pushing—basically mass chaos. I give a trial push, and apparently I'm very good at it because she immediately tells me to STOP and wait for the doctor.
8:30 pm...Everyone's ready (except for me!)...time to push. Contraction #1...I push once and the doctor starts barking that he can't hear the external heart monitor. He asks for an internal as I push two more times through that first contraction. Before contraction #2, baby and I get the internal monitor and I get a quick catheter to drain my bladder. I push three times through contraction #2. Suddenly, Dr. Elias is concerned —Gabe's heart rate is getting really low. He tells me "Kristy, this baby has to come out NOW...I'm going to give you an episiotomy to help you along." I get stuck twice, snipped, and then I feel the pressure of the doctor putting his fingers around Gabe’s head. Then I hear, "OK, Kristy, with the next contraction, push with all you've got." I accidentally pull my IV out of my hand and never even realize it.
8:39 pm...Contraction #3...I push one time...PRESSURE, PRESSURE, PRESSURE--POP...Gabe's head was out! One more push, and the rest of him slipped out. After only 9 minutes of pushing, Gabriel Aaron was born. They laid him on my tummy and I remember just putting my hands on him and saying, "Oh my God...Oh my God." I was in such a daze and so tired, I don't even know what I was feeling at the time. An amazing rush of emotions and exhaustion made me almost numb.
Gabe cried right away, and his Apgars were 9 and 10. He pooped right away too—the nurse announced, "Well, his POOPER works!" They wrapped him up and gave him to Daddy while they stitched up my episiotomy and 3rd degree tear...OUCH.
How incredible it felt to see the nurses place my son in his Daddy's arms. The two men in my life...and they're here, together...it was just the most perfect moment of my life."
I just have to tell you...I cried when I read your journaling!!! What an amazing account of the birth experience you child has--right from your perspective! I had two c-sections so I didn't get the "pleasure?" of experiencing labor. I sometimes feel like I missed out on a big part of the birth thing. Oh yeah, and the LO is great too. :)
ok I read your long labor story ;) and thanks for making me cry! I'm so glad you wrote all this down it's awesome b/c this is the stuff you usually forget!
Great journaling! I too add all that stuff in my albums! It's the story... you have to! hehe I have a question... is that a quote on the tag or your own words? It's beautiful!
Your journaling is wonderful!!! A mother just never forgets that most precious time in her life. What a gift you have given your son writing it down.
take care,
Dawn
I LOVE this page and your story! Bravo!! Bravo that you remember it so clearly too. There were parts I was just LMBO! I shouldn't laugh - I will be in your shoes in about 10 days (more or less) with my first baby. It's so stressful trying to figure out if what you are having are real labor pains or not. Great job!!
Wow, what an amazing story! LOL, I don't think my mom ever gave me those kind of details!!! Hmm, defintely going to want to be knocked out for giving birth! ;)
