Who doesn’t like to talk about themselves, really? So, just in case anyone really wants to know what my own experiences of giving birth were like, read on. And even if you don’t, I’m gonna tell you anyway. We moms go through a lot of hard work to bring a child into the world, the least we get is a few bragging rights. ..And a little awe wouldn’t hurt.
So, when Lexi was born, we’d been married for about a year and a half. She was due on Dec. 30th, and I was so worried that she was going to show up on Christmas Day. I refused to make any firm plans with either of our families, because we might have to celebrate in the hospital. But she didn’t come. And then, I had a couple of friends moving away right at the end of the year who wanted to meet her, but she didn’t come. And, my little brother was going back to college after vacation, and he told her to hurry up so he could be an uncle, but she didn’t come. About now, we were starting to get the feeling this was going to be a stubborn child. (That’s an understatement.)
She finally did come, in her own sweet time, after an appointment one afternoon when the doctor scraped my membranes a little bit to get things moving (yes, I know, that sounds a little gross, get over it). After my appointment, I went home and soon started having contractions. So we started timing them, but like most first time parents, we had already spent several nights amusing ourselves by timing contractions, obsessing over whether they were getting closer, or how do we know it’s real, and all of that. But, armed with our childbirth class instructions (thank you, Sharon) to go in when they were 3-5 minutes apart, increasing in intensity, and been that way for an hour, we decided it was time to go in.
When we got to the birthing center, at which point I was very uncomfortable, we had to go to triage. Since I was only dilated to about 4cm, they were about to send me home, but then my water broke. I still remember the nurse seeing my water break and saying “Well, she’s a keeper!” and they got me into a room. But since I had lost my water, the contractions began to get more and more intense. I tried to go in the bathtub, but that’s about the time I got sick and had to throw up….so I got back out of the tub. Here’s where it starts to get a little foggy. (There’s a form of amnesia that kicks in down the road, that helps you to forget a little bit). I remember just having my eyes closed and breathing through one contraction at a time. I won’t kid you, it is difficult. But in the grand scheme of life it is for such a short time period, and it’s worth what comes next. When it was time to push, (an unmistakable “urge”, similar to the gag reflex-when something wants to come out, just get outta the way!), I do remember that. The doctor came in, I’m not really sure at what point she got there, I just opened my eyes and there she was. There were actually quite a few people that I had invited to be a part of the experience, but I was not really even aware of who all was there. I was too focused and concentrating on my work. But anyways, I think the pushing lasted for about half an hour, and then my baby’s heart rate started to drop a little more than was acceptable, and the doctor said she needed to do an episiotomy to get her out pretty quickly. I actually didn’t even feel it, and then there was my baby! I was a little in shock, I think. I was thinking, this baby is for me?, and I mean I knew she was mine, but now what to I do? So, I held her, skin to skin on my chest, and everyone got a look at her, and I said what I think everyone says when they do something really great: “Look, Mom!”, and my mom was there, holding my hand through the whole thing, along with my wonderful husband.
Alexis Ann was born! It was about 3am, and I remember she came out with these big, bright eyes, looking around and so alert. She was a good nurser, right from the start, and later that day, Daddy gave her her first bath. He was a little nervous, but he did just fine.
Altogether, the intensity of labor can be a little scary, and it’s something that is definitely outside of your control, but I was so thankful that I was prepared for it. I truly believe that knowledge takes away so much of the fear, when it’s not such an unknown. I knew to some degree what to expect, and had practiced a lot of tools to deal with it, and done many exercises to train my body to have the best possible experience.
And so, that was how I proudly joined the ranks we call motherhood, and now share a common bond of experience with millions of women before me who have had a natural, healthy labor.
