Birth Story

I figure I should probably write what I can remember about Sammy's birth before I forget the details:

Wednesday, August 8th was Sammy's due date. We went in and things hadn't progressed since we'd been in a few days before. Our Dr. suggested that we come in on Friday and have my water broken and that would guarantee that our Dr. would be the one to deliver the baby and that there wouldn't be a waiting game. So we went home and started making plans for Friday.

That night, however, I started feeling contractions that were slightly different--more noticeable. We went to bed and at around 11pm, I was feeling more contractions or cramps more regularly. I started keeping track and noticed there was a bit of a pattern, but nothing obvious. At about midnight, Chris was snoring away and I nudged him and said, "I think it's happening." He said, "Wake me up when they are closer together," and rolled over and went to sleep. At 1AM, I nudged him again and said, "It's happening." That was when he jumped into bed and we went into action.

We called my mom and she said she didn't think there was time to get Olivia since she was in Lake Oswego. Luckily Biz was awake when we called here and we packed up a bag for Olivia and put our bags (already packed, of course) into the car and into the night we went.

After dropping off Olivia with her Auntie and cousins, we went straight to Emanuel and up to Labor & Delivery. Our nurse, Katie was young, but very nice and looked like the girl who played Felicity on t.v. I was afraid that after they checked me then would say I was wrong, that I had to go back home. Thankfully, I really was in labor and the only thing to do was just let things progress. And progress it did!

By about 3am, the contractions were more and more intense and I was fearful that they were going to be too much to handle. Maybe around 4am, I told Chris and Felicity that I wanted an epidural. We talked about all of the pros and cons, but I was concerned that the fear of the impending pain was going to make things go slower and I really wanted the baby to come out soon. Most of the time laboring at this point, Chris and I stood while I gripped the side of the bed and Chris rubbed my back. There were times when I gripped the bed controller thing so tight, I thought I was going to rip it off.

I tried to meditate and think of all of the things I'd read in order to prepare for birth but the only things that kept coming to me were the track and field athletes I'd watched that night on the Olympics, especially the hurdlers. That was how I felt. A hurdler. I also imagined that my grandma Mounce was in the room watching me, being like a silent observer and supporter. It was like a supernatural reassurance.

It took about an hour for the anesthesiologist to arrive and do all of the preparations and finally I had some relief. It wasn't a total numbing, in fact, it was more like the in between times--the time between contractions--were more fun. But I could certainly feel everything.

At 8:00 am, we had a new nurse, Jen, and a Dr. from my OB's office came to break my water. (We'd discussed it earlier and thought it would be the final hurdle to cross before Sammy's birth.) And it was. After that, things really moved along and the contractions were the most intense. By the time my OB, Dr. Sally, arrived at 8:45am, I was fully dilated and ready to push.

Pushing is a strange thing because it involves body parts not ever engaged in daily life. And, with the epidural, you have to be on the bed (I'm not sure why, other than you're attached to a pole) laying down, mostly and that's the worst position to be in to push a baby out. Somehow, it worked out fine--I credit the mirror for giving me the incentive. I could see his little head coming out! It was so exciting!

And, at 9:38am, Sammy was born.