You came to life outside the womb on November 16th, 2011. I can't tell you what kind of day it was because of the time, 12:39am; there was not much day to be had yet. The previous days were difficult. Some women say they feel like superwoman after giving birth, but I did not. My superwoman moments so far have come in taking good care of you, keeping you happy, and being able to take daily walks with the dog - showing you some of the world already. Below is your birth story, which was the culmination of a ridiculous amount of love and care by your dad and me. Always remember that you have come from much more, from two amazing families packed with all of the hard workers, crazies, and regular ol' people you can imagine.
Your birth began on Monday, November 14th at about 5:30pm when I woke up from a nap. I had been leaving work early for a couple of weeks, taking buses home from the Tribology Lab to put my feet up before dinner. When I woke up, I felt some unexpected fluid come out. The amounts gradually increased to the point where it was undeniable: my water had broken. Nick (you know him as "Dad") walked in the door around 6pm to me pacing around looking at my cell phone; I looked up and said: "There have been some developments!" We had plans to eat dinner at our friends' house (The B's), and we talked about whether to go. I called the midwife at the Birth Center of Gainesville and left a message. I called our doula and friend, H, and left a message. No one was available! We got in the car, and I could feel some tightness in my abdomen. Nick ran into Winn Dixie to buy some Cheerwine, and I stayed in the car timing my "contractions." The midwife called me back and asked if we could come to get checked at 8:15pm -- perfect, we could still have dinner. The beef, beans, and rice whipped up by Mrs. B for our late arrival at their apartment were wonderful, and the conversation was great, though I was distracted, checking my phone at every contraction and sneaking off to the bedroom to talk to H when she called back.
We saw Krissy (not your aunt) at the Birth Center after 8pm, and she wanted to use a speculum for a quick exam to check if the fluid was in fact amniotic fluid. When I scooted forward on the table and spilled some all over, she said, "Well, I guess we don't need the speculum. Your water has definitely broken." She checked my dilation and told me I was at about 3 cm. "What! That is great!" At 3 cm and didn't feel it. We were instructed to go home for the night, try to rest, and call when we needed to come back. I was quite encouraged that my exercise during the pregnancy was going to pay off with an easy labor; this was a bit hasty in hindsight!
At home, we watched some TV, I timed my contractions, and waited. They stayed the same intensity through going to bed, though I had to get up around 2:30am because it was too uncomfortable to stay lying down. Waking in pain every few minutes made me tense up quite badly. I went in the living room and sat on the birth ball with my head on the arm of the couch, and at 3:30 I called H to come over and sit with me for awhile. She stayed until 5:30 or 6 in the morning, helping me time the contractions and talking. The contractions were about 5-8 minutes apart and lasting a minute from about 4am onward; however, the intensity never increased, so I never thought it was time to call the Birth Center. H went home around 5:30 to get her family up and going, but around 7am I started to get antsy (the contractions may have picked up?), so I called the Birth Center and told them I wanted to come in.
We arrived at the birth center around 7:30am on November 15th. We got settled in -- I was working the birthing ball, Nick put on some good tunes, I had some snacks. June, the owner/midwife, came in around 8:30 to get my vitals and check my dilation. After some uncomfortable faces on my part, she looked up and said: "You're going to be disappointed." Uh, okay. "You're still at 3cm." Hmm, 12 hours more of labor and I am at the same dilation. Definitely not what I wanted to hear. Did we have any homeopathic black and blue cohosh? No -- didn't know that could augment labor. Hours go by. H comes back with an egg burrito for me. Music stays on. We walk around, inside and out. June brings in a small cup of clear liquid: cotton root bark tincture to encourage regular, strong contractions. Down the hatch.
Sometime in the afternoon a diligent June checks me again and I am more dilated - 7cm? I don't remember. She tells me I can get in the tub! Hooray June! Hot water felt great and soothed the rest of my body. Contractions were still pretty regular -- I was in and out of the tub to use the toilet, have vitals checked, take a walk, etc. I needed more and more support around this time -- all my memories include someone's arm and face, supporting me and telling me I'm doing a good job, that I'm doing the hard work, that it's worthwhile. Big thanks to June, H, mom, and Nick. Time became very unclear to me, and all I remember are the waves of contractions -- I was making the low moaning sounds in order to keep my body relaxed, and H was great when my voice got too high, telling me to bring it back down again. The contractions were so strong that my body decided to react by emptying my stomach, multiple times into the trash can. I have never felt pain so strong, sitting in a hot bath, retching into a trash can. Vomiting is a telltale sign of transition! Getting close! I really wanted to know what would happen next.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
