Buddy’s Big Debut

Dear Buddy,

Before it becomes a big blur, and in honor of your up-coming birthday, here is your birth story…

After walking around 3cm dilated for more than 2 weeks, and being overdue with a large baby, my midwife decided that we should induce.  Your induction was scheduled for 8:00 on a Wednesday morning in April.  For weeks I had been afraid that my water would break somewhere unexpected and now I just wanted my water to break – anywhere!

That Wednesday morning Mimi came over to take Kitten in to daycare and Daddy and I took off for the hospital.  I was so nervous; Even though I had been through this before with Kitten, I still felt like a rookie.

We checked in at 8:30 and by 11:00 they were ready to start the Pitocin. The Pitocin causes contractions which will help a woman dilate. The nurse came over to me, already hooked up to contraction monitors, IV, and heart rate monitors. She looked down at a monitor. Up at me. Back at the monitor.

“You know you’re having a contraction right now, right?”

Wha-? “I am??”

“Yes. Right now. You can’t feel that? It’s pretty strong.”

“Ummm…no.”

“Well, you’re already in labor, but we’ll put you on the Pitocin anyhow. It should help speed things up.”

It did the trick! By 12:30 they were ready to give me an epidural and break my water.

Now, let me explain that the water, the amniotic fluid, helps cushion the baby during pregnancy.  It also has the added benefit of cushioning the pain of contractions for the mother.  Remember how I was in labor and didn’t know it? Ya – that’s the amniotic fluid working. So, I knew there must really be a lot of water in there – more than typical.

Sure enough, when the midwife broke my water I nearly washed her away.  “More towels!!” she kept calling to the nurses.  I had to laugh – I should have warned her.

After that it was a waiting game.  Daddy and I watched several episodes of ‘House Hunters’ to pass the time.  Around 3:00 they decided to roll me to my other side so that the effects of the epidural would distribute more evenly through my body.  I should have stayed where I was!

When they rolled me to my right side I got a sharp pain by my right hip.  You had moved and landed right on a nerve.  This had happened a few times during the pregnancy and it always gone away after I was able to stand up to reposition you.  Unfortunately, with the epidural I was unable to move from the waist down at all.  So, despite the best efforts of the anesthesiologist, I would just have to bare it.

At 4:30 the midwife announced we were ready to push.  Two nurses hitched up a numbed leg – I was useless in the leg department by then – and the midwife told me when to push.  Honestly, I couldn’t feel a thing except where you were resting against that nerve.  With every push you squeezed against it and I didn’t think I was going to make it.  I even threw up halfway through the pushing.

Right about the time I was looking green, your father took a turn for the worse as well.  I remember hearing the midwife say between my pushes, “uh oh, I think we’re losing Dad.  Someone get him some juice.”  Sure enough, I looked over and I thought he might beat me to the vomit pail.  The nurses scurried around between us and soon enough we both felt good enough to push on.

About 15 minutes and several bone crushing pushes later you came out in one breath-taking heave.  All of a sudden you were there, staring at me from my chest.  I just started bawling.  I was so relieved; you were so beautiful; it was all over.

Daddy leaned over and hugged us saying, “It’s a boy!”  I think I knew it all along, but there’s nothing as special as that first introduction.  Our little boy; finally with us.

No one could believe how big you were!  Almost ten pounds!  Everyone kept saying, “Good thing we didn’t wait any longer!” I recall someone apologizing to me. That could either have been for not inducing this gigantic infant sooner, or because they got a look at my nether regions and were overwhelmed with pity.

For the next hour while they stitched me up (4th degree tear, kiddo – I want fabulous presents every Mother’s Day, you hear?), Daddy followed you around the room as they weighed, measured, and tested you.  When I finally got you back in my arms I looked you over, top to bottom; ten long toes and ten long fingers, no eyebrows at all (poor thing!), and the most mesmerizing deep grey eyes I’d ever seen.  You were so beautiful.  You were so wanted.  You were finally here!

Baby Buddy