Labor Story (or as I like to call it: "Old Hat")

YEP! This is it. The month-late labor story. It's technically my journal entry, so it's very detailed. The short story would be:

I pushed. A baby came out.

If you wanna cut it down just read from "Sunday" on. Happy Readings!

marie asks a friend, "how did I get here?"

Batman is such a good movie. How is a movie good? It is really good if you have really painful- tear inducing contractions 15 minutes apart while watching it, but still don’t want to leave. That is how you know.
Yes, I cried during Batman, but only because I was having painful contractions.

It started Wednesday. I picked up Jesse, Maresa and Beth from the Sac Airport and suddenly was so tired. I offered to take them to the Train Museum (my brother being an avid train fan) but was secretly joyful when Maresa wanted Beth to go home and get a good nap. I wanted one to. Then on Thursday we were playing in the pool and I had never felt so tired, but relieved by the pressure the water took off my stomach. Maresa and I floated with kick boards for a few hours and I was again, secretly relieved that they just wanted to stay at the apartment and play in the pool.
That night we all left to San Francisco to meet up with my Dad and Malcolm who had biked down HWY 101 through Oregon to meet us. We ate in China Town at the place with the cooked ducks in the window which still have their heads on.
After our gluttonous oriental meal we were standing outside when I folded over in pain. It was my first real contraction! Maresa put the smack down and made everyone hurry up and go home. We got back and I got everyone’s beds ready for the night. Even if I am in labor I want my guests to be cozy. Martha Stewart- eat your heart out!

Friday I took people to the Airport and waved goodbye to my dad and my brother. Before they left we ate at In-N-Out Burger. Everybody seems to like it. The day before Maresa wanted it, the day before that Jesse wanted it, AND the day before that I was with the church youth group and we ate there also. I think Marie had enough of my crappy eating and was ready to get out!

Brett spent Saturday listening to me complain. Nothing new for him, but this time it was about the contractions I was having every 30 minutes. We were invited to a party but decided to go to see Batman instead. Marie was already beginning to be a good “excuse machine”- to get me out of stuff.

Sunday
My mom called and decided to bump her flight up a day. Good idea. 6 am Sunday 27th I had some awesomely bad contractions. Brett left at 7am to pick up my mom. Good thing he left me because my water broke while he was gone. But I didn’t know that until I was actually at the hospital. Confused? Me too. Somewhere in between picking up my mom, making several phone calls to the hospital, and ALOT of pain we went to the hospital.

anxious daddy

Have you have ever seen the Office episode where Michael eats an entire thing of pasta before running a 5k? Eating anything before you go into labor is a bad idea! I had eaten fruity pebbles at 6:30 am. At that point I had no idea that I would REALLY go into labor and I wouldn’t eat for the entire day. Even though the nurse gave me something for my nausea, at 6:00 pm I cracked and my mom gave me part of a cookie. Just a tiny bite! Bad Idea Jeans. I could definitely feel that tiny bite for the next two hours. Seriously- Bad Idea Jeans.

third time's a charm

Epidural x 3.
Apparently you don’t get any awards for enduring contractions. So I signed up quick. However, the first two injections didn’t take to my right side. I knew because I was clinging to the side of the bed, writhing in pain, and the nurse asks “on a scale from one to ten, how much pain are you in?” “uhh, a nine!” I said through clenched teeth. Seriously lady! Just look at me and guess!
Getting the epidurals early was totally worth it. It allowed Brett, my mom and I to watch Seinfeld on DVD for hours. However, I think it wore off at 7pm. That’s when I started pushing. For the next hour I pushed, just like in the movies. And just like in the movies I cried and screamed. I remember seeing a blur of lights and a crowd of people around me. Brett was coaching me the whole time, which was cool because we never really practiced anything like that. His coaching came naturally as did my physical ability to push a baby out of me (plus or minus a couple epidurals). It’s very cool- the whole “reproducing” thing. The entire nine month process is so fascinating, nauseating and tiring, but fascinating.

this is what pregnancy feels like in the end

There are so many things that women go through in pregnancy that later help them empathize with their child. Waking up in the night because you are hungry, thirsty, or simply really uncomfortable, being a picky eater, and even losing your privacy. Giving birth is a very “naked experience.” That’s why I was so glad to have an awesome female doctor and a whole team of female nurses. Not to say that I didn’t have some wonderful male doctors and nurses. However, for me to have my first experience with all women was a blessing which meant a lot. Minus the first nurse who didn’t want to admit me and kept asking for me to rate things on a numerical scale, I loved all of my nurses and my doctor. They were so sweet and cool. Also having my mom there made things even more special.

my favorite nurse telling marie how pretty she is

My doctor though, had a bad day. She came in crying at one point. Apparently her dad had to be taken to a hospital for some unknown virus. I expected her to leave, but she stayed on for the rest of the night and her dad got better. It was weird having my doctor in need of medical aid. Surreal in a way.

Marie came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice. Brett saw it, but not me. He later said how heart stopping that was. I am glad I didn’t see it and I’m glad the doctor didn’t tell me. Later she said that she had known the whole time the baby had the cord wrapped around her neck because the heart beat was so slow. I’m glad she didn’t tell me that either, but just coached me and made me focus. Everything turned out perfectly.
At 8:17pm little Marie was born. Her cone head was gorgeous and her squeals were beautiful.

Marie's first Monday.

Two days and a million tests later we were set free. I came home to a very clean house and meals for a week thanks to my mom and a generous Relief Society. Bringing home a six pound human being was really scary, but having my mom there was very comforting.

I have no complaints or dramas. Marie’s birth was (I think) as easy as they come.
Let’s hope it’s a symbol of how easy she will be to raise… knock on wood.