One year ago today I went into labor. It was 9:00pm on a Friday night and John and I were laying in bed watching TV. I felt a contraction. Definitely different than the Braxton Hicks contractions I'd been getting. It was noticeably stronger and felt more like a wave, it started small, got bigger, peaked and gradually went away.
"ow!" I said
"What?" John asked
"Oh, just a cramp" I replied, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was different.
20 minutes later, another one. About a half hour later, another. We finally turned off the TV, and John went to sleep immediately. I laid awake staring at the clock. 20 minutes. Another contraction. 15 minutes, another one. 15 minutes, there it is again. I decided to get up and look on line. I thought I might be in labor. I got up, another one hit. It was stronger. I went downstairs and sat at the computer. Another contraction. I sat at the computer for about an hour, having contractions every 10 minutes.
I called labor and delivery about 11:00 pm to see when I should come in. I was sure I'd have the baby by morning.
"You don't sound like you're in labor. Call us when you can't talk through the contractions"
"Uh. Ok." I said and hung up.
By now the contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting up to 30 seconds long. I was pacing the living room floor and occasionally pushing my belly up to the cold sliding glass door. I don't know why, it just felt good. Cool on my belly that felt like it was burning. I called labor and delivery again.
"You don't sound like you're in labor still. Take a Tylenol and try to get some sleep. Call us when they get stronger"
I took the Tylenol and went up to bed again. Contractions were still 5 minutes apart and laying in bed was awful. It was probably about 2 or 3 in the morning by now and I was moaning in bed. John started to wake up and I figured I'd better go downstairs so I didn't wake him (Yea, he was lucky this time. Next time he's getting up with me and rubbing my back!). I paced for several more hours. Contractions still 5 minutes apart 30 seconds long. I went back to bed around 6am and tried to sleep again. No dice. Ended up waking John up with my moaning.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I'm in labor."
"Really? Why"
"It hurts!"
The next day, Saturday, is all a blur. I remember taking a shower and shaving my legs (WHILE IN LABOR! Trust me, this was not fun) because I knew we'd be going to the hospital soon and a girl can't give birth with monkey legs now can she? I remember loosing my mucous plug and almost throwing up when I saw it. It was just a big nasty blob of yuck. Even so, I actually considered taking it downstairs to show John (don't worry, I didn't) and I immediately called my mom to tell her how gross it was. I remember John picking up Wingers for lunch or dinner. I remember watching Arrested Development on DVD. I remember not being able to sit still and couldn't get comfortable in bed, in a chair, standing up... I remember toward the end of the evening BEGGING John to take me to the hospital and him saying "I don't want to just be sent home". Finally, around 10 PM I called labor and delivery again. They told me, again, that I didn't sound like I was in labor, but since I hadn't slept since Thursday, I could come in and get some pain medication that would help me sleep through the contractions.
We got to Labor and Delivery around 11 PM and the nurses didn't think I was in labor at all, but when they checked me I was already at 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced I wasn't going anywhere.
I wrote Alex's birth story when he was just 5 days old, but I'm struck with how vivid my memories of his birth still are one year later. I remember feeling the "POP!" of my water breaking. I remember the monster contraction I thought was going to twist me in half. I remember the unbelievable stretching / burning sensation of crowning. I remember feeling his body twist around inside of me as he was coming out. I remember the feel of his warm sticky head the first time I touched him. I remember looking at John looking at me and Alex just before he cut the umbilical cord and thinking "Holy Shit, we're a family" and feeling the weight of that on my heart.
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