Let's go back to Henry's birth. Why not? Now that it's been a month and my pain has subsided, it's fun to recount the day.
I was supposed to go into the hospital at 6:00am to be induced on March 26th. My parents were in town to take care of Adele while David and I were in the hospital. We all enjoyed a couple of really nice days together and we were feeling ready for the arrival of our son. Our bags were packed, the alarm was set.
And around 2:00am, I started having contractions. The real ones, that hurt really bad. They started out being 20 minutes apart, then shortened to 10 minutes apart, and finally around 3:45am, David was stirring and I told him "if you're going to shower, you better do it now - I think we need to get to the hospital".
By 4:00am we were in the car, experiencing the "get-to-the-hospital-in-the-middle-of-the-night" rush that many pregnant women experience but I never thought I would.
I know I was supposed to wait until my contractions were 5 minutes apart for an hour, but I figured they wouldn't turn me away since I was supposed to get there 2 hours later anyway. It didn't matter - by the time we reached the hospital, my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. The hospital staff didn't quite know what to do with me. Should they admit me early under "induction" or check me to see if I was truly in labor?
We got up to a room by 4:30am and no one seemed to be too concerned to come check me. Maybe they thought I was early and was being dramatic about contractions. That could have been true; I can be fairly dramatic. Finally a nurse came in and checked me (after some kind but urgent words from my husband), realized I was dilated to a 6, and my contractions were practically non-stop. She got on the phone and the only thing I remember her saying was "I need help in here!"
After that it was pretty much a frenzy.
Because of silly computer work and the nurses' concern that I had an IV in me, I didn't get my epidural until 6:30am. I might have asked for the epidural 100+ times in those 2 hours. But after the epidural, life was good. I could have taken a nap! I never knew labor could be so good.
My doctor wasn't set to arrive until about 8:00am, so I was told to relax and not push until she arrived. No worries, I couldn't feel anything! Once she arrived, it was a matter of 8 minutes of pushing, and Henry William was born at 8:25am. 8lbs. 3 oz., 19 inches long, he was perfect.
Many thanks to my parents for taking care of Adele, for my husband who always knows the right thing to say and do, and for my head nurse (and church friend) Krista who took command and kept the frenzy in order during labor.
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