Part III: Nice to Meet You Handsome
We got home from our first childbirth class about 8:30pm on Wednesday, January 2, 2013. After some Taco Bell and cuddle time with our dog, Lucy, I was climbing into bed a little after 10pm. As I raised my leg, I could feel like I was about to pee a little (the sexy part of childbirth). I walked quickly to the bathroom. It was just in time. My water broke and out it came, fast and lots of it. I stood there for a few minutes, in shock and wondering if this was just what happens at the end of pregnancy – you pee…a lot? Not this time anyway. My husband called the hospital and spoke with the doctor on call, who told us to come in as soon as possible. We gathered up an overnight bag, with what we thought we needed. We left the bathroom in such a hurry – water on the floor and file folders in the bathtub (which held the papers that had the hospital phone numbers on them). I’m not sure if we’re this organized anymore, but hopefully a little bit tidier around the house.
My mother-in-law arrived at the hospital about three hours later and my mom arrived the next day, catching the first flight out that she could on Thursday morning, from Oregon to California. Our moms, or “The Lindas”, as the nurses knew them, were politely and humorously making their presence known in the hallways of the Labor & Delivery floor. We were having a baby and hopefully soon. Even though my water broke, Chase was content where he was at. Over twelve hours later and my body showed no signs of having a baby. Queue the pitocin. It was a gradual process, but by 5am on Saturday morning, I was getting ready to push. Two hours later and several broken blood vessels in my neck, Chase came out to greet us. All wonderful 5 lbs 10 oz. of him. By the time he arrived, our room had become pretty popular. Nurses changed shifts around 7am, so they were all there during the changing of the guards. I’d be hearing words of encouragement from strangers and all I really wondered was “when the heck did you get here?”. There were also some members of the NICU staff on hand. I had forgotten the fact that Chase was here earlier than we expected. He came out pretty tired and quiet too. After some TLC, it was decided that he could stay in our room and we couldn’t have been happier.
Like any parent, the moment that you get to meet your child, is one that stays with you. The first glances, the family introductions. It’s such a surreal and breathtaking experience. One that brings people together. You truly are never the same.
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