MY FIRST BORN
In 1996 my best friend, Michelle Lynn Eck, died in a horrible car accident. Until this happened my husband of three years and I had decided we would start trying to have a family after we had more principle paid on our mortgage, after my Master's Degree was completed, etc. etc. etc. You know the list - you probably had one, too! The night of our dear friend's funeral I threw my birth control pills away. Ken and I decided that our days on this earth are numbered and we never know what tomorrow will bring. We were sure that Michelle wasn't expecting to breathe her final breath on November 9, 1996. We "tried" TWO TIMES and we were PREGNANT! I bought little "I LOVE DADDY" booties and told Ken - he almost passed out. He knew he was a stud but WOW - 2 TIMES?! I made the announcement that we mailed to our friends... it had the Nittany Lion on the front with the words...WE ARE... on the inside I drew Ken with his hands on his head and me with a big belly and the words "PREGNANT!" I was teaching high school at the time so breaking the news to kids who would know HOW I GOT pregnant was...let's say... interesting. There were a couple days of whispering and then the excitement subsided. I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. My due date was in September so I had the whole summer to grow a baby and relax if I needed to. It was a perfect situation although being home all day lent itself to some BIG numbers on the scale. On September 13, my grandfather's birthday and 2 days passed my due date, I went into labor. Ken and I were watching a movie with his parents and at about 9 o'clock I thought, "Ok....that hurt..." at about 9:10, "Ooo, there it is again." The movie was over at about 10:00 and I asked what everyone was doing the next day. They looked at me funny and I said, "Because I have been having contractions for over an hour, now." They squealed and giggled. My labor lasted well into the night and was a bit erratic. We called the doctor a couple times and she said to wait until the contractions were definitely 2 minutes apart and were coming consistently. My parents and my sister were coming that day anyway because I was scheduled to be induced the next day (we were living in upstate NY at the time so they had a 3+ hour drive). We finally went to the hospital, I walked into the ER and saw one of my students - just what I wanted at that moment. I calmly said "hi" and went to check in. (Later I heard from my other students that he shared our "run in" with everyone and aparently I was screaming and cursing and on a gurney with my legs in the air! Nice, Colin!) Upon checking me for the first time, my nurse told me that I was a whole 1 1/2 cm dialated. My head spun around and green phlegm shot out and I blurted, "I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 15 HOURS NOW...IT HAS TO BE MORE THAN THAT!! CHECK AGAIN!" She did. 1 1/2. Crap! I was positive that I wanted NO DRUGS. I drilled it into my Dr's head. NONE NONE NONE! I am an artist remember, kind of a hippy, too, so I truly wanted to EXPERIENCE IT ALL. I wanted to feel every bit. When I thought my spine was going to break from my lovely BACK LABOR, I asked for something...just to take the edge off. They gave me a shot of It-just-pretends-to-work-medicine and all it did was make me dizzy! For hours I laid there hooked up to monitors without the freedom to walk around. I am not sure I would have walked as I was naturally in more pain than I had ever felt in my life. I was so dizzy, just kept my eyes closed. Ken would say, "Shel, they are here to check you." I would assume the position just hoping someone would tell me it was time to push! It could have been the mailman for all I cared - if he said "PUSH" he would have been my hero!
Finally, I thought it was time to push - you know that feeling. You can't control it. BUT, my sadistic doctor thought I needed to wait. WHAT?! So, I hyperventilated doing the Lamaze breathing to keep from pushing. By the time it was REALLY time to push, I had decided this baby was coming out NOW! NOW! NOW! (I am typing so fast right now - it's really funny!)
After a couple pushes a nurse asked me if I had done this before. "Umm, a little busy here - NO FRIPPIN' TIME FOR CHIT CHAT!" I saw my doctor with scissors in her hand...what are those f...YOUCH!
10 minutes of pushing (23 hours of labor) and he was out! My gorgeous 8 lbs. 10 1/2 oz, slimy little boy was laying on my belly. I reached for him and touched his wee little hiney. (I tell him that now and as a 10 year old that is not so cool!) He was beautiful! (I am crying, typing this for you) Absolutely beautiful! He was born on Sunday, September 14th (8 years to the day of the day Ken and I met for the first time!) It was Grandparents' Day and he was the first grandbaby on both sides of our family.
There is something to be said about the love between a Mother and Son! He is as perfect today as he was the day I held him on the outside of my body for the first time.
check back tomorrow for baby story #2)
