I will never forget stepping out of our tiny (700sf) rent house, into a humid May morning in Lawton, OK. I looked around the living room before I closed the door and thought, the next time I come into this room, I'll be carrying a baby. Then I lowered my considerable girth into our champagne-colored 1986 Honda Accord, swinging first one and then the other massively swollen ankle into the car. I fastened the seatbelt under The Belly and thought how the next time I rode in this car, I would buckle the baby in separately. What a relief that would be.
Gadget Man drove us to the hospital and I waddled to the Labor and Delivery desk. I surrendered myself to the bagging and tagging that those of us who've given birth in hospitals know all to well. I was set up in a room with monitors, IV and TV. I was on my way! I'd be holding that baby in no time!
Or, you know, not.
At 7:00 PM, after 12 hours of pitocin-induced contractions with very little dilation, the IV was removed and I was sent to a regular room to eat (first time that day) and enjoy the first decent night's sleep I'd had in weeks, thanks to the sedative thoughtfully provided by my doctor.
At about 4:30 AM, I was as wide awake as a tree full of owls, having just enjoyed the most consecutive hours of sleep I'd had since February. I twiddled my thumbs and waited to be summoned back to Labor & Delivery for Induction, Part Deux.
Pitocin was resumed, contractions were endured, water was broken, ice chips were consumed.
When the third woman came in, delivered and left, I had to resist the urge to yell out, "I was here FIRST!! The rest of you just cross your legs and WAIT!!"
At a little after six in the evening, my doctor came in, assessed my non-progress and suggested that it was time to consider a surgical delivery. At which point I uttered the following memorable phrase, just oozing maternal bliss:
"Cut my dadgummed head off, just get this thing out of me!"
The relief for me was that it was no longer up to me to "progress". I was anesthetized and given an appealing 'do "down there", swiftly managed with a single-blade disposable razor and foaming betadine wash. Which was cold. Yay. But things were happening now, so I was not complaining.
At 7:50 PM on Saturday, May 18, 1991, this:
16 terrifying, glorious, miraculous, painful, exhilarating, exhausting years later, this:
This is my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased. To God be the glory.
17 comments:
Oh my goodness! Both of those pictures of your sweet girl are just *precious*!
She is just beautiful.
Oh happy day...
Happy Birthday, Teen Queen. And way to go Mama!!!
Blessings,
Carly
Sweet 16! :>)
Happy Birthday!!
She seems a lot happier now. Happy birthday!
Hi, My daughter is now 3 and it's going to be wonderful to see how she'll be when she is 16... All the best to your daughter and to you too. On the other hand I am a bit sad to read these medical inductions stories, which so often end up to be cesarean deleveries, because of "no progress". The most frustrating feature of medical labor inductions is that they seldomly work well. Maternity acupressure method is a best natural remedy for encouraging the labor to start. If more mothers and labor caregivers would be more aware of tha how maternity acupressur truly helps your body to prepare for the delivery, start the labor and help with coping the labor pains, so many would be much better off with birthing their baby. There is a site called http://www.maternityacupressure.comabout this method for inducing labor naturally.
All the best wishes,
Emma
Awww, how sweet, both pictures.
Happy happy sweet 16, Teen Queen!
And I have to tell you, I had to double click on that last picture because I couldn't quite make out what you had on your head! It looked like a bold fashion statement of a hat at first,LOL! Then I could tell it was a lampshade. ;D
Have a great weekend, Clemntine!
Love and hugs,
Diane
Jemmalee, thank you for your comment. This post was a rememberance of the birth experience I had, not a commercial for labor induction.
As a practicing lactation consultant and home birth midwife for many years, I'm familiar with the alternatives to medical interventions during labor and delivery. Perhaps one day I'll throw out some questions for discussion on the subject. For now, though, I'm celebrating the birth of the child that gave me one of the most precious gifts of my life: motherhood.
What a very lovely young lady. Happy sweet 16, Teen Queen. Enjoy the fun celebration and the wonderful life to come. God bless you!
That newborn picture is makin' me laugh! She's screaming at you! :)
But look how lovely it all turned out. *happy sigh* She's lovely.
The picture of your daughter as a baby almost brought tears to my eyes. So cute and pink and full of protests! And what a lovely and pretty young lady she is now. She just looks like the kind of girl who would be a delight to her mama.
Bless you both!
Happiest Birthday!
She is beautiful, Clemntine!
My husband's step mother calls ME on my firstborn's birthday in remembrance of my "mother-day"! So, happy birthday to your sweet girl and happy mother-day to YOU!
What a beautiful remembrance! Would love to talk to you about LC and MW stuff!
Happy birthday, Teen Queen, you are lovely and loved!
That is the sweetest baby picture I have ever seen! I just want to kiss her little face. Those fists! So sweet...makes me want to have another one.
Oh, Friend...I love the photos. Truly beautiful.
Happy 16th birthday to your girl!
Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter, and happy anniversary of the day you entered motherhood. My little guy is quickly approaching his 1st birthday. It's been the fastest year of my life, as well as one of the craziest and most wonderful. It's hard to believe, but I know 16 is just around the corner. Praise the Lord for the blessing of children.
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