Birth Story

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are refreshed for the new week ahead. I know I am :)

For the sake of documenting, I thought it'd be fun to share Little Dude's birth story with you today.






















Would you care to read? Ladies, if you'd like to proceed, you may. Gentlemen, enter at your own risk.

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It was Sunday February the 3rd, 2008.  My due date wasn't until February the 16th, but I didn't care... I was so anxious and excited to have my bambino that I was ready to try just about anything! Shortly before bed that night I remember asking my husband if he thought that having SEX could really cause early labor. We laughed, shrugged our shoulders and thought why not?

So! We made full-term-preggy-whoopi that night and GUESS WHAT? It worked!

Within just a few short minutes, I began to cramp. Period like cramps. I didn't think much of it and so, we did our normal routine of preparing for bed and my husband was fast asleep in no time. Not me though. I was hurting.

The idea of waking my husband in the middle of the night for a false alarm sounded terrible so, I tried to be a brave soul and endure the awful pain alone.

So there I was... in the wee hours of the morning... pacing around like a crazy person in our musty, spider filled, cinder-block basement student apartment at the U. Our living room became a track, and I circled around that thing probably 100 times, if not more. Nothing eased the pain. I tried to stay focused on the rerun of the Clinton/Obama Democratic debate that was airing at 3AM but I just couldn't focus.  Global Warming just wasn't on my mind. Sorry.

I suffered for hours. I read What to Expect When You're Expecting for the third time.

At around 6:30AM, after I awoke my husband telling him that I thought it might be time, I called my doctor. He suggested that I wait a few hours longer and if the pain doesn't subside and the contractions don't stop, come in.

I waited for about three more hours when I finally said "Let's go!"

We arrived at the hospital at about 9:30 AM. The nurse checked me and hooked me up to the monitors and told me that she'll watch my progress and see how I'm doing before actually admitting me. At that point I was dilated 3 centimeters. Because I had been up all night, I tried to utilize this time to sleep but I just couldn't... I was in too much pain... too excited... and just too darn anxious.

About an hour later, the nurse came back to check things out and I was dilated 4 1/2 centimeters. As she tossed me a gown, she said with a smile, "Looks like you're staying. I'll fetch Dr. Smith"

No more than 3 minutes later, as I walked out of the bathroom, sporting my hideous backless gown, there stood my doctor. With a big grin on his face he said, "Well Jacy, you ready to have a baby today?"

"Uh! YES!" I said excitedly. "Alright, let's pop that water and get going!"

In a matter of seconds it was ON!

The intense cramps started and I was DYING! The cramps earlier were CAKE compared to these! Too bad the Anesthesiologist was held up a few rooms down. I was in tears at just how horrific the pain was. I had to wait for an hour plus before I got that darn shot. Hell. On. Earth. By the time I got the shot, my mom had made it to the hospital and was fortunate enough to find me much, much happier.















The epidural was a breeze. I loved it. Minus the fact that my left shoulder and chin went numb, which kind of paralyzed my left eye. I'm not the most glam looking woman in labor I've ever seen... but hey, I was about to push a baby out of my body so I really didn't care what on earth I looked like! An hour or so later, my dad showed up. It was about 3:30PM.

We all sat in the delivery room, just waiting for the time when we could finally meet this little boy. This was especially sweet for my parents because they had never experienced a healthy pregnancy or delivery... so the mere thought of a full term pregnancy with a normal delivery was INCREDIBLE for them, let alone to actually experience it (if you're new here and are unsure of what I'm talking about, read HERE and HERE).

Finally, I needed to push.

I felt it very strongly. My mom told the nurse and she kind of blew us off saying I wasn't ready yet. I kept telling my mom "MOM! Please go back out and tell them that I need to push...  this bambino is COMING!" My mom ran out into the hall one last time and put her momma-smack down.

This brought in a new, more experienced nurse. She checked me and yelled out the hall "Get Dr. Smith down here!" Dr. Smith (whose practice was just upstairs) ran into the room and was extremely unhappy with his staff. "She was ready! Don't you ever let it get this far without letting me know! This is absolutely unacceptable." he said to the few staff members standing in the room.

My legs were placed in the stirrups and it was time.

My mom was on one side of the bed, my husband on the other and at the head of the bed holding my right hand, stood my daddy. I asked him to stay and watch the birth of his first grandson... he said he wouldn't have missed it for the world.

At 4:05 PM after only a few, simple pushes, a crying, peeing, PERFECT, tiny infant with the most darling head of hair was placed upon my belly. He weighed 6 lbs 5 oz.












"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" I screamed in a high pitched voice. My arms were waving around as I tried to focus on this new little miracle the grew within me. Tears fell from my eyes... I could barely even see his little face... "He looks just like his dad" I said.

The room was full of radiating smiles and joyful tears- even my dad- as we watched a new life being examined across the room.

I will never forget the moment I held my son, gazed into his eyes, and his kissed his cheek for the very first time. I fell in love instantly... a real, totally selfless sort of love.

Looking back, even though I had NO IDEA what my baby and I would have to go through together, I would never change that marvelous day back in February of 2008. I have never once regretted having my son, and I would never change any part of it... because the way I look at it, this little boy is the most priceless person in my whole world... and he is who is he-- the darling, spirited little kid everyone loves-- because he is both mine and my ex-husband's. We created a very special human being who has changed my life for the better.

So, nearly 5 years later, life isn't what I envisioned it to be at all... but that's not what I choose to focus on and remember. Instead, I will remember the miraculous day that my son was born with nothing but positivity and cheer because without him, without that chilly winter day, I wouldn't be where I am today... a mom to the world's coolest kid ever.

My Little Dude~ forever and always my best pal!