Clara's Birth Story

Get that cap on that baby, that is one serious cone-head!

For those of you I haven't talked to yet {you understand, right?}, here is The Birth Story. It was amazing, every bit of it, yes, even though it hurt.

Bo's parents decided to come down for a visit on Saturday, the 8th.  We walked around downtown for the Art Walk and then went to dinner.  All quiet on the western front.  I had no idea at this point of the events to come.  I'd been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for weeks, I'd even become kind-of used to them at this point.  The in-laws left around 10pm, I went to bed, and Bo stayed up for a bit longer to play video games.

Then, at 1:30a, I awoke to warm, wet undies and though it was possible, I was pretty sure I hadn't just peed on myself.  However, I wasn't convinced that this was my water breaking either {denial, denial, denial}.  I called the L&D nurses to elicit their perspective {first mistake}.  She told, me "No, no, you really would have had a gush of fluid if it was your water breaking".  I know better than this, even with my minuscule medical school knowledge.  But, I was ready to accept this to further deny being in labor.  So, I promptly went back to sleep.

This sleep didn't last long.  Braxton-Hicks begone.  Things down there were a changin'.  I laid in bed for an hour timing my contractions.  And yes, they were like clockwork - 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute.  So, you'd think this would get me moving in the direction of the hospital? Nah, not yet {second mistake}.  It did however, prompt Bo to finally pack his hospital bag and then he went to sleep for a bit.

At this point it was probably 3am.  And since I was already doing some serious rule breaking, what's one more?  I was hungry and boy, did those Coco Krispies taste good. That is, until they came back up with a vengeance about a half hour later.  Our bodies are pretty amazing machines.  Looking back, each and every step was in preparation of getting this tiny baby out without a hitch.

4:15a rolled around and I was getting a little more vocal with my contractions, so much so, that I even roused Bo from his slumber.  It was time to get moving.  I couldn't deny it anymore.

We arrived at L&D about 4:45a.  I was hurting.  After a daunting amount of paper signing, I made it to my room.  I had all these grandiose ideas of how the next steps would take place.  I didn't want to be in the bed, please don't keep the fetal heart monitor on me the whole time, blah, blah, blah.  All in all, I just wanted to lay in that bed so, monitor me all you want, just don't make me open my eyes.

7cm.  Seven centimeters.  I was shocked.  All that denial got me to 7cm and thankfully things continued to progress quickly.  My nurse was amazing.  She really helped me get my breathing down pat.  I was, by some miracle, in control of the pain.

By 6 or 6:30a I was complete [10cm] which meant the hard part was still to come.  I felt ready. Sorta.

Our little bundle of joy arrived at 7:35am, Sunday December 9th. A bouncing baby girl, 6lbs 10oz and 20 1/4in.

Looking back on it all, I wouldn't change a thing.  My mind and body were prepared for the whole ordeal - I wish this for every mother-to-be.