Mastering Mary

Tomorrow is the anniverary of the day Emily was born, her birthday.  I want to always remember the day she was born.  People start to forget so soon.  Sometimes I believe what people say about how you would never have more children if you remembered how hard the ones you had were in the beginning but I want to remember that day just the same.

I had been waiting for 7 long days past Emily’s due date and was scheduled to be induced on the 13th.  It was Sunday night and Emily was not coming so I was planning to go to work.  Why wouldn’t I?  I had nothing else to do and I couldn’t sit around.  It would be last day before I got induced.  I woke up early, about 4am on Monday, February 12 because I was really uncomfortable.  About 6am, Scott was gone for work and I started to feel the contractions.  They weren’t exactly the way people had described, my whole stomach didn’t tighten all over the way people had said.  It felt more like cramps and only at the bottom of my stomach.  I had heard that it was much more enjoyable to stay home as long as you could so you could be comfortable.  I decided I could probably wait until Scott got home from work to go to the hospital.  I kept in touch with my sister and parents, as well as my friends from work but I didn’t call Scott because I figured it would just worry him and he was working somewhere far away (out in Elma is what I rememeber).  By the time Scott got home, around 2pm, I had contractions 8 minutes apart.  They still didn’t really hurt but I hadn’t been up off the couch for this whole time.  Scott said for me to call the hospital while he got ready to go.  I did and they told me to come right away.  When Scott was ready, we got in the car, the white Cavalier we had at the time, and drove to the hosptial which was about 20 minutes away.  About 2 minutes into the drive, the contractions were getting more like 5 minutes apart and they really started to hurt.  I was really clutching the handle of the car and panting.  When we got there, I could hardly walk and we were at two minutes apart.  I would also like to say that I “pre checked” into the hospital and a fat lot of good that did me.  They “lost” that paperwork and we had to do it all over again.  I couldn’t speak very well and Scott didn’t know any of the answers to the questions about my health insurance etc….

We finally got checked in and settled into our room.  I kept laboring as they checked my cervix and hooked me up to the monitor.  Scott called our parents to let them know we were having the baby.  My mom and dad wanted to come right away but I told Scott to tell them to wait a little while.  Dr. Johnson came and wanted to try to move things along so she broke my water and started me on the pitocin drip.  I kept progressing until I was about 4 cm dialated.  I got my epidural which was the most painful part.  I didn’t like the cold sensation when the medicine started to go in and I was mad the anesthseiologist kept telling me to make a “c” shape with my body.  Hello?!  Do you not see my stomach?

I kept on with the contractions getting harder and harder but I was not becoming more dialated at all.  I was feeling good from the epidural and the nurses had turned down the volume on the fetal monitor so I could relax.  Then, suddenly, the room fills with nurses who looked like they were in a panic and a hurry.  They rushed in and asked Scott to help them move to from one side to the other.  I kept asking what was wrong but they wouldn’t answer me.  Then they put an oxygen mask on me and I started to cry.  I kept saying “what’s wrong with the baby?”.  I know now they just had to work quickly so they couldn’t answer me.  Emily had rolled over on her cord and they had to move me so she would move too.  Emily was okay but the doctor said her heart rate had become erratic.  They were going to let me go a little bit longer but if things didn’t get better they would be doing a C-Section.  At that point I said, let’s do whatever we need to, to get her out safe.  At 8:00pm, they decided it was time to get me in and get that baby out.

The anesthseiologist was back and gave me some more numbing medication and then checked me to make sure I couldn’t feel things.  Well, I kept telling him I could still feel stuff on my right side but he didn’t listen.  We went in and the surgery began, I could still feel my right side somewhat.  It was freaking me out and I told them that.  They started to take Emily out but I was in pain.  They gave me some laughing gas and put me under for short periods of time.  They kept saying you will feel some presssure.  I kept trying to tell them I felt more than pressure.  Then they would put me under again.  Finally Emily was out.  I said to Scott, “Is she beautiful?”  Scott looked at our slimy, bloody little daughter and although at that moment she didn’t, Scott told me she did.  Then I was pretty much out again.  Emily came into the world at 8:20pm on Tuesday February 12, 2007.  She weighed 8lbs and was 21 inches long.  She wanted to eat right away.  She had (and still has) blue eyes and redish brown hair.  She is perfect and although the way she got here wasn’t perfect or how I would have done it had I planned it myself, I want to remember it for the rest of my life.