Labor Day

Essie, over at the Accidental Mommy, wrote a fun post on Labor Day. (Labor, as in squeezing a small human from your womb, nothing to do with wage earning or unions.) She challenged us to write our own labor stories. Since I have 3 of the bio-type, I will make them the Readers Digest version and keep em short and sweet.

Kaytee: My first baby, the child who made me a mother. That little bugger went two weeks overdue and I did not know a person could be just that uncomfortable and survive without sleep. They induced me at 7 am and my body swung into immediate rhythmic contractions. I contracted like that for many hours, with the nurse cranking up the pitocin every 15 minutes like clockwork. By 6 pm (yep, 11 hours later) I was at 3 cm and they could break my water. Things picked up after that. Finally, about 10 pm, I decided I needed some pain meds. They called the anesthesiologist for an epidural but the 'promised to be there in 15 minutes' turned into an hour. By the time he walked in the door I was ready to push. So without an epidural, I pushed three times and my sweet baby girl was delivered. Seven pounds, one ounce and 21 inches long. She looked exactly like her Daddy.

Ashley: Two days before my due date I woke up in the morning and when I stood up liquid began trickling down my leg. I thought I had wet myself (not that surprising seeing as how a small human had her head firmly wedged on top of my bladder) but the fluid kept coming all morning, so we headed to the hospital. I didn't feel any contractions until about 2 pm. Then they hit hard and fast and although I again wanted and epidural, there just wasn't time. Ashley flew out, without time for her head to even mold so she had a big scrape and bruise on her head where it hit my pelvis on the way out. In fact, by the time I felt the urge to push her head was crowning and the nurse was screaming for the doctor. He ran in and helped me to deliver her body, me with my hands under her arms. Yep, I literally delivered her myself. I still had to pay the doctor, though. Rats!

Levi: At 34 weeks I ended up in the hospital with a heart arrythmia (mine, not the baby's) and very low amniotic fluid. Four days of total rest and then they sent me home for bed rest. I spent the next 3 weeks having ultrasounds every other day and trying to rest as much as possible without losing my mind. At 37 weeks, during my doctor visit, they noticed the baby's heart racing, then slowing drastically. They walked me directly into the hospital and prepped me for surgery. Levi was in a very awkward position, not head down, but with his head flexed backwards. The doctor pushed and pulled and even enlarged the c-section incision but couldn't get a hold of him. He ended up using forceps to finally snare his head and deliver him. (Chris was telling me what was happening and he announced 'here comes the salad tongs'. It took me until the next day to realize what the heck he was talking about!) Levi had some breathing difficulties so they kept him in the NICU for 24 hours. In fact, I didn't get to see or hold him until 8 hours after he was born. Poor Chris spent those hours running back and forth, snapping photos to show me, and trying to be there for both of us.

You already know the stories of Ahren and Seth. This blog chronicles their 'labors' and subsequent entry into our family. Of all my babies, Ahren's labor was the most painful. There are no drugs for that kind of labor, it was truly a 3 year labor of love. Seth, on the other hand, was a miracle baby. No pain, no wait, just delivery and joy. I guess I have had a child just about every way possible. Induced, natural, c-section, long ordeals and short ordeals, international and home grown, boys and girls. Each a unique and wonderful addition that makes us complete.