The Story, Part Two

When we got to the hospital, we parked in the lot across the street and walked to the emergency room entrance (the entrance we had been instructed to use). I was enjoying the sunshiny air and was feeling GREAT.

Inside, one of the workers quickly got me into a wheelchair; and when I explained that I really could walk, she insisted that she would really prefer if I rode! I noticed--and Jeff commented on--the fact that the wheelchairs are LARGE to accommodate all sizes of people. I actually felt small in it--a strange feeling for me after so many months of pregnancy growth. After a brief check-in process, I was wheeled through the hospital and up the elevator to the family birthplace where I was allowed to walk the last few steps into the birthing room (#324).

All this time, I was having contractions but not timing them at all...and in fact, not even paying much attention to them. I continued to feel GREAT.

When we got to the room, we met our nurse Becky; but actually, before we even heard her name, another nurse, Cindy, came up to us and said, "You look familiar." And we realized how we knew each other (I first met her and her daughter in the library when they had just moved to town, several years ago...her family had come to our house for dinner a very long time ago...the boys and I had gone to her house for a playdate once...but we had lost touch, and I had always felt a pang of regret about that...since then, she had had a baby, and I was about to have one!). Barbara, the midwife, showed up; and we all had a jolly time standing around the room meeting each other and chatting. It was really fun--and didn't feel at all like I was soon going to deliver a baby. :)

Eventually, we got down to business. I changed into a hospital gown, and Barbara examined me. I was delighted to hear that I was already at 8 centimeters dilated. I still felt GREAT (and I'm consciously repetitively capitalizing it because that's really how I felt--"GREAT"--not just "great"!). The only hard part of this stage of labor was when the nurses tried to stick me to draw some blood and insert a hep-lock (I think it's called) in case I needed an IV (which I never did need). First, Cindy tried, after commenting about how great my veins were and how nicely they stood out. She got the needle in, but no blood came out. So then she remarked about how many valves my veins have and how that makes it difficult. So Becky tried, with no better results. Meanwhile, I'm watching all of this as I sat in a rocking chair...then suddenly realizing, "I don't feel very well!" I thought I might pass out, but with the help of some ice to suck on and my mother fanning me with Grandma's fan (that fan has history!), I pulled through. Jeff said later, "I saw you watching them and wondered why you were doing that!" :) After that, another nurse, Tammie, came in who seemed to be the pro at sticking people. She switched hands to stick me (in my left instead of my right)...I didn't watch...and she got it. Whew!

Then I was free to choose my next activity. I thought about walking the halls a little bit; but when someone suggested getting in the jacuzzi, I quickly decided that sounded even better! The nurse drew the water for me, and I got in and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I felt--you guessed it--GREAT! Jeff sat in the bathroom, too, since someone had to stay in there with me to make sure I was OK; and we had such fun talking about random things. My mother was reading a book I had brought along with me. I don't know what the nurses and midwife were up to, but eventually the midwife came and examined me--while I was in the tub (that was a funny moment!)--and said I was at 10! Wow!!! I didn't have a strong urge to push--and I did NOT want to get out of the tub yet--so she let me stay in there. Then she sat in the bathroom with us, too, and we all had a nice chat. Such fun! :)

Eventually, I realized that I was probably only postponing the inevitable, so I decided I'd better get out of the tub and get the show on the road. Barbara suggested that I try a position where I could kneel on the bottom part of the bed which had been lowered, and lean against the rest of the bed. It was a very comfortable position--so comfortable, in fact, that I could only relax and not really push at all. That wasn't exactly what I was aiming for! At some point, I remember remarking about how surreal all of this seemed. It still honestly did not seem like soon I would deliver my son.

And, oh, by the way, I felt GREAT.