My first day at home on maternity leave was uneventful. I was tired and slept through most of it. The fun started on Thursday. I woke up with an unusual burst of energy. I remembered reading that late pregnancy hormones trigger a boost right before the onset of labor. I knew it would be soon, but I did not know how soon.
I was looking forward to the end of my pregnancy. I was very uncomfortable and the restrictive diet was annoying, but I was also apprehensive about labor even though I opted for the controversial epidural. I ran a few errands on Thursday feeling accomplished. This is where my memory gets blurry. I remember Ryan made hot wings for dinner, then a dream about throwing up said hot wings. I woke up gagging. When I sat up I felt my water break.
Here I can do a bit of myth busting for the uninitiated in the business of childbirth. Apparently as in most things, every woman is different. When my water broke it was not nearly as dramatic as I have seen it portrayed on tv. I expected a water ballon break on concrete from three-story window. My experience was nothing of the sort. It was more like my water began to seep out. Some leakage here..some leakage there. Once the surprise subsided, I noticed the relief.
I called the nurses at the clinic. They said I should take my time to come in because I was not having contractions. We arrived about an hour later. It was 0530 (Army time). After a few hours of nothing happening, the doctors induced me and warned me that I was in for a very long day. Almost as if on cue, my cervix began to dilate. What was supposed to be several hours of hard labor suddenly became two. It was the fastest two hours of my life. The nurses in the room were very excited. They were all telling me to get ready to push.
The moment I feared was upon me, and I was terrified. I told Ryan to call a close friend, and then another close friend who happens to be a Chaplain. Then I started to cry. I was never so afraid of anything in my entire life. I wanted another few weeks to prepare, maybe attend a few more birthing classes, read more about newborns, cribs, etc. The nurses rallied around me, providing assurances that I was ready and that I could do it. Then it was time to push.
Fortunately the epidural worked very well, and after about an hour of pushing, Hunter Patrick McNamara was born. This picture was taken a few days after. And yes, he is incredibly tasty.
