Sunday, May 13, 2012

Birth

It's mother's day, so I thought today a good time to finally post my sweet baby girl's birth story.  Warning: this post is way too long, so make it through what you can and you can always come back if you don't finish:-).

I wish I had done this right after I gave birth (or sooner at least).  Should I have the privilege of bringing another life into this world I'll try to do so (although I obviously make no promises since there are more important things to do when a new baby has arrived).

Throughout my pregnancy I worried about the impact of being overweight/obese/whatever else I'm classified as.  I worried about the increased risk of having a cesarean section and a harder labor as a result.  I worried needlessly and if I could go back I'd worry less.  I'd also encourage women who are above average in weight to devote the energy wasted on worrying about the statistics and refocus it on loving yourself and your baby.  For most people that includes eating good food, being active regularly, and appreciating the body we are in.  I'm not a doctor and I can't speak from anyone's experience but my own, but I feel like I take the best care of myself when I let go of the guilt and shame and focus on loving and trusting the only body I have.  The number on the scale is only one indicator of health.  I've digressed though, so I'm going to get back on topic and maybe do another post about this topic in the future.

The day after my due date I went to see the doctor and she performed a procedure meant to kick start labor.  It was unexpectedly painful hours after the procedure and extremely effective.  At about 3am I woke up uncomfortable, then went to rocking back and forth on my exercise ball, at about 3:30am my water broke and we called the doctor, the doula, and were on our way.  The hospital was 10 min walk away, but we took a cab.

Now my memory starts to get a little fuzzy.  What I remember for sure...the doula arrived at the perfect time and helped me breath through some hard contractions in the tub.  I wanted a break (spoiler: I didn't get one).  We watched a video that talked about how labor gradually begins, well I must have slept through the gradual part because my contractions started coming every 90 seconds and didn't stop.  My husband gives the best impressions, but I slipped into long trains of "I can't I can't I can't I can't" do this is the presumed ending although I didn't get that far.  Also included "I don't I don't I don't I don't" know if I can do this the presumed ending there.  I'll spare you the gritty details just know almost six hours later I had delivered my sweetness with no pain meds or need of stitches.

Over a year later I'm still in awe of the fact that I grew a human being inside of me, then expelled her from my body, and that was just the beginning.  Mothers do so much for their children from the moment they are conceived that children will never, can never remember.  Being a mother makes me increasingly more appreciative for every sacrifice, every late night, every hug and kiss, and all of the energy my mother invested in her children.  I wouldn't be who I am without her.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was beautiful my sister!!!! I am so very proud of you and the mother that you are to my beautiful niece!!! I learned some new info about the day so I'm glad you posted this!!! Can't wait to read the next one!!! I love you and miss you lots!!! :)

Elaine said...

Tina, it's wonderful that you can still remember your birth story. Mine are so fuzzy now.
I did enjoy watching my 13 yr old try to put me first today, which as you can imagine is very difficult for a normally self centered teen. Enjoy these years, they fly by.