Birth Story (Warning - may be graphic)

Here I am during labor - very attractive.



Here I am the same day after labor - I am totally out of it, but doing much better.

Lia Grace took her time coming to the world. She was due on April 15th but finally made an appearance on the morning of April 23rd. Here is the story.

April 22nd was a beautiful day. My mom and I spent the morning walking and eating delicious food. I took a few hours to paint "Red Fish" for Lia´s room and felt like I was having contractions most of the day. (The Braxton Hicks kind). Jan came home (exhausted) and we had lentil casserole for dinner.

Then mom and I decided to take a walk down to the ice cream shop. (at about 7:30pm) I had almond and she had Raffaello (named after a coconut flavored candy). As I was about to start on my latte machiatto (yes, I drank too much caffiene during my pregnancy), I felt a gush of warm fluid. My first thought was - did I just pee. My second thought was...there is a puddle of fluid forming under me, how embarrasing.

I called Jan and told him to bring me my emergency change of clothing (which I had been faithfully toating around with me, but left at home that night.) After a few attempts at standing up - more fluid came out every time, I managed to get to the bathroom and change. By the time I was out a taxi arrived and my mom and I headed to the hospital. Jan went to get the supplies.

I still thought that it may be a false alarm - but sure enough . it was the amniotic fluid and it was gushing. The contractions were coming - but the midwife thought that they "were not the the real thing" and told me that I should walk around. She checked Jan and I into a room where we could sleep and rest up for the labor. Jan decided to hang out there, while my mom and I met Cheryl and Jane to get some walking in.

We walked around the block and by then (very quickly) the contractions felt like "someone shoving a knife into my stomach." Basically they were horrendously painful. In between I was ok though. So I walked and then slumped against any available wall during the contractions. We got around the block and sat on the steps. Drunk people and students road their bikes by us, and the high light was being offered, in slurred English, a cigarette. I turned it down.

Then mom said good night, and Cheryl and Jane escorted me to my room. Jan was there and I told him that I didn´t think we were going to get much rest as I flung my self on the floor and moaned in pain. (really). Then a midwife came and measured my contractions some more. After maybe an hour and a check she determined that my cervix actually was closing with each contraction and that Lia was facing forward and jamming her forehead into my pelvic bone with each contraction. She recommended an epidural. We wanted to avoid all needles, so asked for a second opinion. The midwife didn ot appreciate this, but she did say we could try out the birthing tub. (that was the closest I got to my dream of a water birth) After writhing around in the water for a while, we decided that this really was not helping anything, and that we would go ahead and get the epidural.

This was pretty traumatic (think catheter in your spinal cord), although I agree that it was for the best.

As the epidural was being adminstered I started shaking uncontrallably - this continued for the next several hours. The midwife even tried to stop it by sticking a needle in my head (yes, accupunture - I was really not into the needle in the head thing)

Unfortunately, the epidural did not do much for the pain and in fact half of my body was totally uneffected. The other half did feel numb for a while, but the pain quickly came back. After another dosage of drugs, there was still no change.

Then, to continue the medication trend, they gave an IV pain killer. This was great, not because it got rid of any pain - but as I read somewhere - the pain mattered a bit less and in between contractions I could relax much more. This was also the most productive part of the labor (prob from 4am to 6).

Around 5 the midwife said she was getting a coffee and the shift would change soon - someone would check on us in 30 min. or so. This was a bit upsetting given the excrutiating pain and the fact that I felt like was dying - ok, enjoy your coffee while I lie here suffering.

Then the new team showed up, checked me, and I was 10 centimeters dilated. The baby was ready to come. They disconnected me from everything, and Jan and I tried out a variety of labor positions. Standing, hanging, sitting up, moving around. It worked, and after pushing very hard for what felt like a long time, Lia came out. It hurt a lot, but knowing the pushing actually would end the pain and that my baby was coming, but it much easily.

I am not (too) ashamed to say that I screamed a lot and made a ruckus. I had been training for months while pooping, so I was ready for it. (As Jane says, I need to eat more fiber).

At 8:13 am. Lia showed up, not very wrinkly, and incredibly alert. They laid her on my chest immediately - she looked and me and her daddy, and did not cry at all. After about 10 minutes she breast fed for the first time and was already a pro.

I was shocked to find that she was not a giant baby like I had been and the ultrasounds had forecasted, but actually fairly average sized. She weighed a bit over 8 pounds. All of the baby clothes we have are too big!

The new family