The end of my pregnancy was like some kind of science experiment. Everything pointed to the arrival of my baby before my due date, most likely well before. But I continued to defy the odds. All the way up until 40 weeks + 3 days.
Let's go back a few weeks. Prodromal labor, just like I had with Fallon, reared it's annoying head at 37 weeks. Every night from 11PM - 4/5AM the contractions came every 5 minutes, lasting for 1+ minute . Different than Braxton Hicks but they never increased in intensity or duration. Running on very little sleep, super pregnant and caring for a wild toddler didn't agree with me. By 38 weeks I was just praying for the contractions to get stronger or the patience to wait. My very last appointment was at 39 weeks + 6 days. I was dilated to almost 4cm, effaced and baby's head was engaged. My membranes were stripped to help things along and I dilated to 5cm on the table. I was told I had a bulging bag of water between the baby's head and the uterine wall and it was likely to pop at any time. YAY!!! I walked out of the office relieved and excited and thinking baby might share a birthday with daddy. But 1 day over my due date and I. WAS. DONE. Scheduled eviction, ahem, induction here we come. Except there was a scheduling error and I was bumped 3 days forward. Cue the explosion of frustration.
Friday, April 6th, I got dressed, put makeup on, fixed my hair and went with Chris to his eye doctor appointment just to get out of the house and walk around. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. We put Fallon to bed that evening and started catching up on our missed TV shows. Chris fell asleep on the couch and I lay there next to him with searing rib pain just waiting for the worthless contractions. 11:30PM the first one came. Except this one wasn't like the others I'd been having. This one felt different. Different enough for me to notice. The second one came and I started to to wonder if maybe this really is different and not wishful thinking. And then suddenly they were coming in a pattern. I woke Chris up, we called my doctor and my mom to come stay with Fallon. The contractions increased in intensity and became closer together so quickly I could feel my husband starting to panic. We were in the car ready to fly to the hospital when my mom arrived.
That car ride was the longest of my life. Chris tried to carry me through the hospital but I was in too much pain. I waddled down the hallway into the elevator and fell to my knees at the Labor & Delivery check in desk. It was 1:20AM. No one was in a hurry to get me in a room and check me but when that finally happened the nurse declared me 8cm and rushed me down to a delivery room. There was a flurry of questions that Chris was mostly answering for me, the room being set up and me claiming I felt the need to push. I was not prepared for a natural birth. The pain was so overwhelming it scared me. I feared I would throw up, pass out or possibly both. They told me to just breathe, my doctor was on the way. But the third time I said it like I meant business and they got a resident ready as my doctor still hadn't arrived. Anesthesia showed up at the door for my epidural right as my water broke all over the bed. I flipped to my back from side and started pushing of my own accord. I couldn't hear anyone, just saw their mouths moving. I pushed once and felt the "ring of fire". The crowing of the head feels EXACTLY like a circle of fire. A wildfire. I pushed again and finally heard someone say Just one more push and your baby will be here! And that's exactly what happened. I came out of my trance as my baby boy was held up for me to see.
Axton James arrived at 1:47AM April 7th, 2018. 27 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. He weighed 8lbs 14oz and was 21.5 inches long. He was placed on my chest to snuggle inside my gown, just like I had dreamed would happen. But it certainly didn't go exactly the way I had hoped. There wasn't time for sarcasm or pictures or to attempt to prepare myself for a natural delivery at all. But my baby came out pink and breathing. No one came to save him, to take him away from me. I held him against me and comforted him in his first moments on the outside. No complications, no flurry of people shouting things out that I did not understand. The room was calm and quiet. Just a mama and her fresh new baby with daddy watching over.
