I'm feeling a little nostalgic so I wanted to share the story of Ben....
Ben was due in August. We lived in Northern California so I didn't suffer because of the heat but still, I worked full time during my pregnancy, gained 32 pounds & had feet swollen beyond recognition. I went in for a check up on July 21st and after a physical exam my NP said "you're gonna have this baby any day". Oh! relief, because I was miserable but then Bryce gets called in to do a case and I start running around - getting gas, getting groceries, etc. I call my boss to say I'm starting my maternity leave because I wanted to rest a few days before the baby arrives...haha.
I wake up at 1 am and go potty as usual but then I stood up and felt a trickle..."oh goodness, did I just pee on myself?" I thought this pregnancy thing had hit a new low...but then i realized I couldn't control it because my water just broke!
Check again, yep pink on the t.p. So, I called the Kaiser Permanente hotline and spoke to the nurse (per my KP insurance procedure) who told me to eat something light, shower then go to the hospital - she would call ahead. Okay, well this is the real deal...
I got maybe 3 hours of sleep.
So, I turn on the light & wake Bryce. "It's time" I tell him, he scowls confused ..."my water just broke" and then a light bulb goes off and he realizes we're having a baby...soon. He's so funny - he goes into full panic mode and tells me we don't have time for a snack! "But the nurse said" I explain...I think I got a few bites of banana or something and we left.
My pants were soaked by the time we got there -eww. I had my first contraction on the way to the hospital and thought "that wasn't so bad" hahaha - oh how naive!!!
I walked the halls all night then my *wonderful* L&D nurse arrived and we went to my room for the real labor. Thank goodness for her (except her coffee breath, that made me want to vomit) because I had no one there. Bryce didn't know, it was his first so he read his books, ate breakfast and actually asked me for floss...in. the. middle. of. a. contraction!!!!
Normal labor - I tried all my positions/techniques I learned about in class, haha! I was asking for my epidural at 3 centimeters but of course had to wait until 4-5 to get it and finally did at 10:15 am. Yes, I remember the time. Sweet salvation!
With me comfortable, Bryce went home to shower and tidy up. He barely made it back for me to start pushing...which I did for like an hour! During that process my epidural came unhooked so I was getting a little feeling back but I said "that's okay, leave it" because Ben was almost here. My eyes must have been closed from concentrating on pushing because Bryce said "look, look" when he was coming out.
At 2:19 pm on July 22nd Ben was born! He was 2 weeks and 1 day early!
Then, I had the best sub sandwich I've ever tasted - funny the things we remember. Like the horrible nurse we were stuck with next...I unwrapped Ben from his blanket because I wanted to see all hands, feet, fingers, toes, etc. up close. She scolded me!! and wrapped him back up! saying something about body temperature...like I was an idiot. He was my baby, right? Didn't I just earn the right, with 12 hours of labor, to check him out?
Anyway, we went home the next day then my MIL arrived (as scheduled) about 2 weeks before my due date - lol.
I'll save the story of how he wouldn't breastfeed & became jaundice and how I cried over pizza for some other day...I think I'll go back to bed now.
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