Birth of DS1

My due date for DS1 was Oct 20 2007. A couple friend of ours was at our house visiting, dropping off a gorgeous green blanket since they missed the shower. Chris, the husband, and my husband, were all talking about video games or something, and Liz, his wife and I were talking baby stuff.

Then I felt something very distinctive. I igorned it and kept chatting it up. It happened again, exactly fifteen minutes later. And then, when it happened a third time, I spoke up, "I think I'm starting to go into labor, I've just had a few contractions."

Chris' eyes were HUGE and he stood up, shook my husband's hand, and was like running to the door! His wife, Liz, admonished him and said, "Chris, she's not going to have the baby right now!"
The husband was uneasy, and they left within five minutes anyway.

My DH looked at me and said, "we got the hospital now?" I said, "No, my DR said don't go until the contractions are 5 minutes apart."

So we waited, I think we played a video game or something (we were into Guitar Hero series at the time, LOL). The contractions continued, every fifteen minutes through that night.

The next day, Sunday, they continued, getting a little closer together. First it was 10 minutes, then 7 minutes, etc. I spent Sunday in a daze, reading "The Boleyn Inheritance" having already read the "The other Boleyn Girl." I called my oldest sister (the nagging nellie) and she said I should be eating soup and light stuff. She predicted I'd have him the next day.

I couldn't sleep at all on Sunday night, going into Monday. The contractions were getting harder and coming closer together, though my water had not broken.

Finally at 5 am Monday morning, I woke my husband up and said I couldn't take it anymore that we'd need to go to the hospital. He was sleepy and a little like "what time is it?" Before this, I was so uncomforable, I couldn't sleep in our bed, so I slept out on the couch on the reclincer, keeping myself propped up. Surrounding me were all three of our cats, I had one near my neck, like a massage pillow, and one near my belly, he was purring so hard and keeping me so warm and snug that the contractions were not as hard. The other one was at my leg, they were all watching out for me!

Anyway, we finally get the hospital, the nurse threatens to send me home if I'm not dilated yet (geez, wasn't that nice?) I was 4 centimeters and allowed to stay. Afraid of anymore pain I got an epidural. They told me to sleep as it'd take some time, but I was too excited and nervous about meeting my little man.

DH was OK at first, but as time drudged by, he was starting to get nervous and pacy. Around 6 pm they told me I could start pushing and DH's face turned white as a sheet, and he looked very scared. I laughed and said, "What's your problem? I'm the one whose gotta push!" He was very nervous and couldn't beleive we'd be parents in a little while.

I started pushing, and for the first time during the pregnancy, vomitted! DH bolted up out of his chair so fast and went out the door that the nurse while holding the container for me to vomit in, turned her head back and shouted out to him, "Are you OK?"

I pushed for an hour and 1/2 and made some progress, but then his big old head got stuck and he was trying to back up and go back up! His heart rate started to drop and I was so exhausted. They decided on an emergency C-section.

I started shaking with all the drugs they pumped in me for the C-section and then at 8:07 pm, Monday October 22nd 2007, weighing 8 lbs 7 oz, my first son was born with a really pissed off cry! Really red, really angry, really healthy!

The moment I held him in my arms the shaking instantly stopped and I was so in awe. I have never felt that level of awe and amazement before (sorry DS2, LOL).

The first time you hold your own child in your arms is the most amazing experience in the world!

I wish my story could have ended in giving birth, as I've never experienced that, but was important we got DS1 out into the world safely!

DS2 was a scheduled C-section although he was born at 8:07 am, and DS1 at 8:07 pm. Always thought that was interesting!

Thanks in advance if anyone reads this!

Beautiful story, thank you for sharing! :)
I like so much how your cats were watching you! ( although I'm not cat-person ;)
It sucks you've had to go practically all the way through the vaginal birth just to have C-section? I mean, couldn't they estimated that earlier or something?

And I totally agree that holding your child in your arms is the most amazing experience :HH:
I was almost in disbelief when I saw my DD1, is this really my baby? Could she be more perfect? :HH: although I've had GD with her, that moment when I saw her for the first time was beyond words!

Yeah I wonder that too! My DS2 also had a big old head and my OB really advised against a VBAC because his head and body was huge! DS2 was born 9 lbs and they didn't think my birth canal and hips were going to work with his big head!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for posting! I love reading birth stories. :) I think it's super cool that your boys were both born at 8:07! How did your DH do with DS2's birth--was he a little less nervous?

Yeah, he was a lot less nervous, very confident, acting as if we had experienced a gillizon births together! My DH is so funny....with DS2, it was a very boring rountine C-section and they said he could pop his head over the curtain to take a picture as they were getting DS2's head out, and he took a few pictures tenatively, but he really didn't want to look past the blue curtain! It was so funny! The first C-section he looked beyond the curtain and said he would never do that again, but he did it anyway to catch the first glimpse of DS2.

I asked him what DS2 looked like as he was being born, and my husband said, "Ummmmm he looks pissed off and he's covered in blood?" DS2 also started howling immedialtely and was very unhappy to be pulled out of the womb!

within minutes, he was all cozy and swaddled up and the first pictures we got of him dry and cleaned up he was blowing bubbles, it was so cute! DS2 was also born with old man hair all along the back of his head but bald on top...so cute, like a grouchy old man!