 |
| a proud big sister |
So much has happened since last Friday when I posted my last blog post. It had a full day of contractions, followed by a hospital admission, epic delivery, and a new healthy baby joined our family! As the photos show, it's hard to believe that the new baby has been with us for less than a week because it's like we've been waiting for him forever. Still, keep reading to learn more about what has been happening in my world between blog posts!
Last Saturday around 4 AM, I was awakened with what I believed to be contractions. Fortunately though, I was able to fall asleep. I woke up again around 8 AM and told my husband that I thought it might be baby day. You see, other women may have days or weeks of labor pains, but my pain tends to be acute, aggressive and limited to one day. Because of my prior two deliveries, I was pretty sure that the baby was coming!
That said, as much as I wanted to properly plan, I had no idea when the baby was arriving, and although I had two other children, I had no idea what was in store. I had to release myself to the process and not to be trite, but I had to, "let go and let God".
 |
| proud papa and big brother |
Natural childbirth is an exercise in humility and in life...
Saturday was an adventure. I tried to maintain as much normalcy as possible while spending a lot of time on the sofa. I enjoyed breakfast, made lunch, drank lots of fluids, and tried to distract myself from the increased intensity of the contractions. I distracted myself for my sanity, but also to protect my kids from the reality of what was happening. Instinctively though, my son and daughter wanted to be with me. They kept checking to make sure that I was OK and I tried to convince them that I was.
 |
| my mom meeting the baby... |
It takes a village to raise a child and to have a baby. I was able to connect with my brother to get him to come watch the kids while we were going to the hospital. Since it was about zero degrees, my preference was to keep them home and in their own beds for the evening. Also, I wanted to maintain as much normalcy as possible.
Finally, around midnight, Andre and I headed to the hospital. After we arrived, I endured another 4.5 hours of intense contractions and then, we welcomed our baby into the world! If you have personally endured a drug-free child birth, you know that the details of what actually happened is contained between the lines. (For details about the natural childbirth experience, click
here and
here).
Dreams do come true!
This delivery did not disappoint. It was everything you'd expect and more...
Rather than describe in detail, I will simply say, "I am beyond grateful to have endured my delivery and to have a healthy son." Also, thanks to Andre who saved the day!
I work in medical malpractice. I also followed the NPR stories about maternal mortality last year. (To access the NPR maternal mortality series, click
here.) Right before I posted this, I read and article entitled, "
Serena Williams Almost Died in Childbirth". So, I know that happy endings like ours cannot be taken for granted, even if you're a celebrity. A OB/GYN colleague once told me that pregnancy and childbirth are the two most risky medical events for most women. Let that sink in...
For these reasons, and because I am so in love with my new son and family, I thank God for our blessings. I also, plan to spend my maternity leave (and beyond) being grateful!
(As we get acquainted with our new baby, my posts will be less frequent. Please forgive me!!!)
Related Articles
Comments