“When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”
John 16:21 English Standard Version
Today is my third child’s , Naomi, first birthday. We are so elated to celebrate her first year of life. Not only does this day mark the day she was born, but it also marks the day I gave birth to her and the end of pregnancy. My pregnancy with Naomi was great up until the final weeks. I was riddled with pain and contractions for at least 4 weeks before she was delivered. I delivered all of my children by C-section. I don’t easily remember any of it. I was fortunate enough to have blogged throughout all of my pregnancies. It’s amazing how much a mother forgets or blocks out… The battles between life and death, the surges of hormones, the mood swings. I thank God that I am able to happily reflect on those moments through the blogs. Below, I have the blog entry from Naomi’s delivery. I also have the links from my other pregnancy stories for your reading pleasure. Happy Birthday Naomi! We love and thank God for you!!!
7/11/19 3:25 AM
I went to appointments on Tuesday and the overall summary was that Naomi was doing well, the goal is week 38, and that if the contractions came back I would be meeting Naomi for sure. I am most unsure about the latter given my frequent trips to triage. Nevertheless, I am starting this posts because the contractions have restarted. They restarted around 7 pm yesterday. Our good friend Sabrina came to visit with her children. I had some cramping, but felt overall well for most of the time she was here. However, at around 7pm, I started to have contractions that were very irregular and far between. She jokingly made comments that the baby was coming. A few hours later, the contraction became more regular, but not quite painful. It was bedtime and I decided that I would not have another false alarm spoil the night for me. I popped some Benadryl, Tylenol, and anti-acids and drifted into La La Land. Unfortunately the rest was short lived and I was awoken about 2- 3 hours later with more regular and now painful contractions. The contractions continue and have been steadily getting stronger. I am now eating a snack ( blueberry pie mad by Sabrina) with hopes that I can make it another few hours before needing to go to the hospital. The kids are sleeping and I would prefer for everyone to get rest if tomorrow is indeed showtime. I am excited to meet Naomi, but I am not excited for the c-section recovery. I could cheat a little on bedrest, but there is no cheating and not much reprieve from the pain and limited mobility of surgery recovery. Honestly, it should be the farthest from my mind, but the thoughts are always there.
7/11/19 11:07 AM
The night was rough and I was able to sleep intermittently. The contractions have subsided some and I’m glad I waited before going to the hospital, However, I don’t think I’m totally in the clear because I am still having contractions, back pain, and cramping. I think this has been one of the few days I’ve really had to obey my bed rest orders because of the way I feel. Overall, I’ve been helping out as much as I could within reason, but today I can do nothing but eat, lay down, and go to the bathroom. I feel so awful that it doesn’t even bother me. Although the regular nature have decreased, the pain and discomfort have in some way increased, so today or the next days ahead may be the day.
7/12/19 7:53 AM
I called my doctor yesterday afternoon and she told me to try to handle the contractions at home. If they didn’t stop by the morning, she wanted me to come in. They haven’t stopped and are a bit worse in terms of pain for sure. I’m still not sure if the contractions themselves are worse, or in feeling the cumulative effect of contractions for hours. The most interesting aspects of pain are it’s subjectivity and relativity. I thought the contractions prior were annoying and somewhat painful. I’m glad I rated them honestly because these are far more intense. I’d give them 6-7/ of ten. Ten out of ten is whatever I felt with Felicity’s labor and 9/10 are those headaches I have that radiate along my neck, forehead, and shoulders.
I haven’t eaten since midnight in anticipation that I’ll deliver this morning. I really hope that’s still the plan. Dilation or not, I’m miserable. Fortunately, Naomi is moving and fluttering around. Somehow that equals that she’s healthy. I’ll take it.
10:52
We should be meeting Naomi in no time. The doctors came in and agreed that it’s time to deliver. I hadn’t dilated or effaced much, but I continue to have contractions and my pressures have been elevated. Although, I can’t imagine anyone having a normal blood pressure while contracting.
The anesthesiologist came is as well. We are both going to be attendings. The most striking part of the conversation was how little I remembered from having a similar conversation 2 years ago. I have no recollection of getting a spinal with Asher, but I know it had to happen. I believe the only thing I remember from either of the previous deliveries is that the babies cried. That moment is very important to me and it’s not until I hear them cry that I am truly excited. Not remembering in a way helps each baby have their moment. Holding, feeding, and enjoying Naomi for the first time will probably initially feel like the first time ever. It makes me happy because I feel those are experiences worth reliving.
7/1319 6:52 AM
As stated earlier, the amnesia is real. However, I should be able to recall some events. Overall the delivery went well. The part that was the most stressful was getting the spinal and epidural placed. Earlier in the day, I was telling Arlinton what a sweet gig anesthesiologists have. By the end of the conversation I retracted that statement when I thought about their responsibilities and work schedules. I completely ate my words when it took them 3-4 tries to place the spinal and epidural. The position was uncomfortable and the fluid that drained, I’m not sure if blood or spinal fluid, was unsettling each try. Eventually the pain management was placed and the c section started. It was so nice to hear Naomi cry instantly. She was moving just as vigorously as she moved in the womb. I was told by Dr. Bradley that her colleague did an excellent job and she have the blessing for a fourth c section. Needless to say, Arlinton was pleased. Naomi looks so much like a smaller version of her siblings. One of my favorite aspects of this birth is that I was able to fully enjoy it. The birth itself marked the end of weeks of tortuous contractions. Unlike the other 2 births, there were also no unmet expectations. With Felicity, I hoped of this magical natural birth experience and with Asher every hope of a VBAC was snatched away because an induction with no dilation wasn’t the safest option. I’m so happy I finally learned and didn’t have plans to be crushed. The only plan was healthy baby and mama. We just thank God for blessing our family with Naomi and good health for us both.
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