TheBanyanTree: It's a BOY!!

Wed May 2 08:03:00 PDT 2007

Because my daughter had been born a mere thirty minutes after I got to
the hospital in labor, I was determined to give myself more time with my
second pregnancy!  I'd never even made it into 'delivery' with her - she
was born in the labor room!

But I was wiser by this time, and I knew that the doctor's warning to
come in when the labor pains were 'five minutes apart, and steady', was
bogus!  My labor pains would come ten minutes apart, then two, then
twelve, then seven, and on and on.  Right up until they were steady and
constant and I was ready to push!!  No, this time, as soon as it felt
like the minutes apart were closing in, I was heading in myself!

So, when I woke up that morning feeling the 'weird pressure' that I knew
could turn into labor, I sent my husband into work with the promise that
I'd call and give him plenty of warning!

As I sat on the couch with my toddler and watched 'The Little Mermaid"
for the bazillionth time, I had a watch with a second hand, in hand, and
I was timing my contractions on paper.  Just like before, they were all
over the place, until they started not being quite so all over!  With my
little girl running in and out, I went to the phone to call her dad and
tell him it was 'time'.

His phone at the Battalion was busy so I tried a second number.  It was
busy too.  Bummer.  I kept trying the numbers alternately, and I kept
getting a busy signal.  

My baby-sitter's mother's backyard cornered up to mine, and we'd joked
that if the time came and I was desperate, I could always toss my
daughter over the fence into her yard when I raced for the hospital.

That time was getting close.

Feeling that desperation, I called my own Battalion office (we were both
drill instructors at Parris Island) and found out that the phones were
all down at his!  I pleaded for somebody to drive over and tell my
husband that he needed to get home.  NOW!

About that time my mom happened to call, just to say, 'hi'.  I was in
the middle of the 'quick, short, blows/panting' breathing.  She told me
to hang up and call an ambulance!  Really, I didn't see any other
choice.  Or I was going to deliver my own baby, with a two-year old in
attendance!!

I went outside to gather her up and find her shoes (to toss her over the
fence!), and met my husband driving into the driveway.  "Hi!  Should we
take Molly to the baby sitter's now?"

"No, we should probably just take her with us because we need to get to
the hospital NOW!"

I don't remember getting her ready.  I don't remember anything except
sitting in the front seat in the sitter's driveway, ignoring her
chitchat, as I practiced my breathing method through clenched teeth!!
By this time, the contractions were coming one on top of the other!
Again, I was going to have a baby.  Delivery room or not!

This time, I went almost straight to delivery though, and once again,
too late for the good drugs.  I was going to have another baby
'naturally'!  Natural?  I remember laying there panting, in incredible
pain, with my legs being held up by a nurse and a father, with
everything I held sacred and private on display, and a guy came in to
empty the trash.  I thought it was "natural"!  And I would have been
more than willing to let him just reach in and pull this kid out!!
How's that for natural!??!

I remembered that 'pushing' hurt - more than the contractions.  It
burned.  But I also knew that the ONLY way to get the pain to stop (I am
SUCH a wimp!) was to get this baby OUT!  And the only way to get it out
was to push it out!  And so I clenched my teeth, scrunched myself up,
and bore down like a big dog, and pushed with every bit of strength I
had!  But it really, REALLY burned!

Within thirty minute of arriving at the hospital, the doctor announced,
"It's a boy!"

And I will confess.  The very first thought I had was not, 'oh joy!'.
The very first thing that flew through my brain was, 'well!  I'm glad
THAT's over with, and I never have to do it again!'  (We'd already
agreed to stop with two children.)  I had done my part and born two
children.  One boy.  One girl.  I was a good wife and mother!

My daughter had been about six and a half pounds at birth.  Because
nobody said differently, and because I hadn't gained more during this
pregnancy, I was figuring on another little baby.

So when I heard the doctor say, "Eight fifteen and..." I cut him right
off and corrected his time!  Hey!  I was a tired new mom, but still
alert enough to be concerned over getting the birth time right for the
baby book!!

Oops.  The doctor was declaring his weight.  My 'little' baby boy was a
half an ounce shy of nine pounds!  And THEN I thought,
'no-friggin-WONder it hurt so much more to push!'.

Today, I sit here thinking back on it, and I just don't know where all
those years went.  I've been blessed with sixteen years of wonderful
memories, and moments in time that cause me incredible gratitude for
every twinge of pain birthing him!

I think he's an incredible young man.  Hilariously funny, unbelievably
kind-hearted and sensitive.  He makes me laugh until I swear I'm going
to pee my pants while I'm wiping tears away, and he makes me so
frustrated, I swear if I knew those fancy pin-moves that he knew, I'd
squash him flat in less than the required seconds on the mat!

I know I'm just feeling all squishy-softy-sentimental today, on my
'baby's' birthday...  And I know that I'm not the first mom who's ever
felt this way.  But for today, for just a few minutes today, I'm going
to sit here and feel... remember all the times of pain and tears and
laughter and smiles...

And remember to say an extra prayer of thanks, that God blessed me so
completely as a mom.

Pam