Bun-In-My-Oven: Welcome Baby Myles

Born on March 13th at 1:13!
7lbs 11oz.
Lucky number baby, huh?

Thursday, my great aunts, Johnee and Olivia visited me along w/my honorary aunt, Loretta.

I was uncomfortable because it felt like the baby was going back up under my ribs and thought that was a step in the wrong direction, so I took a walk around the block to 'walk him down' a bit, after they left. I did a good little loop around the neighborhood, while panting on the phone to my friend Kenya.

Well, I must've walked him WAY down because at 2 am that night, I awoke to a pain and as I got out of the bed, my water broke. I told a sleepy Mark who bolted out of bed.

It was so early that I didn't want to call my OBGYN just yet. I'd awakened the other doctor covering for her last weekend (scary Braxton Hicks) and realized that they are humans are asleep like normal people at these hours. So I waited for another contraction so I could answer that question if she asked. But by 2:30, no contraction so I just called anyhow and she told me to go to the hospital, which surprised me. A video I'd seen, in place of Lamaze classes since I couldn't leave the house on bedrest, said that usually they tell you to hang out at home until the contractions are somewhat close together. She didn't ask that at all. Of course, it's 2 am. She's tired, and the likelihood of me falling back asleep and waking up too late is possible, so maybe they want you to get your butt to the hospital.

We took our time. I updated my Facebook status, texted a couple of friends and one of my voice students. I called Pam and she started to yell at me about looking for my power strip instead of rushing off to the hospital. I humored her, but usually first time mothers don't give birth that quickly. So I found my power strip (that HAD been in my hospital bag last weekend, but after a false alarm had gone back into use) and then we left for the hospital at about 3:11. Ten minutes later, we checked in and I had contractions by then. I didn't ask for the epidural until about 5am, then the nurses switched shifts and didn't relay that message so I didn't get one until 7am, at which point I wanted to kill someone. Natural childbirth is a crock. I hadn't been trying for it, but just having felt contractions for an hour or two, about 3 minutes apart, was excruciating!

After the epidural, I went to sleep. They came in and checked me every so often and then when I was dilated and dropped, they made me wait for the doctor because she was performing an emergency C-section. At 12:30 or 12:45 they set up the room and I got to push. It was fairly easy once I figured out which imaginary muscle was the right one. I was so numb, the only way I could figure out how to push was to isolate a specific ab that I COULD feel. Soon after, Myles was born. He defied all odds - technically full term and a normal delivery! Woohoo. Fibroid be damned. So anyone out there being told that you're going to automatically have a C-section just because of a large fibroid, have hope. Or those of 'advanced maternal age' or whatever else deems you a high risk pregnancy. My doctor was great and willing to try and it all worked out.