November 25, 2012

• Birth Log

  November 21:  It’s about 2 am and I awoke 20 minutes ago to the sound of my 3 year old crying. She doesn’t usually cry during the middle of the night, so something must’ve woken her up.  Hubby helped her fall back asleep and now they’re both sound asleep.  I’m still awake though because around that time, I start noticing a change in the feel of my contractions. 

  For the last few weeks, the contractions have come and gone at intermittent intervals, sometimes stronger than at other times, depending on how active I had been that day.  There were at least two evenings when I was certain that it was time to go to the hospital because the contractions were 5 minutes apart.  However, they always seemed to subside by the morning.  The contractions seem to start from one area and then spread from that center.  It felt like a tightening of my whole belly.  They were mildly painful but somewhat tolerable.  About 30 minutes ago, the contractions changed.  It feels more like my uterus is being squeezed as tightly as possible.  The pain wraps around from my front to my lower back.  These don’t feel like “practice” anymore.

  Had to stop writing because I was seized by a contraction for 5+ minutes, couldn’t move, couldn’t get off my chair.  In fact, I called Sam on the phone (he was in our bedroom sleeping) to tell him it’s time to go to the hospital!  He thought it was a phone malfunction so hung up on me…twice!  I texted our friend Emily who lives up the street to come over (the plan was for her to sleep over until my mom could come get our 3-year old in the morning).  Finally, when the pain was over, I wadddled into the room and told Sam, “It’s time to go!”  He leaped out of bed.

  On the way to the hospital, my contractions stopped its regularity and the pain subsided.  I wondered if it was a mistake to be going to the hospital, but it was too late, we already called the doctor, Emily was already at our house… there was no choice but to move forward!  Hopefully, they wouldn’t turn us away.   On the drive, I was chatty and in a great mood.  This was a great contrast to the last time I went into labor when my water broke and every inch on the road felt like a painful mile long. 

  We arrived at the hospital minutes later and got checked in.  By the early morning, the contractions got increasingly painful… 

  At 6:05 AM, a little baby boy let out his first cry… weighing a meager 6 lbs and 1 oz.  When the nurse brought him up to me and I saw him for the first time, I wanted to cry.  My heart overflowed with awe and amazement and gratitude as I saw a perfectly healthy baby boy.  All those months of cautious eating and prayer for a healthy baby were answered.  There had always been that knowing that I can pray and eat right and do all the right things, but the outcome was completely out of my hands.  Life is truly a gift from God and I had been keenly aware of it throughout my entire pregnancy.  The word “natan” in Hebrew means “gift”, and that is exactly who he is — a precious gift.

  • 3:37 am
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