Well, it is official. My oldest turned double digits today. My gracious, when did this happen? She was just a baby yesterday. On this, her decade day, I am remembering how the whole thing went down. It was fine, but never pretty.
The day before Sarah came, the Brain and I ran errands. I was beyond the point of nesting. I was at the point of laying around like a beached whale...still trying not to succumb to morning-noon-night sickness, wondering what we had forgotten to get for the baby, praying that I would just miraculously go into labor and trying not to die of heartburn. I finished a few other cooking responsibilities for the freezer and sat down to stew. My mom arrived and we went through, for the millionth time, my hospital bag and the baby's bag. Then the tears started. And kept on....and on....we had dinner...they continued...we had baths...they continued...we watched the season premiere of "Friends"....they continued. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, sat me down for a talk. "Um, I know you are tired and scared and emotional right now. But you have got to suck it up. You can't change your mind about this....she's coming whether you are ready or not." Well, I finally retired for the evening, fitfully slumbering for the next few hours until it was time to go to meet this person. The hospital room was as nice as a room can be and I settled down in my bed in the oh so lovely hospital gown. After the doc came in and broke my water, which was beyond weird, we settled down to a morning of watching television, going to the bathroom, fielding phone calls, going to the bathroom, walking, breathing through the contractions....lather rinse repeat. Because an acquaintance told me that I "didn't have what it takes" to do natural childbirth, I chose to go that route. Who did she think she was? Walk and pee and breathe and breathe and pee and walk and hear the men in my life go, "WHOA! Here comes a big one!". Not helpful. All the time, staring a hole in my focal point...a Real Lime plastic lime that my brother had given me. It had been said in one of the pregnancy books that "During this week, your baby is the size of a small lime." From that point on, she was known as the lime. It is a wonder that poor plastic lime didn't burn up and melt to the cabinet with the death looks it got. But it survived...all three.
Anyhoo, from about Days of Our Lives on, once contractions came, I had to really concentrate my way through them. Brain, while the model husband and birthing coach, was getting a bit antsy, so he learned every possible path from our room to the cafeteria. Dad, Mom and various others sat with me, gave me ice chips and expressed how sorry they were that it was so painful. Finally at about 5:30 or 6pm, I got that feeling. I was at the right amount of everything so why not start pushing. Well, Sarah had some alternate plans. She chose to position herself the same way she likes her eggs...sunny side up, which made it difficult. She was also have some difficulties so they gave me oxygen. Apparently, this was to help her because it certainly wasn't helping me. "Um, Jennifer you've got to keep that on your face." "It's choking me! I can't breathe!". "Uh, I don't think so, but just humor us and keep it on." Finally the pushing commenced. Holy crap! That is not easy...at all. Feet up on Brain's shoulder, holding on to his and the nurse's hand for dear life. My father saying from his prime spot behind the curtain, no visuals but all the sound effects, "Baby you are doing such a good job. Just keep on...I'm so proud of you!!". Mom pushing my head and back up to help me in the process. Finally the nurse said, "Um, Jennifer, um Jennifer, um JENNIFER! You're going to break my thumb!". Dr. B arrived just in time and then....a miracle. Our sweet little Sarah. So tiny and skinny with a little cry like a kitten. She was here and she was perfect. The next few hours are a blur. I remember stitching and horrible back pain and watching Brain and the nurse give her a bath and McDonald's hamburgers. The next day, while holding her, I remember crying just like "Ed" McDunnough from Raising Arizona. "I love her so much....ahahahahah sniff sniff." Ah, the hormone rush from a new mom. The days that followed involved various nurses trying to teach me how to nurse, including one who(in her spare time)taught baby llamas how to nurse. A story for another time...needless to say, she was not allowed back in our room after that night.
What a miracle...I cannot describe. All I can say is that if I hadn't been a believer in God before, I was then. The perfect mixture of the two of us. One of the kindest, coolest people I have ever been blessed to know. I'd go through every bit of that pain a million times over to repeat the result. God Bless you Sarah. Thank you for changing our lives forever.
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