My Birth Story {written by my mama ♥}

Today is my 29th birthday. Today is the first day of the last year of my 20's. 1 year from today I'll be 30.
WHAT IN THE HECK?

I've heard the story of how I was born a million times, but when my mom offered to write my birth story I was all about it! It was so fun getting this story from my mom and hearing some details I don't think I've heard before. So sit back and enjoy as my mom recaps what she remembers about what was surely the best day of her life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Labor and delivery has not really changed much since I had my babies in the 80’s.

It still hurts, you are worried about ten fingers and ten toes, you can have an epidural, relaxants or nothing at all.  What has changed are these gender reveal parties.  I didn’t even have an ultrasound with Kristin so her gender was kept a secret to us all.

I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy for the most part, other than the fact that I was growing a human in my belly.  When I was about six months along my ob-gyn, who I had been seeing for years, passed away suddenly from a heart attack.  How could I do this without Dr. Henry?   I was heartbroken over the loss but had to start seeing another doctor from the practice.  In walks Dr. Hardy to console me and that was it, another wonderful doctor.  Little did I know that actually having Dr. Hardy on call when I was ready to deliver was a crap shoot.

My due date was December 5^th 1984 which came and went with nothing happening.  As with most first time mamas, I thought that everything I felt had to be a contraction and the mystery of it made me crazy.  I did what other mothers told me to do; walk, have sex, drink a glass of wine, go up and down stairs and jump around a bit.  None of which got anything started but I did enjoy that glass of wine!

After my due date had come and gone, Dr. Hardy suggested inducing labor as he was concerned about my measurements and the possibility of me being able to deliver an 8 lb baby. I checked into St. Luke’s Hospital (which was in the heart of downtown Denver) that’s my mom’s nice way of saying “the ghetto” on Monday, December 10^th at 6:00 pm.  This was not the hospital I had planned on, but at that time inducing a pregnancy was considered "high risk" so I was moved to a different hospital and I was not happy about the change or the pitocin. I was over being pregnant and wanted to meet my baby so I had no choice but to accept it.  I was all comfortable in my hospital bed and hooked up to the IV but unfortunately my nurse forgot to start the pitocin.  I am laying there thinking “this labor thing is a piece of cake.”  Well it was without the pitocin!  My night nurse figured out the error and finally started the labor inducing drug.  The pitocin started uncomfortable contractions but I wasn't yet in active labor.

By Tuesday morning on December 11th, I was still having contractions but they weren’t all that bad.  I was a little tired but ready to push when called upon to do so. That evening comes along and my water was still intact and my nurses were very surprised to still see me there.  This kid was not going to come until she felt like it.  When Kris was little and I would ask her what the holdup was she would always say “I was playing Go Fish”.

It was right around midnight, I was alone in my room watching The Gong Show and good God this is finally what labor feels like!  By morning my best friend, Sherri, and Kristin’s dad, Tom, were with me and trying to be helpful. They kept telling me to breathe and I can remember thinking, “easy for you to say.”  I was hurting so bad I would hold my breath during the contractions and I was not prepared for back labor!  I began to beg for an epidural which I should have done a long time ago, but it was too late.  I did receive a nice relaxant which chilled me ever so slightly and then my doctor said "this baby is coming." I still remember his voice as he said those beautiful words.

I was a former gymnast and had abs to die for when I got pregnant, I figured I should have been able to pop the baby out in one push.  Not-so-much. After several hours of pushing the doctor wanted to do a C-section as Kristin’s neck was tilted in the birth canal.  I was hell bent on delivering this child and did not want a C-Section unless absolutely necessary.   I was exhausted and my eye lids were swollen but surprisingly my baby doll was not in distress.  I was moved to the delivery room which was basically a sterile cold place, nothing like the birthing rooms we have today. The rest is a bit of a blur but I remember her cry, holding her for the first time and feeling nothing but relief.

My perfect baby girl, Kristin Nicole, arrived at 3:41 pm on 12/12/84.  The mama love was instant and my life was forever changed.  A feeling Kris now knows herself.

to submit your birth story, email me at mamaandmou@gmail.com


And one more thing before I go and start drinking birthday martinis...I am guest blogging over at Confessions of a Northern Belle today!

It's my buddy Caitlin's due date so I'm sharing my experience/wisdom on "Waiting for Baby". 
GO CHECK IT OUT!