Havin' Babies

Three people who I love are going to have babies this week. This post is for them - for fun - so they know that whatever they expect is probably not going to happen at all.

I remember how it felt when I was still pregnant but ready to be done with the whole pregnancy thing. That last week was ridiculous. Everywhere I went people would point and stare - I think they thought I might get baby juice on them or something. Looking back at this picture makes me understand why they were frightened. What a sight!

My due date came and went... and then another day, and another, and another, until FINALLY I woke up at 3am from a contraction. I wasn't positive that's what it was, so I just went back to sleep, then it happened again - so I asked Ryan if I could put the clock on my side of the bed so I could time my contractions. For the next few hours I was secretly having contractions - but didn't want to wake Ryan up. Around 6am I went out into the living room and by 8am I couldn't stand the anticipation any more and HAD to wake Ryan up. I said "Hunny, I think we might have this baby today." and he said "Really? Call your doctor... and see what she says." Then he proceeded to put all the dishes away, clear off the table, clean the kitchen counters, dictate some notes and scramble around the house tidying up.

I just sat there on the couch and watched him in amazement. My doc told me to come to her office, not to the hospital, so she could confirm that I was actually in labor. I told her we'd be there in an hour.

I ate a banana. (I should have eaten much much more - because once you get to the hospital there is no more eating until the baby is born. Extreme starvation was my main motivation to keep pushing after 19.5 hours of labor).

My bags were packed and in the car and we were just about to leave when Ryan said "Hang on just a sec, let me go to the bathroom." So I sat down by the front door to wait. A few minutes later I heard Ryan say "Oh no..." from the bathroom. I let out a sigh and said, "Don't even tell me that you clogged the toilet?!?" I heard nothing in return for a few seconds, then he said "Should I leave it?"

I'd heard enough birthing stories that I knew it could be 2-3 days until we got back to the house, so I said, "No you can't leave it! But please hurry and clean it up because I'm havin' a baby here!"

We got to my doctor's office. She took one look at me, said, Yep, you're definitely in labor", and sent me across the street to the hospital. Ryan helped me walk up to the birthing suite, we passed a couple of his resident friends and I told them "I'm going to have a baby right now!" with a smile. I think they thought I was joking. Boy did I show them!

Long story short, Ruby was born.

If I was going to pass along any words of wisdom from my experience, here's what I would tell you:

1. That whole "3 pushes and they're out" thing is a crock. I wish I would have known it could take hours of pushing.
2. Drugs are good. I didn't have drugs for the first hour and a half of active labor... so I was even more grateful for the drugs. My epidural took until noon the next day to wear off, but it was awesome and I highly recommend it if you have the means.
3. Once you get the drugs, you'll feel really great, so call some people and freak them out. I called my brother Aaron and he kept saying "Get off this phone, what are you doing? You're supposed to be having a baby. I can't talk to you right now. Get off this phone!"
4. Once you get home from the hospital, decide how many days in a row you are going to allow guests to visit - then give yourselves a few days in a row with no visitors, not a single one. It was so valuable for Ryan and I to have some time getting to know Ruby. It's hard, because you have to tell people you love that they can't come over for a few days - but it's worth it!

So excited for you guys!! Love you so much and can't wait to meet your babies sometime soon!