Dear Snacky,
This is the story of the day you were born.
I had been having problems sleeping for months. Having you in my tummy gave me heartburn which made sleeping difficult, especially on my side. I also had quite a big tummy with you and your extra large swimming pool in it, so sleeping on my stomach was out of the question! So around 2:00 in the morning, I was awake and playing a game on my phone when I noticed that I had a pain every so often in my lower tummy. It felt like the "girl pain" I used to get once a month. My doctor had told me that I had already been having contractions for a couple weeks, but I hadn't notice them until now. I started keeping track of how long they lasted and how often I got them. I kept track for about thirty minutes and then my water broke! It felt like I wet my pants, big time! I immediately woke Daddy up and started cleaning myself up. I think Daddy was pretty nervous, but he hid it pretty well! I also texted Mimi, who was sleeping downstairs. She had come to stay with Daddy and me to help us since we had never been parents before.
As I was getting cleaned up, we called the hospital to see if we should go in yet, or wait at home for a while. They said it was our choice, so we decided to wait at home. While we were waiting for the contractions to come more often and get more painful, I ended up sitting in the shower because the extra large swimming pool you'd been swimming in for months kept leaking out! Around 4:30, we decided that the contractions were close enough, and painful enough, to go into the hospital. We left Lola, Holly, and Hero with Mimi, and left the house a family of two humans for the last time.
After riding in the backseat (I don't remember why) to the hospital with Daddy, the nurses showed us to the room where you would be born. I got hooked up to machines that would make sure you were still safe and healthy, while Daddy got comfy. When we first got there, they said that I was 4ish centimeters dilated. Dr. Prior, who wasn't supposed to be my doctor, but she was the one working that day, came in around 7:00 am and said that I was around 6 centimeters. By then, Daddy and I had turned the tv on to Bar Rescue, and were trying to watch while my contractions were getting more and more painful. They were so bad that I decided that I wanted some medicine to make it hurt less, so they gave me a shot. I don't think it worked!
Later I decided that I wanted the "Big Needle," to really make the pain go away. By then I had rolled over on to my left side and closed my eyes because it helped a little. It also helped to hold on to someone's hand. At first it was a nurse's hand, but then Daddy came to the rescue. A special medicine doctor had to come in and tell me all the rules of the Big Needle, but I don't remember most of what he said because I was concentrating on the pain. It didn't matter anyway, because I never got that medicine. He had to help other patients first, and you were born before he had a chance to come back.
Soon after he left, I started to feel like pushing would make the pain go away. The nurses, doctor, and Daddy helped me roll onto my back (and away from the edge of the bed!), and I started pushing. The nurses held my legs out of the way, the doctor waited for you to come out, and Daddy let me hold on to his hand. I held on so tight that he thought I might break his thumb. His thumb also went up my nose a couple times as I was holding tight near my chest.
The tummy pains and pain of pushing hurt A LOT! I even yelled, "Owie!" a few times! I also yelled at Dr. Prior to stop touching me because I thought what I felt was her helping you come out, but no one was touching me at all. Since I had my eyes shut and I was concentrating on pushing, there are some things that I don't remember, like how long I pushed, so you'll have to ask Daddy. But soon I pushed one last time, and you were born! Daddy says it was a good thing that I was laying on a bed, because if not, you would have landed on the floor!
Once you were born, Dr. Prior saw that the umbilical cord was around your neck, but she quickly got it off and Daddy was able to cut the cord. I don't remember the "It's a boy!" moment that you see in them movies. I just remember seeing the doctors and nurses take you over to the baby checking table to clean you off and check that you were okay. They weighed you, counted your toes, and helped you breathe for a while. Once you figured out the breathing thing, they said you were perfect! You were 19 inches from head to foot, and weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces. You were smaller than Daddy and I expected you to be, but still perfect!
Mommy loves you.
Daddy loves you.
And we will always love you,
No matter what.
