On Birth, Part 1

A little over a month after having Gabe, I finally feel like I've processed what happened enough to write about all my experiences... So from what I can remember, here is Gabriel's birth story:

Black Friday, November 25, 2011 was just that-- black. And bleak and sad. I was a week overdue and I was mentally and physically exhausted. My Sister-in-Law had just had her baby and I was happy for her, but I was jealous. I wanted to see mine. So, that evening I was sitting on the computer, pouring over every website I could find, drinking tea made out of cumin seeds (I cringe at the thought) and waiting and hoping and praying.

Earlier that day Mom and Jessica forced me out of the house so we could shop and walk around (even though I knew at that point walking wasn't going to help, I indulged them). I endured endless questions about the contractions that I hadn't experienced and had to keep giving the same answer, "No." It tore at me a little each time and I began to wonder if something was wrong with Gabriel or with me... Either way, I had resigned myself to Monday when I was scheduled for a C-section, a route I didn't want to go, but I was so desperate to see my baby I would've done anything at that point. Literally anything.

On the way home from walking aimlessly, we stopped by CVS and picked up a small thing of Castor Oil, a strong laxative that is supposed to stimulate contractions by messing up your stomach like nothing else. So when I got home I drank some in orange juice (worst.decision.ever.) and nothing happened. After an hour or so, I drank another dose straight (did I mention worst.decision.ever?). Then my stomach was a little upset, but nothing like I had read would happen, so Ben and I went to bed around 10 o'clock tired disappointed. Around 11:30, however, I woke up with the worst stomach cramps I had ever experienced. I quite literally thought I was going to die on the toilet that night. Fast forward half an hour (I'll spare you the gruesome details) and I finally made it back to bed... Only to be awoken with the sensation that I was peeing. But I couldn't stop it.

I jumped out of bed (because who wants a bed covered in amniotic fluid? Not me. Ugh.) and turned on the light and all this fluid came out and I was so excited and yelled at Ben (who, I will never forget, promptly sat up in bed and said, "It's GO TIME!") and and we called mom and my contractions started and they hurt and we were timing them and getting everything ready to go.

Mom, Dad, and Jessica met us at the house and we got in the car around 1 o'clock in the morning and headed down the road to the hospital... What I'll never get over is how quickly it happened. This was the moment we had been building up to for 9 months. We were going to be bringing home a son. Our son. But now, it was hurry up and wait-- and wait we did.

To be continued...