Dear Sammy:
This is the story of the day you were born.
I thought for days you were going to come; contractions were getting stronger, more regular. I remember on New Year’s Eve I was really uncomfortable and could hardly make small talk. For a minute there I was pretty excited about the possibility of having the first child of the year (the freebies and all that goes with it).
The contractions eventually slowed down and I knew it would be a couple more days.
The days kept going by, my anticipation growing thicker and thicker. Aunt Michele and Grandma decided to come into town for the event (like such things can be planned). So we sat around the house waiting for that magic moment. Certainly, this created a bit of anxiety on my part, feeling the need to perform for the audience. We all went to bed on January twelfth hoping for some action through the night.
It was hard sleeping that night. I was uncomfortable, but more than that, I was excited about what was up ahead, sharing my love with another child.
I woke up on January thirteenth around 5 A.M. (the same day of the month of my birthday and your big sister Claire’s birthday and also your due date). I looked at the clock and thought, “a big too early to get out of bed,” so I laid in bed awake still thinking of all that lay ahead.
All of the sudden I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom and when I went to sit up there was a tiny gush. My excitement grew right away, but I held back expectations. Any women who has been pregnant before knows that this could be any number of things. I rushed to the bathroom and knew immediately that my water had broken.
I ran out of the bathroom and hopped onto the bed. Where my husband usually slept was my mother who had taken his place so she could have a bit more sleeping room than the couch allowed. I told her what I thought and after the news spread to my husband and sister, it was the consensus that I call the doctor. I told her that I was feeling well and although I was having regular contractions (every five minutes or so), they weren’t that painful yet. She told me to stay at home for a bit if I felt comfortable, but to call her immediately when the intensity changed. She was cautions of me staying at home too long because Claire was born so quickly and typically the second child comes even faster.
I decided I would heed my doctor’s advice. I took a shower, got comfortable and I tried to eat a bit before things got worse. After my shower we sat around the living room, on pins and needles, waiting for the next exciting moment. Claire, at that point only two, wasn’t sure what all the commotion was about but was happy enough getting some extra attention from Aunt Michele and Grandma.
My contractions started getting really uncomfortable, but because the contractions during Claire’s birth were so much more intense I didn’t think anything eventful was happening quite yet. Even so, Grandma convinced me to call the doctor back.
Dr. Weiler told me to go to the hospital regardless of the mild contractions. She didn’t want me to wait so long that I ended up having you on the way in. (Claire was born in five hours start to finish.) So around 8 A.M. we got in the car with our bags and headed off.
I remained pretty comfortable on the car ride and did alright walking to the Maternity Ward. I thought maybe I was getting off easy. I got admitted, did the paperwork and put on the pretty sea foam green smock. The monitor showed my regular contractions. The doctors said that because there was meconium in my water, they might need to induce if I didn’t have you pretty quickly.
I was a little worried about that possibility, but tried to focus on the excitement. Aunt Michele and Daddy were both there to support me and they traded off putting pressure on my back to relieve the pain I was having. At this point I had given up all hope that I was “getting off easy” on this birth.
It was getting incredibly painful and the contractions were getting frequent enough that I couldn’t relax between. At least I knew you were coming without induction. I kept on with the labor, rejecting the epidural and worked through the pain. I was starting to dilate well but wasn’t sure if I’d make it without medication. Dr. Weiler said that she thought this was a good sign that we were getting close. She said I could start pushing but it was horrible. The pain intensified even further as I tried to push. My body was saying, “Push, Push, Push,” but my mind wanted to shut this operation down. It got increasingly more difficult for me to focus my remaining energy and keep pushing.
Your heart rate was slowing and the doctors were concerned, so they encouraged me to push harder and to get you out. They told me to try pushing on my hands and knees. After a few minutes of that you were pretty close to being born. They gave me oxygen as your heart rate continued to slow and they told me to concentrate. I worked hard as they flipped me to my side and told me to, “Get it done!”.
The back labor was getting worse and so were the contractions. After just a few more minutes of pushing you were born at 2:01 P.M.. Although your heart rate was down during birth and they were worried about the meconium, you were perfect! A boy, Samuel Xavier, 8 lbs 1oz. I couldn’t believe how much you looked like your sister. It was all worth it…. every day of those 40 weeks, and every moment since.
Love you always- Your Mom
