Carter's Birth Story - Part I

Monday, May 14th:

My induction was scheduled for midnight.  The days leading up to it, I was so nervous and excited that I couldn't get anything done.  I ended up going on an interview that afternoon but pretty much blew it because I was so distracted - not to mention, uncomfortable and overcome with hot flashes - to perform.  But I didn't care because we were finally going to meet our baby!  The tiny baby that I had been growing in my belly for 10 whole months was finally ready to come into the world.  I had pictured his sweet face in my mind and dreamt about him for so, so long - I was ready.

That day, I finished the last check of the hospital bags and waited anxiously for my husband to get home from work.  We tried to sleep for a few hours but it wasn't happening.  We watched TV in bed and talked.  I took another shower, my second of the day, determined to look nice for the hospital.  I didn't even end up putting my makeup on - I told myself I'd put it on when we arrived.  My excitement was quickly turning into nervousness as I had skipped the Childbirth classes and had little idea of what to expect. 

We headed to the hospital at about 11:30pm and arrived just before 12am.  We were told to check in a few minutes after 12am for insurance purposes.  We sat laughing in the car, stuffing our faces with a carton of mixed berries we'd bought earlier since I wouldn't be able to eat for many, many hours.  We took a video of ourselves on my iPhone to send to my sisters.  This would be our last time together as a family of two.  

We had to use the nighttime entrance at the Birthplace and the sign said "push the green button and state your name and purpose".  I couldn't find a green button, so I pushed the only button I saw, but felt too silly saying my name and purpose, so I was silent.  Luckily, they still let my creeper self in the door - there were cameras and my pregnant belly must have given me a few ounces of credibility.  When we arrived, they had been expecting me.  They greeted me by name, and showed us to our room, which was right next to the nurse's station.  All of the rooms in the birthing facility are private, so ours had ample space, a couch with a pull-out bed, TV, mini-fridge, and bathroom, complete with jet tub.  I made note of the various pieces of equipment and wondered how they would be used in the coming hours.  My husband took several trips to the car to bring in all of our stuff while I changed into the hospital gown they had handed me.

I had a feeling my labor experience would be short... 

(Carter's Birth Story - Part II coming soon!)