Sunny with a side of: November 2015

Welcome to our 4th post of Stethoscope Stories: A physician's Blog Hop! This really is the only time I've been posting now, big thank you to Sarah for keeping me active on my blog... or else I have this really bad habit of becoming MIA when things get busy!!

This month's prompt is: BIRTH STORIES

First of all, 10 years ago if you asked my how many children I wanted- I would've told you zero. I never really saw myself as a mom, and never really gave much thought into how I envisioned childbirth to be. Even when I was 1 week from my due date with Grace, I didn't have my emergency bag packed. Aaron and I didn't know how to work the car seat. We didn't even have a first outfit picked out. I was totally unprepared and felt no stress about any of this- when the baby comes, she'll come! What will happen before or after the birth? eh.... we'll figure things out when we get there :)

Grace's Birth Story:

I started having what felt like contractions around 5AM. I poked Aaron awake in bed and said, "I think I might be having contractions"

He said, "oh ok" ....and went back to sleep because he had to get up early to take a licensing examination for his job.

Contractions continued to 7AM and were about 10 minutes apart at that time.

I said, "Um, I think these are real contractions!"

"Seriously? Well, I have to take my exam and will be back in an hour. Do you think you can hold it until I get back? If there are any problems, just call this number xxx-xxxx" said Father of the year.

He finally got back around 8:30AM, and by that time, I couldn't sit up straight and we decided we should probably go to the hospital, at which time I was already 7cm dilated. Contractions are the most viscerally uncomfortable sensation I have ever experienced, and I can't tell you how happy I was when the epidural finally went in and I was able to take a nap, read some magazines and start pushing.

When it came time to start pushing, I was startled to see a group of seriously good looking male abercrombie model obstetric doctors walk into the room. The doctor who had been watching over things up until then was a young, sweet, female MD, but she was now supervised by her senior resident, chief resident, a rotating emergency room doc and finally the attending consultant physician. All of whom looked like they all walked out of a J.Crew catalogue. My mouth dropped. Aaron's mouth also dropped- I'm suppose to push in front of all these people?!?

Well, the next half an hour of exposing everything and pushing was the most embarrassing thing ever. I was the most uncoordinated person ever. I had a group of hot abercrombie model docs cheering me on from behind the sheets, I was pushing so hard I pretty much pushed out my bowels, and Aaron (who was suppose to be holding my left leg) kept dropping my leg because he was trying to see the baby come.

Grace was born around 1:30PM, a little over 8 hours after my contractions started. I'd say that was pretty quick for the first baby! When I saw her, I was flooded with an overwhelming new wave of emotions, love, and a sense of protection I have never experienced. It was like everything that I subconsciously suppressed over the years just come flooding out all at once. The most amazing thing ever!

Nathan's Birth Story:

Not quite as exciting. Went into labor around 7AM, delivered around 12:30PM. No hot abercrombie model docs involved. Epidural didn't get placed as quickly so I felt the WHOLE ENTIRE THING from beginning to end.... the wrath of Eve's punishment felt like the sting of a thousand suns, but it's amazing how a woman's body prepares for this process. I totally felt empowered and pumped up with adrenaline during the whole birthing experience, and at the end felt this sense of tremendous accomplishment- like I got to experience something only women have the privilege to go through. Painful, but liberating. It was totally neat that both birthing stories were so different, but I wouldn't have expected it any other way.

Link up time! Can't wait to hear yours!