One year ago today, I gave birth to little Lucy Emmeline Bloomfield. I never wrote down her birth story. But it was seriously one of the most deliriously happy days of my life. Here's the story, if you care to read it.
On November 10th, I went to work as usual. I had the whole 9 month waddle down. And I looked pretty rough. My midwife had been telling me for 2 weeks prior that the baby could come at any time. I had been dilated at a 4 since late October. Everyday that I would walk down the halls at work, I would get another concerned look that I was still there!
But on that day, around 3 PM, I knew that something was up. I had eaten chili for lunch, so when the contractions began to start, I just equated it to good old bean gas ;) But for a few hours the pains in my tummy kept coming. So I closed my office door and laid down on the couch, timing contractions. I knew that I was in the early stages of labor. I sent an email to a coworker letting her know that I was leaving because I thought that I was in labor, but not to alert anyone just yet.
I called Nathan, who also worked on campus, and he pulled the car around. We drove home, and I finally packed my hospital bag, after weeks of procrastination. That evening I rested on the couch, and knew that the next day I would be having a baby. Nathan's parents brought us over dinner. I think that I watched some reruns of The Office. And I felt really really calm and mellow.
I was able to get a great night of sleep, so I thought for a little while that maybe labor had stopped. But when I woke up at 5 AM, and felt the contractions starting up again. They were 4 minutes apart.
Being the great prioritizer that I am, I realized that I had Etsy orders to fill!!!! So I let Nathan and Violet sleep while I feverishly sewed pillows for the next 2 hours. The contractions got to 3 minutes apart, and I was still printing out shipping labels!
Gingiber orders always arrive in a timely manner, whether or not I am in labor :)
Finally I woke up Nathan and told him we needed to get ready. We first went to the post office to drop off orders (I think that I was crazy), then we took Violet to daycare. I arrived at my doctor's office right at 8 AM and let them know that I was in labor. They checked me out and admitted me.
The rest of the day was a happy blur. My progressed slowed down a bit once I was in the hospital bed. But golly I was the happiest woman in labor you had ever seen! I was just chatting through contractions, smiling and care free! I made it to a 7 without pain meds.
Then around 6 PM the nurse told me that the anesthesiologist was going home and if I decided that I wanted an epidural I would have to decide now. Fear got the best of me, and I decided to go ahead and get one. I was such a happy little patient, one of the nurses who had been with me most of the day but was now off duty wanted to stay and see me deliver my happy little baby! She held my hand during the epidural.
However, as soon as the epidural was administered the doctor checked my progress and I was already at a 10! I think I was a little crazy/loopy, because I was like "alright folks let's have this baby!" I even had the forethought to question the doctor about the names of the interns who would be watching me deliver, as I didn't want just anyone watching my undercarriage push out a baby...... I don't know what I was saying... but I was confident that it needed to be said.
So within 10 minutes of being checked, I was set up to push. I think that I was made to birth babies, because just like Violet, this kid was out in 3 pushes.
And she was perfect. And I was so happy. Seriously the happiest I had been in years. Lucy was 2 weeks early, but a healthy baby, around 7 pounds.
How did I feel? Well, Nathan and I like to make fun of the ending of the newish Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are sitting all 16 Candles like declaring to each other that they are "incandescently happy". But at that moment, holding my Lucy in my arms, that is exactly how I felt.
I was a little sad that I didn't get to go natural during the delivery (fear got the best of me), and was sad that my midwife happened to be out of town, so I delivered with the doctor on call. But really and truly, it was one of the best days of my entire life. All of the grandparents were there. My sister was there. Life was just lovely.
And the moment Violet walked in to meet her baby sister was one of the single sweetest moments of the entire experience.
Golly, I am emotional thinking of that day, merely a year ago. I had many complications after delivery. A minor surgery. Reactions to pain medicines. Trouble breastfeeding. Thyroid problems that still have not been regulated. But being a mommy to Lucy makes everything worth it.
So that's that. I can only hope that my next delivery will be as awesome as this one was.
Stacie
