Shortly after Cecilia was born, I wrote down everything that I could remember from the day that she was born. After Anna was born, the memory was so vivid that I didn’t really feel the need to do it. For some reason, with Cyril, I have that need to remember the details again and I want to get it down before it isn’t fresh anymore. The one thing with both the birth of Anna and Cyril is that the only people in the room were Joe and I…and a small army of medical staff. I LOVED this—it is such an awesome moment to share just with my husband and our new child.
Anyhow, the 1.5 weeks leading up to the delivery, I had A LOT of false labor. So much that I was a little worried that I wouldn’t know when it was REAL labor. But, after much walking, timing, and debating, I decided that on August 26th at 2:00 am, it was time to call my doctor and let her know that I was on my way to the hospital. Even at this point, I remember riding in the car and saying to Joe, “I really hope this is it.” By the time that I was hooked up in triage, I had a little more confidence but it wasn’t until the checked and verified that I was at 5 cm, did I breathe a sigh of relief. I WASN’T crazy and we would be having this baby soon. Hurray!
The one thing that I always forget is how long it takes to get you admitted from triage to labor & delivery and, as a result, how long it takes to get the epidural. Due to my past (fast) deliveries and the fact that this was my third delivery, they bumped me ahead of some other women. Something about taking care of their “frequent flyers.” I actually dread getting an epidural. For me, it beats going through hours of painful labor and helps me enjoy the whole experience so I suffer it. But it does cause my blood pressure to drop and I just can’t get comfortable with the idea of somebody putting a needle in my back but I close my eyes and try to trust in all of their medical training/experience.
So, epidural in and my body continues to contract like I’m on a pitocin drip (so I’m told by the doctors and nurses.) It’s something that I’m proud of but which I have no real control over—my body was just made to have babies. Since I was GBS (Group B Strep) positive, they waited four hours to break my water to ensure that the antibiotics had a chance to work. They came in around 10am to break my water and within 10 minutes, Cyril was ready to come out. I have no idea what it was but, despite my epidural, I felt everything. Four contractions later and much cheerleading from my doctor and the small army of medical staff, at 10:24 am Cyril was lying on my chest screaming and listening for my voice. He actually calmed down when he heard it which just brought tears to my eyes. Of course he knew me—I just told him that I was a surprised that he recognized my voice when it wasn’t scolding his sisters. J
I am always blown away by this whole experience. I am amazed when I stare at my baby and think about how his life began, how he developed from something so tiny to the baby that he is now. I am amazed that we have been trusted with this awesome life and pray, pray, pray every night that we will honor God in how we love and raise all of our children.
 |
| Love this moment! |
 |
| Proud Dad |
 |
| Our Little Man |
