Completion of the Birth Story

This is from Claire's journal, so it's written from me to her...

Getting Ready for Your Arrival
Friday, October 9, 2009

My doctor had originally scheduled for me to be induced on Monday, October 12th, but at my 38 week appointment, he told me he didn’t work on Columbus Day, so I would have to wait until Tuesday, October 13th. I figured I had waited for you my entire life, what was one more day.

Friday night I was standing in my good friend Tifanni’s wedding (yes, people told me I was crazy for being in a wedding nine months pregnant). Honey and Pop drive in from New Orleans and met me in Tuscaloosa for the wedding and then we drove back to Birmingham for the night.

Honey’s mom (my Grammie) had a stroke in Huntsville the weekend before, so they were going to visit her the next night, and then we would get ready to meet our little angel. Little did we know, we wouldn’t have to wait long.

Birth Story
Saturday, October 10, 2009

Your dad and I were watching football (as we do every Saturday) and I decided to go upstairs and get ready for bed. Right after I laid down, I felt a pop in my stomach and realized the bed was wet. I first thought maybe I had wet the bed (because you often treated my bladder as a trampoline). And earlier that morning, Honey and I were getting ready to go have a manicure and I noticed my shorts were wet. I rested on the couch, but had no contractions, so we thought it was nothing and went on shopping and out to lunch. I realize now, that was your way of warning us that you were coming. I am somewhat grateful for that false alarm because until then, your dad did not have his hospital bag packed!

But when I got out of bed that night around 10:30pm and walked to the bathroom, I could tell my water had really broken. I called for your dad and he ran upstairs (I think he could tell by my voice something was up). When I told him we were about to have a baby, he called Grandmomma and Grandbarry and I called Honey and Pop. They both told us to hang up and call the hospital instead!

I took a shower, dad packed the car and we headed to the hospital. We checked in around 11:45pm and the nurse (as sweet as she was) told me to rest. I was about the have a baby and they expected me to rest. Honey and Pop arrived from Huntsville around 1:30am. Dr. Foster came in (of course my doctor was not on call on a Saturday night- he doesn’t even work on Columbus Day) and told us that nothing would happen before daybreak, so I told Honey and Pop to go home, but they wouldn’t. Daddy laid down on the pull out sofa and Honey in the recliner. Pop just paced the halls of the hospital all night.

Happy Birthday Claire!
Sunday, October 11, 2009

The nurse gave me some pain medication around 2:00am and then came the epidural at 5:00am. I was really nervous about that big needle, but it really didn’t hurt that bad. At this point I was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. They gave me a little pitocin to speed up my labor, but I apparently didn’t need any help. By 7:00am, I was fully dilated and effaced and it was time to push. The nurses started wheeling in all this stuff, and I had to wake up your dad (who was sleeping soundly). And so I started to push… for three hours. And in those three hours, the Lord taught me the virtue of patience. I had to wear an oxygen mask to make sure you were getting enough. I would pull it down every now and then and your dad would feed me ice chips. Everyone kept saying that I was a trooper and doing such a great job, but I was just driven by my desire to meet you, and preferably sooner rather than later. Daddy and I couldn’t wait to see who you looked like or whose personality you had. We simply couldn’t wait to start being your parents.

And at 10:37am, you entered our lives, which would never be the same. To hear your first cry was the most wonderful sound. When the doctor asked me if I thought your cry was a glorious sound, I told him it was much better than hearing “push, push, push!” Everyone thought it was funny, but I just wanted to hold you, and hug you, and love on you. But after Daddy cut the cord, they washed you up and he got to bring you to me. It was if I was created to love you, and I will cherish that job for the rest of my life.

We had tons of visitors all day, and after the last person left that night and it was just the three of us, it was like the beginning of the rest of our lives. I wish Bella could have been there to meet you, but she will be here soon, and she is so excited about being your big sister.

More to come... I'm just a bit busy!