At approximately 8:45pm on February 14th, my epidural had completely kicked in, my oxygen mask had been removed and the tornado of nurses had cleared my room. Olivia and Dr. Evil had left to go home for the evening, and my mom and dad slipped out for a bite to eat. The lights were dimmed in my room and as the Hubster played on our ipad in the chair next to me, I laid back and closed my eyes, ready for a few hours of sleep before the wee-bean arrived.
Suddenly, I felt something… change.
There was still absolutely no pain, but I began to feel some pressure… down there. (ha) I waited a moment to see if it would pass, then I told the Hubster what I was feeling and asked whether or not he thought we should get a nurse.
He had been in the room the entire time and heard both the nurses and my midwife tell me that it would be hours before I delivered, so we both thought that there was no way that it could be baby time already. I mean, everyone had just left. We waited a moment, but when the pressure stayed I asked him to run out to the nurses station… just to be sure.
My new nurse (night shift) came in with a student and they chuckled a little when I told her that I thought it might be baby time. She had been in the room when I was given the epidural and knew how far along I had been, and how far I still had to go. She offered to check me to ease my mind.
Seconds later her eyes opened wide and she confirmed that the wee-bean was definitely on her way and flew out of the room to begin making calls. The Hubster whipped out his cell phone to try and reach my parents, and nurses and equipment began streaming into my room.
I kept my eyes on the clock as the pressure increased and there was still no sign of my parents, Olivia or Dr. Evil. My nurses prepped everything, eased my legs into the stirrups and began talking me through what would happen as we waited.
My mom and dad made it back first. Big Dad camped out in the waiting room with his cell phone and sudoku book and mom came into the room with me. We waited another few minutes, but I knew that the wee-bean was ready to make her grand entrance, doctor or no doctor.
Again, everything actually felt really… neat. I could feel the pressure with each contraction, and my body was definitely signalling that it was time to push, but there was no pain.
Magical.
My nurses realized that it was “go time” and that things were going to start without Olivia or Dr. Evil. I had my mom on one side and the Hubster on the other as I began to deliver shortly after 10pm.
Olivia flew into the room a few minutes later, apologizing for being late. She also found it rather funny that this little wee-bean–who had stubbornly stayed put for 10 days–was suddenly sprinting toward the finish line.
As I began to push I thought, “Gee, this isn’t so bad. I can do this!”
…then the heartburn that had plagued me throughout my pregnancy reared its ugly head for one last battle. Imagine trying to deliver a baby while fighting an intense, constant urge to throw up.
My poor, amazing Hubster was doing all he could to help ease my discomfort. He rotated between feeding me Tums, offering me water and holding a bucket next to my head throughout the entire ordeal. Thankfully I was able to spare him and conquered the urge to vomit.
Minutes before the wee-bean arrived Dr. Evil reappeared in my room. He jumped in and the most painful part of the delivery began–stretching. No one told me about stretching before I delivered… and now I know why. (ha) Even the epidural couldn’t take the edge off that one.
Then, at 10:56pm Dr. Evil told me to push one last time… and she was here. It was absolutely the most incredible and surreal moment that I have ever experienced. This small wiggly bean that I had felt moving in my belly for months was suddenly held up in front of me… and she was so beautiful. After quickly cleaning her Olivia handed her to me with a smile.
There is absolutely nothing in the world that can prepare you for holding your child for the very first time. This tiny little head rests on your chest and you are filled with an overwhelming awe that you created that. This tiny, perfect person who you’ve only known for seconds but already love more fiercely than you knew was possible. As I held her for the first time, the Hubster came in close and we both studied our little girl–our daughter. Suddenly nothing else mattered: my fears about being induced, going through labor, Dr. Evil–it all melted away, forgotten in that moment.
As we laughed at the craziness of it all, we remembered that we needed to give our little wee-bean a name. For months he and I had been back and forth between two names, and knew we couldn’t decide without meeting her.
As soon as I held her we knew: she was Ruby, our little Valentine.
