Sorry to keep you waiting in case you've been following the last couple of posts. If you can imagine, life with three little ones is a bit busy! :) So here we are with part two of Christian's birth.
It was at about this time that my nurse put an IV in my hand. I've had plenty of IV's in my lifetime and some have hurt and some haven't hurt at all. Unfortunately, this one hurt quite a bit but maybe it's because the nurse was in such a hurry to get it in. I remember saying, "Ow, what the heck!" (I guess I was a little feisty by this point) Finally, the IV was in place.
The nurse then told me that she could give me some Stadol. I was immediately on edge and said, "I don't know if I should have that. I've heard that it doesn't do anything to help with the pain but only makes you feel tired." The nurse looked surprised and said, "oh really? Well, it should take the edge off your pain." I hesitated but then decided that at this point, I really had nothing to lose and told her to go ahead and give it to me. She told me that when I had the next contraction, she would put it in the IV.
Soon, the fiery pain started up again and she shot the stadol into my IV. It had an instant effect, although it wasn't really one I had anticipated. The room started spinning, my brain felt foggy, and all my senses felt dulled. It was so strange. At first, I thought it might actually be helping with the pain because the next few contractions didn't feel quite as bad. It certainly took away my panic and made me feel pretty relaxed. I remember feeling the pain, but not feeling so panicky about it. Sam told me later that I was acting really funny at this point and talking a lot. I think I was spouting off a bunch of nonsense. It's pretty comical when I think about it now. I was still in pain and soon realized that I could feel every bit of each contraction, but somehow I was just more relaxed to deal with the pain.
The fact that the room was spinning was really bothering me and I kept telling the nurse about it. She put a cool, wet washcloth over my eyes and told me to just close my eyes and relax. She kept telling me it was just the medicine and to close my eyes and not think about it. So, for the rest of my labor and delivery, my eyes were closed.
Soon, I was dialated to a 9 and the nurse said I could give a push to try and push away the last part of the cervix. I was not looking forward to pushing because I knew it was going to be sooo painful but at the same time, I wanted this whole thing over with. So, I gave a first tentative push and immediately gasped and stopped because of the pain. I told Sam, "It hurts to push!" He and the nurse kept encouraging me to do it and finally I just gritted my teeth and pushed hard while my body seemed to scream with the pain. Thankfully, it worked and I was soon ready to do the real pushing and get the baby out.
When the contraction started, I took a big breath and pushed hard. The pain was unbelievable but when I ran out of breath, I took another and pushed again. At first, I was kind of having a hard time getting the right kind of pushing going and the nurse coached me on how and where to do it. I was asking, "Am I doing it right?" Finally, it seemed like I was getting the hang of it and I heard the doctor's voice say, "that's a good push." The nurse told me to put my chin against my chest and I continued to push with each contraction. I felt Christian's body moving down and soon I heard Sam say, "Lesley, I can see his face, I can see his face!"
I was encouraged by that and right at the end, I continued to push and push even when the contraction had ended. I just wanted the baby out and wasn't going to wait!!! I think I said, "Lord, help me" right before he was completely out and then there was the instant relief of childbirth being over and a crying little miracle was placed in my arms.
I finally opened my eyes and was relieved the room had stopped spinning. I glanced up at the clock and saw that it was a little after 3 a.m. Even though everything had happened in a fairly short amount of time, I remember thinking that so much time had passed without me even realizing it. It thought, "where did the past two hours go?" Everything was a blur and it all felt so surreal. Less than three short hours ago, I was laying in bed with the first contraction and now here I was, holding my little boy in my arms.
Sam was of course giddy and excited and video taping the baby and then he cut the cord. I held Christian for quite awhile and was so in love with him instantly. I was amazed that God had created this perfect little person in my womb. I put my finger in his tiny little hand and he instantly grasped it and held on tight. I kept telling him how cute he was and I kissed his forehead.
It is amazing how God hand crafts each little person. What a miracle -- this gift of life. I feel so undeserving at times that I have been given these most incredible gifts -- my children. Only a God such as ours could create something so amazing.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
How great is our God!
No comments:
Post a Comment