November 21, 2008 was a Friday. I was 37 weeks pregnant with the Bug. I was so uncomfortable and so sick of the non-stop heartburn. But I clearly remember waking up with some relief this day and being so happy to breathe. That morning the Husband looked at me and said I looked different.
I was sitting at work happy as could be and then the backache set in. I had been having backaches pretty often at this point and was a little annoyed I wasn’t going to get a break. At the end of the day my boss walked by to tell me to have a good weekend. He instead asked if I was okay and I said yes I have a backache. He joked “well, maybe I will see you next week” and I reminded him I was only 37 weeks with my first baby and so I probably had at least 3 more weeks of this hell to go through.
That night we went to our friend’s house so Nate could try some coffee they had been gifted. It was called Kopi Luwak. Here is the link if you want to read about this rather unique coffee. Let me just say I was happy to forgo the experience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak
So there I was sitting in their only chair I was comfortable in and suddenly I thought for sure I had wet myself a little. I quietly slipped to the bathroom and took care of the matter and came back in the room. But when I sat it happened again. And somewhere in my far reaches of my brain where our more primitive instinct still lives I heard a little voice whisper…”that’s not pee dear.”
It was about 8 pm.
So I went to the bathroom again and when I re-emerged this time I noticed a quiet room with stares and said I think something is going on. Now everyone in the room was sure this was a bladder issue and having fun poking at me over it but I called my midwife anyway. The whole time pacing the room. While on the phone with her she asked if it had happened again and I said no and she said “sit down.” So I did and sure enough it did happen again.
“Come on in” she said.
We made the drive laughing and joking about this being the first of many false alarms and how I had promised Thanksgiving dinner to people and so forth. At the hospital the admitting nurse was a little perplexed too at first. I seemed fine, no discomfort, the whole thing seemed false. But they tested for amniotic fluid anyway. As the nurse left with the test she said to place my bet on staying or going. I said I was sure we were going home.
I was admitted about 20 minutes later. By this point it was about 10 pm November 21, 2008.
He was born at 4:59 am on November 23 rd via c-section.
Those 33 hours were spent laboring, pushing for four of them, and then 1.5 hours in the operating room. There was an epidural that wore off twice, a baby that got really stuck and a moderate blood loss for me. In the end there was also a healthy baby boy who weighted 6 lbs 15 oz and was 20 inches long.
Thanksgiving has meant so much more to me since. So much more.
This Friday the Bug turns 4. I think back to the day we brought him home. I was still in a crazy amount of pain from what I had endured. We came in the house and I sat in the closest chair. He was sleeping soundly in his car seat and I asked my husband “Should I take him out?”
I did and sat there holding him as he slept and wondered why they had let me come home with this little guy because I really had no clue what to do with him. I had never felt so unbelievably lost in my life. But I also thought he was the best snuggler I had ever met.
So here we are four years later. When he is sleeping I can almost catch a glimpse of the baby I brought home. His face is skinnier, he has grown into the incredibly large noggin he has, there is a scar on his forehead from his first stitches at 14 months, and his eyes are more greenish blue than the deep sea blue of his birth. He talks and walks, runs and jumps, argues with me and whines, and makes me laugh like none other. He is still a great snuggle partner.
Be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday Bug A Boo
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