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An Epidural Birth

I was 35 weeks along and lying in bed debating whether I wanted to get up to get ready for work when of course like any pregnant woman, I had to go to the bathroom. As I was walking around to the bed on my way to the bathroom, I felt a gush of water down my underwear and legs. I thought to myself, ?Oh my gosh, I should have started those kegal exercises that my sister in law recommended to me a week ago. (You know women when you are pregnant; it is easy to link urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh? Kegals help the muscle stay strong.) After going to the bathroom, I changed my clothes and went back into bed, really worried about what I was going to do at work now that I am urinating on myself. While lying there, I started to cramp and have lower back pain. I then jumped back up to go to the bathroom, again more water leaked out on my way. I then had some diarrhea. I crept back into bed and with more cramping and lower back, I started to get out my What to Expect when you are Expecting book which stated that the symptoms I had were early labor symptoms. What? Early labor signs? No way, I am only 35 weeks. I haven?t finished the nursery. I have a work meeting to go to that afternoon. This is not in my plans. I decided to call my doctor who said that I should come in to the hospital to be checked. I am in total denial that I am in real labor. I called my husband to get him to come home and take me to the hospital, assuring him that everything is probably ok, but hurry because I am starting to have really bad pains. I then called my mom out of state and she wrote down the times and the duration of the ?pains? I was having. She told me to call 911 because they were lasting 90 seconds and coming every 2-3 minutes. I am on the floor of my bedroom, trying to get enough energy to get up and take a shower. Heaven forbid I go to the hospital for a vaginal check and I haven?t showered. What kind of person do you think I am? I inched my way to the hallway and frankly, the ?pains? were so bad I couldn?t get up. My husband found me on the floor of the hallway and he convinced me that we needed to go to the hospital despite the shower. I agreed because I still couldn?t get up off the floor. My husband found my shoes and helped me get up off the floor and into the car. Getting to the hospital really was like the movies, you know when the husband speeds in and out of traffic, honking at everyone as we go along and water coming out of my vagina at every sharp turn. We got on the freeway as it happened to be rush hour and drizzling. He ended up driving on the side of the freeway in the emergency lane, because of course this was an emergency. He took streets to the hospital that I have never been on just in hopes it was easier and quicker than the parking lot on the freeway. We pulled up in front of the hospital and walked inside the lobby. My husband found a hospital employee to wheel me up to the maternity floor as he takes off to park the car appropriately so he doesn?t get a ticket. The ride up to the floor was the most awkward and confused of how this can be happening. I was in so much pain, and the denial was gone?I was not going to work this day. To make matters worse, it just so happened at same time I was coming onto the maternity department, a childbirth class was having a tour. I felt it was such an invasion of privacy. I did not want to be their visual aid. I got into the room and into the bed and after all the admittance work, the anesthesiologist peaked his head into my room and asked if I wanted an epidural. Heck yes I wanted an epidural! Where have you been? I wanted it two weeks ago!! I am willing to give away my inheritance at this point just if someone can take away the pain. All I had was this uncaring nurse who would basically ignore me while she typed who knows what on her computer. The only thing she ever said to me was, ?You really need to breathe.? Being a good Christian woman that I was I still wanted to kick her in the teeth. The rest of the labor was uneventful except when my husband came back into the room with a burger and cola and sat at the end of the bed watching me as my legs were up in stir ups. (Why the legs were up in stir ups I have no clue. At this point of my life and career, I asked no questions.) He debated whether he wanted to look under the sheet or not. Curiosity killed the cat and I will never forget the look on his face. After watching I Love Lucy, calling my grandparents to tell them they are going to be Great Grandparents for the first time and calling my co workers and letting them know I wasn?t going to make it for that important meeting after all, I pushed the baby out. The feeling of the baby sliding down my pelvis was really cool. I would be changed forever from that moment on. This new life here in my arms and thinking this baby who looked like a monkey (for about a month) because of all his thick dark brown hair that stuck straight up was amazing and perfect. When could I do this all over again?

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