So without further ado, here is the story of Harrison’s
entry into the world, minus a few gory details.
If you’ve been around me at all during this pregnancy, you
know that it has not been an easy nine months.
I was nauseated for about 24 weeks of the pregnancy and had no appetite
for about 30 weeks. I had back pain,
sciatic nerve pain, acid reflux, and pretty much every other pregnant lady
malady known to mankind…all while taking care of a very rambunctious
toddler. Needless to say, I was very
ready to be un-pregnant by the time I reached the ninth month. Harrison was due on September 10th, but all along I had guessed that he might
arrive a bit early (I was guessing late August or very early September), but by
the end I had started to think that it might be more wishful thinking than
premonition.
However…
On the morning of Wednesday, August 27th, I woke
up and went to work like any other day.
On Wednesdays I work an early shift, so after finishing at 1 pm I went
to pick up Carter from daycare. As I put
him into the carseat I felt the distinct sensation of my water breaking. After getting Carter buckled in, having a
mild panic attack, and changing clothes into my spare outfit that I had with me
for such an occasion as this, I headed back to Temple and toward the
hospital. I checked in with Jeffrey by
phone to let him know what was going on and he started making arrangements at
work. Thanks to great friends and
family, I had babysitters lined up for Carter in only 2 phone calls. I warned my doctor by text message that I was
on the way in (isn’t technology handy?) and arrived at the hospital at around
2:45 pm thinking, “August 27th is the day I get to meet my second son!” I was 38 weeks exactly.
After a quick exam from my doctor, we were ushered over to
the labor and delivery area of the hospital.
At first my contractions were coming very frequently, so we waited a bit
to see if true labor would begin on its own.
Sure enough, after about an hour the contractions spaced out and became
more rhythmic (and more painful!), and the next time the doctor checked on me
she recommended that if I wanted an epidural I should go ahead and get
one.
You don’t have to tell me that kind of thing twice. I ordered up my epidural and looked forward
to a mostly painless delivery. Little
did I know…
I had heard women tell stories of epidurals ‘not taking’ or
only working on one side but I figured that it wouldn’t happen to me. Then it happened to me. To be fair, there was a significant portion
of the time I was in labor when I can say I was totally comfortable, and I’m
very thankful for that, however, during the time from 8 cm to 10 cm I went from
‘this pain is tolerable’ to beyond tears, eyes and teeth clenched tightly, involuntary
writhing on the bed kind of pain. At one
point I asked the nurse to get the doctor to check me again—surely I was at 10
cm by now, right? The doctor came in and
said, “You’re about nine and a half centimeters.” I said as nicely as I could through gritted
teeth, “You must be mistaken. Measure
again—we need to get this baby out.” (I’m
sure my doctor appreciated my telling her how to do her job. Oops.)
To the anesthesiologist’s credit, she worked very hard to
get me as comfortable as possible during that time, and miraculously managed to
get me completely numb just in time for the pushing phase of the delivery. I’ll need to add her to my Christmas list for
that.
It was fairly quiet in the delivery room. I guess that it was around 10 pm when I
started pushing and it seemed that much of the hospital had gone to sleep. In our delivery room several people with
various jobs bustled around but the only sounds were my doctor’s encouragement,
my nurse’s soft voice counting to 10 to synchronize my pushing with the
contractions, and Jeffrey’s steady reassurance that progress was being made
with each push. This stage of the
birthing process has such an otherworldly feeling to it for me. It is as if it exists outside of time—in a
haze of emotional and physical extremes.
Looking back on it now it has a fuzzy, shapeless quality and is almost
impossible to describe. Some may
attribute this to hormonal changes and chemical upheaval in the body, and
certainly I believe that is true, but also there is a certain reverence in the
very air while new life is being brought forth into the world that takes you to
another place.
But suddenly a sound broke through the haze and time started
ticking again and my memory is sharp and clear as my second child, my Harrison
Jeffrey, was born. At 10:18 pm on August
27th, 2014, Harrison was born.
We laughed a little as the doctor tried to untangle him from the
umbilical cord he was wearing wrapped around his chest like a little sash. We stared wide-eyed as he was placed on my
stomach. Welcome to the world, baby boy.
The rest of the night was a bit of a blur as we got
everybody cleaned up and ready to transfer to the post-partum rooms. Harrison briefly met his grandparents before
we all went to sleep.
What an honor to be a part of your very first day, Harrison. We love you and we’re so glad you’re our
little boy.
Harrison Jeffrey Edwards
August 27, 2014
6 lbs, 15 oz
19.5 inches
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| Our first family picture with all FOUR! |
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