don't forget to mail me :-)Sebastian’s due date was January 1st. I felt pretty strongly that he would be coming earlier than that. I was so ENOURMOUS! On the 28th I had an appointment with my doctor. He said I was already 3 cm dilated, he predicted that the baby would come later that day or the next evening.
He didn’t.......
I kept having pre-labor, and thinking each time that it was the real deal. We had so many false alarms!
I felt so awful, so incredibly full, and uncomfortable, everything I ate seemed to sit up in my throat. Everywhere I went in public people would look at me like I was some kind of circus sideshow, they’d shake their heads and say “I hope you are due soon!” or “Oh Geez, you’re having twins right!!”
I don’t know if you can actually feel your cervix, but I think I felt mine, an ache, I just felt like I was stretching and that the baby could come at any second for two whole days before he actually arrived!
I was having some kind of strange mucus show, so my doctor wanted me to come in to the hospital so he could check me out, and check on the status of the baby. We had an appointment for 10 am on Jan. 2nd. That morning I woke up and felt crampy and was having some contractions. I didn’t really think that much about it, as I had some contractions every morning. That was about 7:30 in the morning. After about an hour I realized that the contractions were definitely increasing in intensity. About the time I made that realization, everything started happening very fast! We called the woman who would be looking after Xavier, she had been on the edge of her seat waiting for the big event for over a week. Well, she lives on Water Island, and would have to ride over in her boat. She was about a half an hour away. So we decided there wasn’t time to wait, and called our back –up friend to sit with X until she got here. I had been IM-ing some local friends who wanted to attend, and they said they would meet us there. I called my doula, and she said she'd be on her way. We loaded up in the car and headed to the hospital. Calling my OB/GYN on the way.
On the way to the hospital my contractions were like a minute apart, they were so intense. I was screaming and hollering, and trying so hard to keep it together. I was seriously starting to feel like I couldn’t make it, that I couldn’t handle it. I started reciting to myself, “you can do this, you can do this!” At that point I realized I must be in transition. That feeling that you can’t take anymore that signals that you are truly near the end. We arrived at the hospital just after 9 am. The nurses checked me when I got there and declared that I was ready, 10cm dilated. They hurriedly called my Doctor, and suggested he hightail it to the hospital.
I was already feeling the urge to push, very intensely, but I was not allowed to do so until the Doctor arrived. So once again I found myself in the hospital desperate to push and not allowed to, how irritating!! I wasn’t being very lady like about it either screaming “Where’s my F#$% doctor??” Finally my doctor arrives, he’s all cool with his hat turned backwards, and his sunglasses on. He checks me……. And suddenly his attitude changes LOL. He starts rushing around, getting ready. They wheel me into the delivery room, and away we go.
I started to push, everyone was yelling and doing the counting thing it wasn’t the most peaceful, but I really wanted to get the baby out, so I didn’t mind the rush. I really felt the “Ring of Fire” this time, and felt like I was going to explode. After about 4 or 5 pushes and 15 or so mins, my sweet Sebastian Clay Garcia was born into this world at 10 am Jan 2nd, 2006. A beautiful and amazing baby, what a great reward for all the work!
I felt pretty empowered afterwards, and amazed at the speed in which this labor and birth proceeded, it was a whirlwind, and the whole she-bang only took about 2 and a half hours. So fast as a matter of fact that my porr doula didn't make it until I had already had the baby. She was beside herself, but it wasn't her fault, and there wasn't much time for doula-ing anyway. She did keep me company, and hold my hand for the suturing, and helped post-partum to get me food and water, attention from the nurses and to helped me with the forms there wasn't time for when I go there.
I still didn’t get my homebirth, but it was a good hospital birth. Overall I was quite pleased. As it turned out Sebastian was the first baby born on the Island of St. Thomas for the New Year. So we got our pictures in the paper, and had a little notoriety for a few days.
Here's the link to the Daily News Article:
Tuesday 3rd, 2006
don't forget to mail me :-)