The birth story to end all birth stories. That is probably the expectation. Unfortunately, this one may actually end up being the shortest one of them all. Let me preface this by blazing through the four weeks prior to delivery day and just saying we went to the hospital several times (all at the behest of the physicians that be). Amy had a ton of contractions; but there was no baby.
I had a good feeling Amy was in labor the night of April 24th
when I took the older kids to swimming lessons and not only did Amy not join
us, but she did a prenatal workout, showered, and then curled her hair.
Priorities right?
Contractions picked up (nothing new), but she acted a bit
different this time. Ironically, earlier that same day she had seen her OB-GYN
and scheduled her induction for the next week on Tuesday. When asked if we
should schedule for the next Tuesday, or that coming Friday (a few days away)
he gave no real opinion, but just kind of smiled.
Well the night of the 24th we checked in, and as
usual, the nurses did not think Amy was in labor. Why? Because she is a
freaking boss and was, cool and collected. And was, dilated to a cool, and
collected, 6 cm!
Everything about this labor reminded me of Camden’s.
Checking in at 6 cm. Spending the next few hours in the tub, breathing through
contractions. Getting out and walking around a bit, using the exercise ball to
lean on, a nurse that was ridiculously nice and for the most part hands-off.
So after a few hours the nurse checks Amy again, and wa-la
she’s at 9 cm. Get the doc! Break the water! Let’s do this thing! So the doctor
breaks her bag of water. And then says, “She’s only a true 6 cm”. Wait, wait,
wait. She was just at 9, now she’s only at 6/7? What?
And this was the first time I have ever seen Amy discouraged
during labor. This is the first time I ever heard her say she didn’t think she
could do it. This was the time I started
to worry about seizures. And this is the part this story changes. (And
you’ll probably notice it too).
Never mind the fact that the body naturally shakes during
transition labor as a means of dealing with the adrenaline. Those shakes
sent me into over-drive every single time. Every time I thought she was going
to seize. Every time I worried about her and about the baby. But every time she
assured me she was fine.
It took all of 14 minutes from the time they broke her water
until Daxten was born. 14 minutes to go from 9 cm, back to 6/7 cm, to baby boy.
That doctor never made it back into the room. (Don’t worry; we still received a
bill).
Our nurse had never delivered a baby solo before. She was
telling Amy it wasn’t time to push. Amy looked at me and said she was going to
have a seizure. Never before in the previous 9 months had I ever tried to
persuade her or tell her “You can’t have a seizure”, or “You won’t have a
seizure”. Because; it’s a seizure. Not exactly controllable. But in that
moment, I got the distinct impression that I just needed to say it. I got as
close to her eyes as I possibly could and I just said, “No you are not”. I looked
at the nurse, I looked at Amy, and then he arrived. One push. Baby boy. Cord
wrapped around his neck twice. I think I held my breath from that moment until
he cried and I knew he was breathing. And then all I had to think about was
Amy. Daxten was here. He was healthy. He was breathing. Amy was crying,
obviously so exhausted, but so thrilled that she had done it. For months all we
had heard was that immediately after birth her seizures could get really bad as
her body adjusted. I was on edge. I was nervous. I was thrilled. I was
stressed. I was exhausted. But some how, some way she had done it. We had done
it. He was here. He was healthy. And as Kyra would so eloquently later state,
“He is ours forever”.
Yes he is. He is beautiful. Amy has only had a few seizures
since. We know birth wasn’t the cure, but not lugging around a baby inside of
you certainly helps.
I can’t say how amazed I am. Amy told me a few days later
that she felt better than she had in over a year. All I could do was cry. Just
like that, it seemed so many of my prayers had been answered. Maybe not in the
exact time and moment that I wanted, but in the exact moment I needed. Human
life is a miracle, and one that I hope I don’t soon take for granted.
Amy once asked me, if I ever remembered what I had dreamed
of my future being when I was younger.
It suddenly hit me then, I literally have everything I could
have ever wanted. I am living the life I dreamed of.
I could go on and on about the blessings of my life, too
many to count; But the only ones that matter are Amy, Camden, Kyra, and Dax.
No matter what we do or where we end up, nothing compares to
being me. Because with me, it’s now a “party of five”.
-Garth
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