The Birth

Monday, August 30, 2010

Around 5 am, I started feeling weird but tried to go back to sleep since I still had some time before I had to get up. Finally, weekday's morning activities started. I wondered if I mentioned to Brian that I had bloody show and might have been having 'contractions' but I was not sure. He left to work and about 15 minutes later texted me to let him know if I was having contractions so that he could go back home. And of course he drove back before he reached Route 30. I guessed it did not register to him when I said I was having contractions earlier.

It is funny to look back and remember the signs that labor was near, like the melt downs, the house cleaning. The day before this, St. Mary's had a block party and I remember I was lively and excited talking with people (sign that labor is near)
We went to the grocery store to pick up some juice, snacks and 'quick-made' lunches. And I felt excited event though I was having contractions (signs of early stages of labor).

After that, we were waiting until the contractions got as close as 5 minutes apart before we drove to the hospital. We were admitted at Women & Babies around 4pm and we were told that I was 4 cm dilated.

But the progression was slow. I was mad because Brian encouraged me by telling me that I was in transition and close to delivery but 4 hours later he was still saying that I was in transition.

One lesson to learn... I will eat good hearty meal before I go to the hospital next time, because they will not allow you to eat anything after admitted. I had heard about this before but I was not very hungry (because of the excitement I suppose) and had small lunch.

Finally, the nurse said "Try to push".... I am not sure how long I was pushing, but long enough to wait for Cheri, our midwife came. The encouragement from Brian really helped (Could not go through this without you, hon). And after a while pushing, I felt something came out. It took a couple of seconds for me to realize that that was the baby. I remember I laid down preparing for the next push, and the midwife and the nurse said "Vivi, look who is here". On Tuesday, August 31st at 3.52am, Alissa Swarna Anspach was born. And of course we think that she is absolutely beautiful.

It is amazing how fast I forgot the long labor when Alissa came. I felt relax, happy, content and satisfied.
An uncle said to me that mothers feel alot happier after the delivery compared to the fathers. It is the reward for the hard works.

Got to go now! Got to take care of Alissa :)

Vivi