It was 2:20 pm on Eddie's birth day. I had just gotten my epidural and was resting before it was time to push. There was a calm excitement in our room knowing it would only be a matter of hours before we met our son.
Ed and I had been alone up until that point, but it wasn't long before our family started to show up. My sister, Ellen, Ed's sisters, Sharon and Katie, and Katie's boyfriend, Chris, all joined us in the room to wait and prepare the post-birth celebration.
The only other expected visitors that were missing were my mom and dad. Earlier in the day, immediately after I had given them word that it was go time, they hopped in their car in Cincinnati and began the 4 1/2 hour trek up to Chicago. (My parents had hospital bags packed weeks before I did!) No one anticipated my labor moving so quickly, however, so we were constantly monitoring their progress, hoping they'd arrive before Eddie!
By 5 pm, I was 10 cm dilated and the nurses and doctor were kicking everyone out of our room. A table was set up with delivery tools. The warming bassinet stood waiting in the corner. The nurse gave Ed instructions on how to hold my leg. I brushed my hair and applied lip gloss. It was time to push. In the back of my mind, I felt sad that my parents weren't there. That lasted only a few minutes, though, because just as I geared up to push for the first time, I heard my mom's voice at the door to our room. They had just made it and she was popping in to say hi before joining the rest of our family in the waiting room. Perfect timing!
Now back to the pushing. This part of labor was much harder than I anticipated. It was a lot of work! While I was never in pain, I could feel the sensation of each contraction and the pressure of Eddie making his way down. My doctor initially estimated it would take about an hour before he was born, so I had my mind set on that goal. After that first hour passed, I began feeling like it was taking forever and that he'd never come out. Ed was getting restless and I was exhausted. In between each contraction, I felt famished and like I could fall asleep right there in front of everyone. I felt disappointed and frustrated that I wasn't doing a good enough job. At one point, another nurse came in the room and informed me, "We love your mom. She's at the nurses' desk trying to use
buckeyes to bribe us for information on your progress." Seems everyone was tired of waiting and anxious for this baby to come out!
FINALLY, his head appeared and my doctor announced it was full of hair! Unbelievable to us, since we come from a family of very bald babies. In a move that shocked even me, I asked if I could feel his head. The nurse guided my hand around and I touched my baby for the first time. That was incredible motivation and just what I needed.
I pushed on and before I knew it, there was a big, red baby emerging from between my legs right in front of my face. He was wiped down a little and then placed on my chest. Through a veil of tears, I alternated between watching Ed cut the cord and gazing at the tiny, smooshed face poking out of a mass of swaddling blankets. Eddie stared into my eyes with the look of a wise, old man. I don't remember what I said, but there was a lot of babbling through sobs. It was the most overwhelming and surreal experience of my life.
Before leaving, my doctor told me that, unknown to her, Eddie had been in the posterior (face-up) position when he was born. This explained why it took so long to push the little guy out. I later learned that mothers whose babies are in this position are much more likely to need a forceps or vacuum-assisted delivery or even a c-section. Not only did this make me feel pretty tough for pushing him out on my own, but it also made me thankful I didn't know this information beforehand. I'm sure it would have affected my confidence and who knows what the outcome would have been.
What did happen, was that after 2 hours of pushing, Edmund George was born at 7:00 pm, weighing 8 pounds, 0 ounces and measuring 21 inches long*.
Our family flooded into the room to welcome and toast him with champagne.
Much of my memory of this time is faded and hazy, but I do remember looking around that room and thinking how lucky our little boy was to come into the world surrounded by all these people. Ed summed it up perfectly when he whispered into Eddie's ear, "You have no idea how much you are loved."
And dads, don't let anyone tell you that having a baby isn't exhausting for you, too!
*The fact that his birth stats were such nice whole numbers was not lost on anyone. He was already playing to his anal neat and organized parents!
Thanks to Eddie's Aunt Kate for documenting the day!
