Note: I wanted to post his hospital photo here, but I'm having trouble w/ our scanner.
On April 10, 2000, I took a home pregnancy test & was absolutely delighted that it was positive! We hadn’t been trying to get pregnant for long & we were quite (pleasantly) surprised by how quickly it happened. The pregnancy progressed very well & I had no morning sickness, other than a few nauseous moments here & there (sorry if I’m rubbing that in for any of you!) We decided to wait instead of finding out the sex before birth.
I continued to feel great until a few weeks before my due date of December 10. On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I went for my weekly check-up. I’d been swelling quite a bit & they found that my protein levels were higher than they should be. So, the next day, I had to do an all day urine test then take it to the hospital Thanksgiving morning to be tested. Even w/ the paperwork, apparently they didn’t know what to do w/ it & it sat on the counter until Friday morning. I called my doctor’s office & they got back to me later in the afternoon to say that I had pre-eclampsia & to go directly to the hospital for induction…do not pass go, do not collect $200, & absolutely, DO NOT finish that Italian chicken sub you’d started eating!!!
I called Casinodad at work & told him to get home because we had to go to the hospital. Once there, they got me all wired up…monitor for the eventual contractions, baby’s heartbeat monitor, Foley catheter because I hadn’t dilated at all yet, & an IV loaded w/ stuff! Once I was dilated to 3cm, they started the Pitocin in the IV. Now if you’ve never had Pitocin before, count yourself lucky! It’s a drug to help start contractions. It’s not so bad at first, but they gradually increase the amount & by the time it’s at full strength, those contractions are kicked into overdrive, coming practically on top of each other. I had fully intended to go natural & avoid an epidural. (WHAT? You’re going to put a needle where?) After trying several other drugs to ease the pain, I caved & practically begged for the epidural! AAAAHHHHHH! What relief!
Because of my increased protein levels & high blood pressure, there was a slight danger of seizures, so they added Magnesium Sulfate to my IV. I am a person who likes to relax by reading & was looking forward to enjoying a book between contractions. However, the Magnesium Sulfate dilated my eyes, making reading blurry & impossible. Even watching TV was tough.
Once I got the epidural, things seemed to progress much quicker. I couldn’t feel any of the contractions & once it was time to push, they had to tell me when to do it! I only had to push for an hour & at 9:03pm on Saturday, November 25, 2000, The Prophet was born.
Casinodad was there to catch him when he came out & my dad was the one to cut the cord. Now, I know many of you are probably wondering how on earth I could have my father in the delivery room w/ me. I asked him for several reasons & we were both comfortable w/ it. When my sister & I were born, Dad was not allowed in the delivery room, so he missed out on that experience. Then, when my sister had her first child, my mom was there w/ her. So, I wanted to see if my dad wanted to be there for my first child. (Anyway…when a woman gives birth, she has to give up any sense of modesty, doesn’t she?) I really think it helped The Prophet bond w/ my dad & to this day, they still have a close relationship.
So there you have it…The Prophet’s birth story. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since that day. He has grown into an amazing young man who loves his siblings, his faith, anything Star Wars, Legos, & spending time w/ his friends & cousins.
Happy Birthday Dear Son! We love you & are so proud of you.
