dahlia's birth

i thought i should write the story of her birth before i forget it.

monday was my doctors appointment. when she checked me she said i was dilated 3 centimeters. wow. i was so surprised. i had not felt any pain beyond the usual braxton hicks contractions. hearing that really got me excited. miles and i were sure she would come before thanksgiving. my doctor thought i would definitely give birth before the weekend. miles and i got everything ready to hand off the thanksgiving responsibilities. just in case. it was a good thing we are so organized. on tuesday i lost my mucus plug. i don't remember that happening with mason. that was weird. again i got really excited thinking that tuesday was the day. nope.

on wednesday i woke up at 6 am to start working on the thanksgiving food. i got the house all cleaned and table set. miles and i got lots of the chopping and food prep done. at this point i was sure she would stay in until after thanksgiving. i wasn't feeling any contractions. miles and i worked all day until about 7 pm. the house looked beautiful. just perfect. i love the way my house looks before a party. my sister christina and her daughter zena were supposed to come over to help prepare for thanksgiving. at around 8 pm i told her not to come. she still had not left her house and would not get here until after 9. i was exhausted. i was going to bed. i had done enough for the day.

at around 12:30 am i woke up with my water breaking. this time it was not the trickle of fluid like with mason, but a huge gush of water that soaked through my pajamas and on the bed. i was so freaked out. i called miles. he was in the office playing wow. my brother bob was online with him and miles told him my water broke. it was strange because my mother called me about 5 minutes later. i had no idea how she knew i was in labor. i didn't know that bob had told her. i was so disoriented and confused. i didn't know what to do next. i decided to take a shower and calm down. miles was so funny. he kept saying we need to get to the hospital. what are you doing? i was doing my hair. i wanted to look good in the pictures. i am so vane. i could tell this labor was moving much faster than the last one. i was having contractions so bad i could barely put my shoes on. i told miles i couldn't tie my shoes and he gave me slippers to put on. please. i was not going to go to the hospital in my slippers. i managed to get my shoes on and packed my bag.

i was stalling for time. my mother, brother and sister were on their way to our house so they could watch mason for us. they live about 45 minutes away. i realized i was not going to make it. i told miles we better go to the hospital. he was so panicked. he kept saying i told you we need to go. he got mason in the car super fast. we were on our way. i called and told my mom to meet us at the hospital instead. it was about 1:30 am. we got to the hospital in about 5 minutes. we had to go to the emergency entrance. the main entrance was closed. they were very quick to admit us and take us up to labor/delivery. poor mason started crying when i sat in the wheel chair. he wanted me to hold him.

when they checked me i was dilated 6 cm. i was in so much pain. god labor hurts so bad. my mom, sister and brother showed up and took mason to the waiting room at the end of the hall. it was so funny that my brother bob came. he was there for the birth of my son, and i thought it was so sweet that he wanted to be there for the birth of my daughter also.

i was really in a ton of pain. i remember saying i forgot how much labor hurt. it was strange, because i was so tired that i really wasn't in the mood to be in labor. i just wanted to sleep. i asked the nurse to give me something for the pain. they had to hook me up to an iv first. god. that took forever. my veins are hard to find. by time they got an iv in me i felt like i had to push. they checked me again and i was dilated 10. it was too late to give me any pain killers. the nurse was very nice and looked at me with an apologetic face telling me it was too late to give me anything for the pain. it wouldn't help me and it would only drug the baby. i would have to go without. good lord. that was fine with me as long as it was time to push. i was not as tough this time. i just went ahead and cried. when mason was born i was much tougher. i held in how much it hurt. this time i had nothing to prove. labor hurts. no use pretending to be brave. i was biting my hand and hitting the railing during the contractions. they kept telling me to breathe.

i was so ready to push. there was only one problem. my doctor was not there yet. agh. it was a little after 2 am at this point. the nurse kept saying. just try not to push. just wait. if you can't wait any longer then i will assist you and your husband in delivering the baby. i remember thinking what the hell is she talking about. help my husband deliver the baby. is she nuts. there is no way i want miles delivering my baby. i think this idea really freaked out miles. thank god my doctor showed up 2 minutes later. i have never been so happy to see my doctor in my life. it did not take long to push the baby out. i was screaming i am going to die, and saying various cuss words. i felt bad about cursing in front of my mom and doctor. they are both so religious. my doctor did have to give me an episiotomy. she did that with mason also. as soon as she made the incision dahlia popped out. she was born at 2:49 am. only 2 hours after my water broke. she was in a hurry to see us.

she was so beautiful. i remember saying she is so beautiful over and over. i put her to my breast right away and she started sucking. we have not had any problems with her breastfeeding. yay. my sister and brother came in to see her. they were so shocked that she was already here.