I'll never forget this day 16 years ago
Today, sixteen years ago, was my due date with my son, Scott.
He wasn't even close to being born at this point.
My doctors at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia were kinda freaking out, because they knew he was going to be a big baby (and he was), and they didn't want me to go past my due date.
They tried this thing called separating the membranes to induce labor (hint-- it hurts!). It didn't work. No labor started and an appointment was made for me to come back on the 28th for a stress test.
So, I had the whole long Memorial Day weekend to wait for Scott to make his appearance in the world.
That afternoon, we went to the Pungo Strawberry Festival in Virginia Beach, with silly me thinking that I'll walk myself into labor, then go to the hospital.
Yeah, right.
I freaked out the DJ from a local radio station doing a remote there when I told her (after she asked me when I was due) that I was due that day, May 25th.
We (me, Jon, Daniel and Jeff, who were 7 and 5 at the time) walked around there for a good two or three hours, and all I got was exhausted, sunburned, and strawberries.
People who knew us were surprised that I was still pregnant on Memorial Day (May 27th). "Ain't you had that baby yet?"
The 28th comes and I waddle off to the hospital to have the stress test, and Scott is fine... just late. Then the doctor decides to separate the membranes again. Not fun. And he keeps telling me that if the baby is over ten pounds, that whoever delivers him will probably do a c-section, which does not thrill me in the least! I think Jon got a little green around the gills over that one.
So I go home and wait. That night, I was talking to my dad on the phone and he said that if the baby comes June 1st, that would be great because at that time, there was no one in the family born in June.
A couple hours after that, I feel the first pains of what I hoped was labor. I had gone into false labor on May 20th, and they sent me home after an hour. I was praying "please let this baby get born now..."
After they checked me to make sure I was really in labor, I was admitted. They were just as anxious as I was to get this baby born, as he was now 4 days overdue. The longer he waited, the bigger he'd get, and then I'd really need a c-section.
At about 1 or 2 am, a nurse comes in with the epidural. I'd never had one (it wasn't even offered to me when Daniel and Jeff were born), so the nurse explained what it was, and that I had to be very still while they did it or I'd have the worst headache in the known universe.
In no time, I couldn't feel anything from the waist down. I figured that if I did have to have the c-section, I'd be all set.
Then I slept for about four hours, until I could feel the pains again. The doctor came in, broke my water, announced I was ready to deliver and wheeled me off to the delivery room with Jon hot on my heels.
About an hour later, Scott finally arrived! No c-section. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds and 11 1/2 ounces!
And I won't even tell you about the baby who arrived the same day with a full head of long hair...
That's all from where I sit.
--MorelaterZ--
He wasn't even close to being born at this point.
My doctors at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia were kinda freaking out, because they knew he was going to be a big baby (and he was), and they didn't want me to go past my due date.
They tried this thing called separating the membranes to induce labor (hint-- it hurts!). It didn't work. No labor started and an appointment was made for me to come back on the 28th for a stress test.
So, I had the whole long Memorial Day weekend to wait for Scott to make his appearance in the world.
That afternoon, we went to the Pungo Strawberry Festival in Virginia Beach, with silly me thinking that I'll walk myself into labor, then go to the hospital.
Yeah, right.
I freaked out the DJ from a local radio station doing a remote there when I told her (after she asked me when I was due) that I was due that day, May 25th.
We (me, Jon, Daniel and Jeff, who were 7 and 5 at the time) walked around there for a good two or three hours, and all I got was exhausted, sunburned, and strawberries.
People who knew us were surprised that I was still pregnant on Memorial Day (May 27th). "Ain't you had that baby yet?"
The 28th comes and I waddle off to the hospital to have the stress test, and Scott is fine... just late. Then the doctor decides to separate the membranes again. Not fun. And he keeps telling me that if the baby is over ten pounds, that whoever delivers him will probably do a c-section, which does not thrill me in the least! I think Jon got a little green around the gills over that one.
So I go home and wait. That night, I was talking to my dad on the phone and he said that if the baby comes June 1st, that would be great because at that time, there was no one in the family born in June.
A couple hours after that, I feel the first pains of what I hoped was labor. I had gone into false labor on May 20th, and they sent me home after an hour. I was praying "please let this baby get born now..."
After they checked me to make sure I was really in labor, I was admitted. They were just as anxious as I was to get this baby born, as he was now 4 days overdue. The longer he waited, the bigger he'd get, and then I'd really need a c-section.
At about 1 or 2 am, a nurse comes in with the epidural. I'd never had one (it wasn't even offered to me when Daniel and Jeff were born), so the nurse explained what it was, and that I had to be very still while they did it or I'd have the worst headache in the known universe.
In no time, I couldn't feel anything from the waist down. I figured that if I did have to have the c-section, I'd be all set.
Then I slept for about four hours, until I could feel the pains again. The doctor came in, broke my water, announced I was ready to deliver and wheeled me off to the delivery room with Jon hot on my heels.
About an hour later, Scott finally arrived! No c-section. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds and 11 1/2 ounces!
And I won't even tell you about the baby who arrived the same day with a full head of long hair...
That's all from where I sit.
--MorelaterZ--
Labels: family, Memorial Day weekend, Number 3 son, pregnancy and birth, Scott
My name is Stef, and I approve this post. Posted @ 2:16 PM
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