How I met my baby

It's the 4th of July, and we have great plans in store for today, but I will post about that later, hopefully with pictures.
  
    Today, I am going to surmise, briefly, the tale of how Noah came into this world. I realize I am a bit late on writing on the topic, but then again, I didn't even think about it until I was reading through my old blog posts and saw that I went from being pregnant and excited about giving birth, to having a 12-hour old baby and being in awe. So, friends, this is the story of how I met my baby.
    The year was 2010. I was 37 weeks pregnant and having an average day at work for my mother. That day, a Wednesday, I had one of my weekly check-ups with Dr. Willis, my amazing ObGyn. My mom knew of this ahead of time, so I was given a 2-our lunch break. At the Dr. office, it was the same old song and dance, until, that is, my nurse asked me about my feet, whether I was experiencing any poofy-ness or anything. I said yes, my feet were in a constant state of swollen-ness. She looked concerned. Then, after waiting not nearly as long as usual, my doctor came in and told me that protein had been found in my urine and that she wanted to send me to the hospital for "a few tests" that should only take "a few hours at the most". (HAH!)
    My heart skipped a few beats, 'cause I knew immediately that I was going to have my baby soon. I was not frightened, just nervous. I had always envisioned it going down differently, as in my water would break, contractions would start, and then me and Stephan would rush to the hospital in some dramatic fashion. (Pretty much like how it happens in every movie and tv show ever.) Instead, I was waddling by myself to my car to drive myself to the hospital, and I couldn't' reach my husband 'cause he wasn't answering his phone.
I did get my mom on the line and told her something that I though was rather humorous later on. "Mom, I'm sorry, I can't come back into work today, I'm going to the hospital to possibly have my baby."
     Now, friends, Stephan and I thought we had at least three more weeks before being parents. Noah was due on the 24th of May. This was the 5th. We weren't unprepared, but we were caught off guard. We hadn't even toured the hospital yet, so as I drove to ETMC, praying and redialing Stephan's stinking cell phone over and over again, I also called my dear friend Lindsay, a nurse at the hospital who could show me where the L&D was. Praise God, she was working. More importantly, praise God, Stephan finally called me back as I was parking. I explained the situation and He explained in a mildly panicked voice that his jeep was broken down. He found a ride to the hospital with Chris Gaston, and pretty soon, Stephan and I were being lead by Lindsay the nurse to the wing of the hospital were Noah would make his entrance.
    After being checked in, Stephan and I began a very long waiting process. Thankfully, I was not contracting or even feeling unwell at all. However, the situation must have been rather urgent. I didn't even know what pre-eclampsia was before that day, but apparently, it's dangerous. Nurses told us that we'd be monitored over night and either be discharged in the morning to face three weeks of bed rest and waiting, or be induced and have that baby. For 12 hours, texts flew from busy fingers and friends and relatives were alerted to Noah's pending arrival, because I was certain that he was going to come.
   Sure enough, at 5 in the morning, after the worst night of sleep in my life, (how could I sleep with the knowledge of imminent child birth clouding my mind?) The nurse stepped in and said that protein levels were still high and it was go time. Long story short: induction happened at 6-ish, contractions around 7, the blessed epidural was administered at 10-ish, and I was pushing by 1:30-ish. (They said it would be a long day since it was my first child. HA! showed them.) Noah made his fantastic, life-changing appearance at 1:40, and I have been a smitten mommy ever since. I don't want to say it was easy, because there was a lot of effort put into it, and at one point, before the epidural, the contractions were so intense I bit Stephan, but, for me, it was relatively easy. I think I pushed, like, four to six times. To hear what happened next, go back and read my reaction-post from the next morning.
    The only regret I had from that day was that the Skinners were in Missouri for Noah's birth. Now, I get to look forward to my next big adventure in the birth of number deux. I really pray and hope that this delivery is similar to Noah's, except that I'd like to go full term. In all of this, I say to God be the glory, great things He has done!
    Now that you've heard my tale of Noah's tale, go forth and enjoy your Independence day!