Note: I am totally aware this is coming just 2 years after the events described below. I am never late, I am always on time. 🙂
This story actually starts 2 days before William was born.
Wednesday, July 7.
I had a high-risk doctor’s appointment and Will could *finally* attend one because of relaxing COVID restrictions. The appointment was a mess because the doctor had an emergency at the hospital so we ended up leaving to eat lunch then returning afterwards. However, once we saw the doctor, everything was solid. He said there was NO sign of early labor at all so I could stay on the Enoxaparin blood thinners another week (this will be an *important* detail later).
Thursday, July 8th.
The day was uneventful. Will was leaving for Atlanta that Sunday & I was making plans to split the time between friends and pack all the hospital things on Saturday. We were 3.5 weeks out & I was chugging along without complaint. 10 pm or so Will gave me my Enoxaparin shot & off I went to read in bed while Will stayed up a bit to play some bird game on the computer. At around 11 pm I thought I had peed myself, so I walk to the toilet and slowly realized that it was not pee. My water broke! Annoyance ensues. Bags were not pack, I gotta eat a snack cuz who knows when you’ll be fed next anddddd the thing that was actually a huge concern: the blood thinner that I had just received cannot be reversed.
Sidenote: about a month before the due date you are supposed to move over to a twice a day blood thinner that can be reversed when you go into labor, it is dangerous to go into labor on Enoxaparin as I was doing at that very moment.
The hospital was almost hour away because my doctor wanted me to deliver at Osceola Regional Hospital due to my high risk pregnancy (heart palpitations, gestational diabetes, and a blood clotting issue nbd). Contractions started coming on but nothing unbearable. In the car, I downloaded one of those contraction counting apps & quickly abandoned it because it was stupid. Will said the scariest thing on the way to the hospital that is also the greatest act of love: “If I have to choose, I’m choosing you.” We decide not to discuss that topic further.
Friday, July 9th.
We arrive at hospital at midnight (12:05 to be precise) & I get ushered into triage. Routine questions then shortly after we get put behind a curtain as a super emergency c-section comes in. Doctors & nurses apologize about leaving to attend to that women but I felt it was totally ok, she was having a worse day than we were anyways.
After an hour or so they finally come back to check on us. The contractions were definitely cooking up now but I remembered exactly one thing from the birthing class that helped: relax and lean into the pain, don’t tense up. And that is exactly what I did. They checked my cervix and I was 5 cm dilated; it was time to make some big decisions.
Question about pain management come up & I was interested, because damn, it’s starting to hurt now. The doctor goes to ask the anesthesiologist & the answer is a big fat NO to an epidural (because of my 10:30 pm Enoxaparin shot). The other option presented is not to anyone’s taste: fentanyl. But again, damn this hurts. Will said no & I tossed him a death stare. The doctor says they have get us into a room before they will move forward with anything. But by the time we get to the room, I am 8 cm dilated so all pain meds are off the table (much to Will’s delight).
The only option now was to get the process to go as fast as possible to minimize the duration of pain. The nurse said there was a way to do that: “the peanut.” Bring it. Damn it was really hurting now. The room was so freaking hot & the waves of contractions quite intense. Will had the amazing thought to ask the team if Dr. Benitez happened to be there that night because she was the OBGYN I had originally picked when we were still going through the miscarriages. The team said no, but they’ll call her to see if she can make it. God bless that women because she drove like hell, from Oviedo ironically, and made it in time for the birth.
One nurse, surprised at how fast labor was going, asked my many kids I had at home. I grunted that I was still waiting to meet him. I also vaguely remember saying we should have gotten a dog instead of a baby. Personally, I am quite proud of being able to make a joke in the middle of labor. (UPDATE: a baby is way better than a dog) According to Will, I had 8 pushes and out slides baby. TMI: I am happy to report that I did not poop herself but definitely peed on the doctor (occupational hazard). Then the most beautiful, gooey mess was placed on my chest at 3:37 am: WILLIAM JAMES FURIOSI III.
The really isn’t important but there are 2 things to note:
- I really wanted to see the placenta. I asked & they showed it to me.
- Although at various points throughout the process I ABSOLUTELY did not want to be in the middle of an unmedicated birth, but I am glad (now) it turned out that way. I had very little tearing (only a 1 degree internal tear), I felt alert and totally in control, working with the medical team to bring my son into the world. And a bonus, I had no fear of peeing or pooping immediately after birth.
Although I want to add, however your baby came into the world, it is beautiful and your personal journey. Ours could have turned out much scarier than it did (if we had a c-section, I would have bled out) and I am just overwhelming blessed we got so lucky.
JMF
