June 7
08:00
After a long day and night of nothing happening,
we were beginning to wonder if, in fact, I would ever have this child. Kyle
predicted Coen would be born at 4pm and I guessed 8pm or never. We waddled into
the delivery room ready for some good news. Once the midwife checked that I was
still only 1 centimeter dilated, she gave me 50mg of the German induction pill
and told me to come back in 4 hours.
12:00
Kyle and I used the time to sleep and had a solid
3 hour nap which felt like the longest stretch of sleep I’d had in a few months.
I woke up feeling the best I’d felt in months as well which was terrible
considering I was trying to move this labor along…I honestly didn’t feel a
single contraction. So, once more, we made the waddle to the delivery room. I
explained to the midwife how great I felt and as I lay on the bed monitoring the
contractions I wasn’t having, THEY started.
13:00
By ‘THEY’ I mean real labor contractions, the
kind that hurt like nothing you could describe. I had gone through about 4
midwives by this time and my favorite one was back on duty, Ann-Marie, the 20
year old who still cared about her patients and was excited to be at work. She showed
me how to use the exercise ball and hanging rope to get through the
contractions and drew me an aromatherapy bath (grapefruit). The bath wasn’t as
helpful as the ball/rope so I went back to the room and when she put her hand
on the small of my back during a contraction, the pain magically reduced to
something tolerable! Unfortunately, Kyle’s man hands weren’t as effective, but
still helped significantly which made the labor pains manageable. Since my risk
of infection was high from my water breaking, they were limiting examinations
and wouldn’t check my dilation until “delivery pains” started. Ann-Marie said I
would “just know” the difference when the delivery contractions started but I
remember thinking how will I possibly know
the difference (which I can laugh about now). I begged her to check again
because I felt like they were getting worse and after enough begging she told
me to lay down and she’d check.
15:00
As I laid on the delivery bed, BAM,
delivery contractions started. By BAM, I mean I felt like a gorilla
punched me from the inside. Ann-Marie checked and, yes, I was 10 centimeters
dilated. She rushed around the room gathering materials and saying ‘don’t push’,
which is the worst thing to hear when your body is using every ounce of energy
to force you to push, but she helped direct my breathing to get past the first
few contractions until she and the doctor were ready.
Kyle was absolutely perfect the entire time; timing
contractions, making sure I drank enough water, starting and re-starting the
labor playlist and keeping me smiling and laughing during contractions. As soon
as I was situated on all fours to push, he stayed at the head of the bed,
holding my hand and squeezing it through pushes.
16:10
Coen Robert Stramara is born! All 7lbs 13 oz and
20inches of him! He was immediately placed so I could see him and when I reached
to him he grabbed my finger and I instantly felt an unexplainable love. Hellooooooo
motherhood!
I positioned myself to lay down and after Kyle
cut his umbilical cord he was placed on my chest for some skin-to-skin time. Kyle
held him as the doctors finished up their business with me which took a little
longer than normal because I had a few issues that I’ll spare you from.
Once the room was cleared out of doctors, the
nurse took Coen’s stats and then left Kyle, Coen and I to spend some family
time alone. We called our parents and siblings to tell them the good news and
celebrated via cell phone and Skype.
The next few days were a blur of love, check-ups, German
hospital food and waiting to get the all clear to go home, which finally came
on Sunday the 10th.
 |
| loving him |
 |
| loving hospital food |
 |
| NOT loving see-through meat |
We took Coen home to meet his sister Love and be
one big happy family!
 |
| Getting ready for the Autobahn |
 |
| Love kissed her brother!! |
 |
| Love loves her brother!!! |
