Dec 20 2007
To Fluffy
Six years ago, I was massively pregnant. And I mean MASSIVELY PREGNANT. I was 19 days—almost three full weeks!—past my due date.
It was the middle of the night, but because sleeping had become… well… impossible, I had given up. I filled the bathtub with hot water and got out a book that I’d been meaning to read. About 300 pages into it, I noticed that I was having contractions. Soon they got closer together and more and more uncomfortable. At about 6:00 a.m., I got out of the bath (a feat in and of itself when you’re that pregnant) and woke hubby up. This was it! I was in labor!
Brian called our fantastic team of midwives (one of whom was my beloved sister!) and they soon arrived, setting up the birthing tub and unpacking and arranging supplies, turning my living room into a birthing center. I was checked and told that I was dilated to 9 cm. This baby was going to be born any second. I settled into the birthing tub and began wrapping my brain around the fact that I was about to be a mommy for the first time!
But seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours. 13 hours, to be precise, that I was stuck at 9 cm. Heavy, painful, but unproductive contractions came in relentless waves. The problem was that the baby hadn’t dropped yet. Even when I finally had them break my water, nothing was happening.
Finally, some time on a birthing stool gave the baby the room she needed, and it was time to get our show on the road. I jumped back into the birthing tub (and hubby jumped in with me!) and pushed… for 3 hours. I had never known such agony, nor such empowerment. This amazing combination was exhausting and exhilarating.
After a very long day, and a very VERY long pregnancy, my beautiful princess came roaring into the world.
Immediately after she was born, I began hemorrhaging severely. I had to get out of the tub quickly and lie down on the plastic-lined floor while my fantastic midwives poked, prodded, pushed, pulled, and saved me. In the meantime, Hubby took his brand new baby girl for a walk through the hallways. I could see them walking back and forth through the doorway. He was gently rocking her, staring at her with pure fascination and adoration, and softly singing “Getting to Know You.” I was overwhelmed with this rush of joy and love. Nothing in my life had ever been so powerful as watching the man I loved, loving his baby.
Fluffy has turned into an amazingly strong, intelligent, funny, and beautiful young lady and I just love her more and more. On this, her sixth birthday, I celebrate all the entertainment, hilarity, joy, wonder, and love that she has brought to my world.
Happy Birthday, Princess Fluffy!
