As I sit here in the quiet of my home (surprising isn't it?), I am pondering the events of 16 years ago. Paul and I had been married for almost 15 months and we were anticipating the arrival of our baby in a month. I had quit working when I was six months along as I was having a lot of round ligament issues and pains due to running after 25 three year olds all day long. My sister had stayed overnight, on her way to Montana. Paul was scheduled for his last week of flying. He was a B-52 pilot then and loved his job. But B-52's were big and had LONG flights, so I was glad the Air Force put the men on ground stuff when their wives were due (try to keep them close to home if they can). I laid in bed feeling crampy and thinking, "I am pregnant, I'm not supposed to have cramps!" I got up to go to the bathroom and the next thing I knew, my water broke. I ran to the bathroom, still in shock. Paul jumped up to investigate, then called work to let them know he would be missing his flight that day. I just kept thinking, "it's too early! I had stuff to do today!" My next thought was, "we didn't finish our Bradley classes!" My last thought was to get to the hospital...Paul, of course, needed time to wake up. He took a shower, dressed and ate, while I, too nervous, paced around him and begged to leave. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone back to bed! We headed to the hospital despite no contractions and of course, were admitted. We walked the halls, we called our family and Bradley teacher and hid in the postpartum room for hours. The doc had wanted to start the pit immediately, we wanted to wait...so we hid until they found us at lunchtime! We had two visitors at the hospital before Katherine was born...one the hostess of my planned baby shower for that evening (who'd come up to the hospital because we'd left a message on her answering machine to cancel the baby shower as we were in labor and she didn't believe it was REAL) and the second from my dear friend Susan who was rather annoyed with the fact that our canning day had been put off. You see, we'd picked 50 lbs of peaches the day before and I was supposed to arrive at her house bright and early in the morning with a huge supply of sugar. I was going to get a canning lesson and I was soooo excited and then disappointed to be missing this event! Susan was excited because she got to stay for our big event! Although she did briefly step out do to feeling faint, but determined not to miss it, she came back just in time!
I finally got to 10 cm and was instructed to push. I'd been given Nubaine and only felt drunk...still very much in pain with hellacious contractions, but unable to think clearly. This military hospital didn't do epidurals...which didn't bother me months before, but now wished that I would have requested an off base doc...or midwife for that matter! I remember Paul fighting with the doctor and threatening to pick me up and take me home. I remember my mother in law calling the labor room when I was in transition and me telling Paul I'd be a widow if he answered the phone. I remember the overwhelming sense of power I felt during pushing and the fear and awe that I felt when she was born. My first thoughts were, "she looks like a smurf..."(thanks to the pitocin) and I honestly was afraid to hold her. She was so tiny and "new." I had a lot of trouble nursing her, but thanks to my mom and husband, we eventually got it. Katherine never wanted to wait on anything, I guess that why she was born at 36 1/2 weeks, crawled at 5 months and walked at 10. She was also speaking very clearly and in sentences very early, but don't ask me when, I have seven children and I'm amazed sometimes at what I can remember about each one!
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!! And as I said when you walked out the door this morning, "you'll always be MY baby!"
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