It's just about time to have this blog printed and turned into Zadie's baby book, so I want to be sure and chronicle her birth story. Here goes.
Dear Zadie,
On January 31st at 2am, I woke up to go to the bathroom. When I got to the bathroom I realized that my water had broken and I took a moment to gather myself and then went and gently woke Tori up. When she opened her eyes and I told her the news, she had a big smile on her face and hopped out of bed. Next we went to the guest room and woke up my mom, who happened to be staying with us that night. We weren't all running around in chaos like you see in the movies. We were all very calm and Tori packed my bag for the hospital while I lay in bed. My mom, in typical Denise fashion, applied her make-up and got her things together.
We headed out of the house at 3am and arrived at Little Company of Mary hospital in Torrance. We had done all of our prenatal care with midwives and had been planning on having you at home until the very end of our pregnancy, when I developed hypertension or preenclampsia or something. At that point, the midwives decided it would be best for me to give birth in a hospital. Tori and I were SO disappointed that we cried and cried -- we had your home birth all planned out and it was going to be so special. But obviously the important thing was that you arrived safely and, as you're about to read, it was still a very special experience!
Anyway, I was in labor for a while when one of our midwives arrived just as a friend to help us along and guide us. Her name was Amber and she was amazing. She did reiki on me (along with your grandma Linda), gave me little herbal remedies to speed things up, and generally helped me focus. Tori and I had taken a course and had been practicing a birthing technique called Hypnobabies that is basically a way to self-hypnotize during childbirth as a pain management technique. Actually, they don't even let you use the "p" word because they believe you can deliver a child pain-free. So when I would have a contraction, I would be standing up and I would put all my weight on Tori and I would think of turning off a little light switch and go into another zone. Tori was amazing and completely exhausted by the end of all this.
Our room at the hospital was very un-hospitallike because we had all the lights off and just used battery operated candles to create a relaxing atmosphere. We also had a stereo that played the Hypnobabies CDs (some were music and some were meditations). Everything worked really well and progressed nicely. I can honestly say that I experienced zero pain until the last 45 minutes, at which point I lost my concentration and became a little anxious for you to come out!
It had been important to us to try and have you naturally, without using any drugs. One of the little chants you learn to say through the Hypnobabies program is "anesthesia" because you're basically willing an anasthetic to reach the area where you're feeling discomfort. So, sometime towards the end, Tori couldn't wait any longer and had to leave my side to go to the bathroom. My mom came next to me to take her place and heard me chanting "anesthesia" over and over (softly). So when Tori got back from the bathroom, my mom said, "Tori, Tori, she says she wants anesthesia!!" It was very funny!
The doctor arrived in the nick of time and you were born at 6:50pm. Your grandmas were so excited to find out that you were a girl that they gave each other a high five. My mom had been taking lots of in-depth photos and had become so nauseous that she almost fainted and the nurses had to get her some orange juice and tell her to put her head between her knees. But by the time you came out she was with us again and everyone was so excited to see you!
When your little head popped out, your Mama T left my side to move down and check you out and, when she saw your face, she said "Why is she beautiful?" And your Mama T *never* thinks newborns are beautiful. It's also interesting because at that point we didn't even know you were a girl!
The nurses immediately put you on my chest and I was amazed that you looked right up into my eyes. I thought you were going to be all squinty and out of it, but you were very calm and aware. I put you to my breast and, although I was completely clueless, you knew exactly what to do and nursed away -- it was very sweet. Your Mama T cut your umbilical cord and helped the nurse clean you up and swaddle you while I took a moment to recover.
Although we were both exhausted that night, your mamas didn't sleep at all because we were proudly staring at you and also obsessively checking whether you were still breathing. You slept like a rock and seemed completely content.
So this is your birth story. Your birth was very calm and peaceful and low in drama -- much like you! I admit that I've edited a few elements out of this story, but I'll be happy to share them with you when you get older!
Hi Zadie! It's your Ma T here. It has been so amazing to watch you smile, grab, laugh, army crawl, crawl, eat, drink, clap... We have been able to brag about how good you are from the minute you came into our life. We are so lucky to be your parents. Although your Ma K is the writer, blogger, reader and journaler in the family, I've loved having you as my new best friend and am so glad Ma K has captured it here! I am excited about all the laughs (and fights and tears) to come!
