This was the last photo taken of my belly before my baby was born three days later. A friend from Mexico said that it reminds her of a modern-day Virgin de Guadalupe portrait. I think the Christmas lights shone through and woke up my baby girl. I went into labor later that night when the contractions started.
I went to work the next day (Monday, Dec 7) and the contractions got steady and became painful that night. Brett and I timed them and got some rest until they were seven minutes apart and hurting bad. (This picture is of my labor necklaces that the girls at my baby shower made for me for strength. I'm also wearing my wedding bands as a necklace because my fingers were swollen from pregnancy.)
We went to the hospital after midnight. It was now Tuesday morning 1am when we got there. But I was not at all dilated so they sent me home with an Ambien to sleep. By 10am I could not stand the pain any longer and we went back to St Joseph's. Still not dilated and my doctor ordered five more Ambien and sent me home again! I don't remember much more of this day. But Brett says I would pass out between contractions and then wake up screaming in agony every five to seven minutes. I remember Brett reading to me in the bathtub. He was so sweet and took great care of me. We went back that night after midnight again. It was now Wed morning 1:30am and finally I was dilated 4 centimeters!!! So I was admitted and I begged for an epidural, screaming and I tried to bite Brett's finger off when he was trying to help me count my breathing exercises. Poor Brett - so tired and now getting abused by my madness! When the epidural kicked in I was happy and ate a popcicle.
I slept through the night and by mid-morning I was 9 centimeters dilated. But the epidural was not working well, and my water had not broken. So a doctor broke my amniotic sack and they gave me a new epidural and they also gave me pitocin to dilate me the last centimeter. After a few more hours, and the second epidural, I began to have a fever that was spiking, so.... A C-Section was ordered. I begged to be able to first call my mother! Then, I was transfered to a gurney, and rushed to an operating room. Brett tried to keep up with the quickly-moving team of doctors and nurses who were trying to dress him in scrubs while he ran. He also had to roll the two suitcases with him cuz we he was told they could not stay in the birthing room. I had a spinal, was laid out arms and legs wide as if about to be crucified, then... I heard Brett cry out "Oh my god! She's coming out!" And Nova was in his arms and they were standing over me and I could barely open my eyes, let alone reach out a hand to touch her.
Brett was rushed into a nearby room, where he held this 7 lb 6 oz baby girl for about 45 minutes while I was getting sewn up. He said she kept making sucking motions with her mouth as if wanting to drink some milk, but he had none so he felt bad. And also he felt completely alone with her and perhaps not worthy of the responsability. But I am so glad that she spent this first hour of her life with him. To this day (I am finally finishing this blog post 19 months later) Brett is still the shining light in Nova's eyes. She loves him more than anything else in the world. Anyone can see that.
Nova, Brett and I spent two nights in the hospital. Then we went home and lived together happily ever after. The End.
