On the Day You Were Born....

On Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 I had your 40 week doctor's visit.   I was due on Saturday, September 12th.  At that visit Dr. Nash suggested he strip my membranes to encourage you to come out.   I agreed and he did.  Unfortunately, I had a little too much bleeding for his comfort so off I went to the Labor and Delivery Unit at Lutheran General Hospital.  I called your Dad, he brought the bag, they hooked me up to the monitors and we waited.    It was 09/09/09 and all the nurses talked about what a great day it would be to have a baby.   But guess what?

You didn't come.

At 11pm, nothing had changed.  The bleeding had stopped and they sent us home.    As I dressed in the bathroom in my hospital room, I lost my mucous plug.  I mentioned it to the nurse and as we walked out the door she smiled at me and said, "we'll see you tomorrow!"

The next day was Thursday, September 10, 2009.  I went over to Miss Mickie's house to meet your new friend Cooper who was just 4 days old.    I held Baby Cooper and I guess you were jealous because by 3pm that day, I started to feel contractions.   I was at home.  Your Daddy was at work.  I started timing the contractions on my phone.  

6 minutes.  13 minutes.   10 minutes.   15 minutes.   8 minutes.  12 minutes.

Hmmmm.....   Was this it?   Am I supposed to be timing these?   Do they count?    

I took out the paperwork from the doctor's office and re-read the instructions on labor.    It read:

For your 1st baby, call the office when you have contractions that are 3 minutes apart and Painful.  

These weren't painful at all so I thought, okay, I've got a while.     After an hour, I called your Dad at work and told him to wrap up his projects and come home because I thought you might be coming.    He got home around 5pm and we decided to go out to dinner.   We walked downtown Arlington Heights to eat at Grande Station.   I ordered Mac and Cheese with pancetta (delicious) and a large glass of water.   We timed contractions through dinner.   They weren't Painful.  

17 minutes.   14 minutes.   4 minutes (Oh crap)!  8 minutes.   11 minutes.  9 minutes.    

As we left the restaurant, we decided to get ice cream.  

7 minutes.  8 minutes.   6 minutes.  10 minutes.  

Vanilla for me and Mint Chocolate Chip for your Dad.    As we left the ice cream store we stopped on the sidewalk.

5 minutes.  

I leaned on your Dad.   Okay, this one was Painful.  

We headed toward home.  

4 minutes.   5 minutes.   4 minutes.  6 minutes.   

I called Miss Jen.   I had to keep stopping on the sidewalk with each contraction.   I thought Miss Jen might jump through the phone.   She said something like, "Go to the hospital you idiot!"    But I didn't want to sit at the hospital all night or God help me get sent home.  So we waited.

4 minutes.  3 minutes.   2 minutes.  

It got dark outside.   It was after 9pm.   We walked up and down the street outside our house for an hour.   We walked and stopped.  

3 minutes.  

We walked and stopped.  

5 minutes.  

They were now Painful.    We went inside.  I washed my face and put on fresh makeup.   They were getting Painful.  I clung to the bathroom sink hunched over.   Painful.     I called my boss at work and said I wasn't coming in the morning.   I called the doctor.  I couldn't speak.  I handed the phone to your Dad.   I think Dr. Nash thought we were crazy.  

4 minutes.  3 minutes.   3 minutes.   5 minutes.

We left the house.  Got in the car.   Daddy called our Grandparents and updated Facebook.   "Operation Stork is a go!'    

We pulled up to Lutheran General Hospital at 10:51pm.  I stopped timing.   Daddy dropped me off in the ER waiting area.   He went to park the car and get the bags.   The nurses offered me a wheelchair to go upstairs but I needed to walk.   We walked slowly to our room.   I changed, got my IV (an 18g in the right forearm on attempt x 2).    They checked my cervix:  3cm.

EXCUSE ME?   WHAT THE F@$%#$^$%!!!!     Are you sure?    Cause that was 8 hours and a lot of work and I was expecting a solid 7cm with a congratulatory "Hey you did a great job!"    All I got was a 3.     So we waited.    I labored until 2am:  5cm.    

At this point, I had had enough.   Epidural please!     Within 3 minutes the epidural was in place and I felt nothing.    Ahhh.....     so we went to sleep.

At 6am, the nurse came it and I was complete at 10cm.   At 6:30 we were ready to go!    BUT....

The nurses switched shifts at 7am, so they had me "labor down" until change of shift was over.   So at 7:30 we were ready to go!   BUT....

The doctors switched shifts at 8m, so they had me "labor down" until change of shift was over.   At 8:10 I pressed my call button and asked when the doctor was coming.     At 8:15, I pressed it again and said I needed my doctor.    At 8:20, I pressed it again and said, "I needed ANY DOCTOR RIGHT NOW".    At 8:30 the doctor arrived.   I started to push.     Your Daddy stood by me and encouraged me.    Loved me.

At 8:58am on Friday, September 11, 2009, you were here.  

Raegan Elizabeth McLaughlin
9lbs 1oz
20.5 inches long


I was in love.
I was a Mommy.
We were a family.