Marimpsy Edward Horvath

It was almost a week past our due date and Christmas had come and gone with no baby. I even made it past Finals week in College without this little guy making his appearance. I was getting antsy and frustrated. I wanted to spend Christmas with my little family and this boy was determined he was going to wait.

The morning after Christmas, I woke up to cramping. I laid awake in bed next to my husband waiting to see if I felt it again. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later I felt it. It wasn't painful so I wasn't sure if I should wake up my husband or not. I laid there for a while and when I timed them to being 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute I woke him up. He immediately jumped up. Is it time? Is this it? I mean, it didn't hurt but I was timing the cramps and they were consistent..

So, I called the hospital at 5am and told them that I have been timing these cramps for about an hour, 5 minutes apart and lasting around a minute or so but I can still breath and talk during them. They told me that I can stay home, to go about my day as usual unless I feel like I need to come in.

Well we were 45 minutes from the birth center, this was our first baby and I didn't know what to expect or how long I would labor before the little man would make his appearance. Plus, I was excited! We called my parents, let them know we were headed out so they would watch our dog and hopped in the car while I tracked each little contraction I felt.

We got into the area around 6:30am and I was hungry so we stopped at a Coney to eat. I was still feeling the contractions and timing them but they weren't serious yet. After we ate we walked around the hospital for about an hour. Then I went to the bathroom and had a contraction and thought that my water broke! So we checked in! They monitored my contractions for a few minutes, checked to see how much I was dilated (only about 3in I think) and saw I was handling the contractions fine and sent me home... BUMMER!

Now what?! Well by that time, it was close to lunch so my husband and I went to eat some Mediterranean food (My Favorite)! While we ate a feast of different sides with plenty of food to take home, we looked up what movies were playing in the area. We wanted to kill some time close by so that if things started happening, we would be minutes from the birth center.

We went to a 1:00pm showing of ___, as the movie started my contractions started to be a little more painful and lasting longer. I sat in the theater chair next to my husband and every 3 minutes a contraction would come, I'd stop watching the movie, hold my breath a little bit and watch the timer and I reminded myself to breath. The contraction would last a full minute. Then the time dropped to every 2 minutes a wave would come and by then I wasn't even watching the movie anymore. I was sitting in the dark theater, with only a few others there for the movie as well, listening to the action of the movie while breathing through each contraction.

Once the contractions started getting closer and the movie was almost to an end, I asked my husband if he would come to the bathroom with me because I didn't think I could make it alone.. "Should we leave now?? Are you ok??" "Um.. yeah, we should probably go.."

As I was walking, my legs started shaking. I needed my husbands support to walk. We drove just a few minutes to the birth center, walked in side much slower than that morning and checked in. They took me to the first room to analyze where I was at in my labor, there I began to lose my Mediterranean lunch... (not so tasty coming up as it was going down!)

My nurse came in and walked us to the Labor room, which was really hard - I had to stop every minute to breath and focus on each contractions while answering the typical check in questions.

When we made it to my room, I had a tub! So my husband filled it with warm water for me as I continued to puke my guts out and chug water. My nurse told me to only sip it, but I was so thirsty and in pain. But it was still tolerable. I was on my knees in the tub with my head in my arms on the counter and my husband sat right by me while I swayed my hips from side to side in the water. That helped the pain ALOT. Until I felt the urge to stand and use the bathroom.

I got up, sat on the toilet but nothing and it wasn't as comfortable as I imagined it would be. So I moved to in front of the sink. But still no, I needed to be on my knees. My nurse asked me if I wanted to come into the room to the bed and she put a bar up for me as well. She sent my husband to get me some ice as I knelled in front of my bed with my head and my arms on the bed in front of me. She asked me to sign some forms for medication, but I refused. I was dead set against an epidural or any other type. But she scared me a little bit as the pain got worse to sign at least for the laughing gas. But she wouldn't force me, she just wanted me to have it as an option if I needed it. My husband came back in as she was trying to get me to sign the forms and was my support against it. Told her no as I focused on another contraction.

As the contractions sped up, I used the bar on the front of the bed to pull myself up from my kneeling position. I continued to sway my hips and hum through my laboring.

I felt as though I was caught in the rising tide of the ocean, each contraction would hit me like a wave, tumbling over me as I tried to breath through them. I prayed through the whole experience as I felt Jesus walking on the water above me, reaching down to guide me through and my husband swam next to me the whole way to shore.

When my doctor came in, she told me I had to get on the bed so that she could check my dilation. That was like asking me to climb Mt Everest! One of the hardest moments I remember about having my son. So I pulled myself up, climbed on to the bed on all fours but then I was stuck! Some how I had to get on to my back.. I stayed there for a moment as my doctor coached me "You need to get on your back, Cynthia" "I am, I know, I can't.." "Yes you can, come one, you can do it" I practically threw myself over and she scooted me back, checked my dilation. I don't remember how far I was, I believe it was 7 or 8 cm. But she looked at the nurse and said, "not quite there" Looked at me and said " You're getting there but I have to go, Dr. so&so will take good care of you"

But as soon as she left, I felt the urge to push. So I pushed and the nurse looked at me stunned. She peaked and said "Oh! He's coming!" Ran out of the room and before I could push again the room was filled with people, my doctor rushed in, gloved up and lights came down from the ceiling behind her as she sat in front me. "Well, you must really want me to deliver this boy!"

She asked Nick if he wanted to assist in the delivery but he was stunned by the commotion in the room and how I was handling it and then seeing our son's head so little and squished then popping out body and all in one push. It was so mind blowing that he cut our son's cord with his left hand and he is right handed!

The moment our son was born, the nurses wiped him down and set him on my chest. Because I did't have my glasses on and I am as blind as a bat, the first thing I noticed of him was his little butt and how it felt as I cupped it with my hand. He wiggled up my chest and then I saw his big brown eyes looking up at me. That moment was the second best moment in my life - the first was when I married my husband-

That moment when my son looked at me for the first time and my husband stood next to me in awe, that was my glimpse of heaven.

God gave us you <3

#Family #birth #baby #naturaldelivery #Parenthood