Hello Friends!
My name is Molly. I’ve been eager to write my first posts for The Other Baby Blog, and was sure that it would be about breastfeeding advice (I’ll be the Ask the LC expert in the coming weeks). But I’m starting with my son’s birth story instead! My husband and I wrote it from each of our perspectives. Throughout the entire pregnancy we had a feeling that this baby would come on a full moon, low and behold exactly 1 week and 1 day “late,” Montgomery Charles made his entry into the world under the light of the moon. Enjoy!
Monty’s Birth 5/6/2012
From Dad’s view
Written 5/9/2012
It all started at almost exactly midnight. I came in to bed and Molly said that she was having a contraction. She got up to go to the bathroom and had another contraction while she was there. She then stated that if she had another contraction like the last two that it would be it. I asked her if I should get up and make myself some coffee and she said no, that we would try to go back to sleep. The next thing I kew, Molly announced, “I am in labor”.
I got the Kindle which had a contraction timer app and started recording her contractions. The first two contractions came around 4 minutes apart. I ran to get some coffee started and she had a contraction before I could get back. I guess the next one was between 3 and 4 minutes apart. I got dressed and missed another contraction and realized that the contractions were consistently close together. I kept expecting that the contractions would vary in their timing since it was so quick, but they never wavered from the 3-4 minute spacing.
Molly wanted to labor for a while in the bath. After her bath, she came out to the front room in her robe and rocked back and forth on the exercise ball for a couple of minutes. She asked me to make her some hot water, so I put on the kettle. During this time I loaded the suitcase into the car. Molly never touched the hot water (big surprise). This whole time she kept contracting at around 3 minutes apart. I asked her a couple of times if we could get moving to the hospital. She was worried that we would get there and they would say she was only 4 cm and overly dramatic. She ended up being pretty dramatic anyways.
The moon that night was called a “Super Moon.” It was a full moon and also much closer than usual. We thought that the moon might have an impact on when we gave birth, and it might have.
Molly walked outside to see the moon in her robe and stood there swaying beautiful below the moon for a minute. Then all at once her water broke outside under the moon. The image of her under the moon is one of the images that I will always remember from that night. I wanted to get directly into the car and drive to the hospital but Molly was sure she wanted to take a shower and get cleaned up before we got there. She did okay me to call in to the hospital and get Gretchen there. I was so nervous when I called it took me two tries to get my information across to the person on the other line. Almost immediately after the call Molly changed her mind about having time for the shower. She did want to get dressed though and I tried my best to help but I was getting more and more nervous and fumbled a bit.
Then we were out the door as quickly as possible. I took a second to scoop up our music and my coffee. Then we were in the car but I didn’t have keys and had to run back to grab them. As we pulled down the driveway, Molly said “Pushing!” and I stopped for a second to ask should I pull over. She said, “Just get there!” and I was off. I probably could have gone faster but I did not want to jostle her around the turns. I think I was going 40 or so through the subdivision and just rolled right through the stop signs. Once I got onto Crystal Lake Road, I pushed it up to around 70 or so. I remember that the music was on and I remember how hard my heart was beating in my chest. I don’t think that I was scared but whatever I was feeling it was pretty close. I do remember that I was conscious to drink some of my coffee (which was probably pretty silly) so that I would not be too tired it we had a very long night. When we got to the Bull Valley light I had to wait for a car to cross the intersection and then I blew the red light. I kept expecting to see police lights behind me especially after I rolled the light. Molly said that I should pull into the emergency room entrance and I managed to pass the first entrance (damn!) but then we were there.
The whole time I was driving I could tell that Molly was in active labor. She told me that she was pushing sometime during the middle of the trip and I did offer to pull over but she told me no. During most of the time Molly had her head out the window letting the wind wash over her.
As we pulled up to the emergency room entrance, Molly exclaimed “It’s the ring of fire!” since Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire had just started playing on the radio (which can mean that a baby is crowning). Molly tried to get up and I told her to sit down and I would grab a wheel chair. I ran around the car and was relieved to see wheelchairs just inside the entrance but when I got back to the car Molly looked like she definitely did not want to get in the wheelchair. I learned later that was probably due to the baby basically crowning at that time. After looking at the chair for a couple of seconds I got the attention of a young girl in the ER and told her to alert the ER of a labor patient. Molly ditched the chair and we walked carefully into the ER.
The crazy lady at the ER reception area started asking us a lot of basic questions that we truly did not have time for. Questions like “Who is your doctor?” etc. Then all at once Gretchen was there along with some of the OB nurses and they whisked Molly off. They led her to the nearest room and Molly quickly stripped her pants. I handed off the camera to a nurse and Molly yelled, “I feel the head!” Molly had positioned herself with just one leg on the bed. Gretchen ran over and started to catch the baby. She called me over but due to the position we were in, I was unable to catch the baby. When Monty came out he had his umbilical cord across his shoulder and I was afraid for his neck. To get the baby untangled Gretchen rotated the baby and passed him forward directly under Molly. I was so relieved to hear the baby start to cry almost immediately. The next thing I remember hearing is Molly saying. “Hi Baby! It’s a boy!” After that it was much more relaxed. Molly put the baby directly on her chest and the baby stayed there for an hour or two more.
After the actual delivery around 1:10 am things were more or less normal. Nobody ever tried to take him away from us and he was perfect. The doctors let us go within the day and we were home around 3:00 pm. Thank you Monty for giving us this wonderful adventure and showing people how to come into the world in style.
Mom’s Side of the Story…………….
While sitting at Veteran Acres watching Oliver play in the splash park on a hot August afternoon, I had a very special secret. I was going to have a baby! That night I came home and told your daddy and he was very excited! We shared the news with the rest of the family over the next several days and everyone was thrilled. For 13 people on the Wallin side of the family the pattern was girl, boy, girl, boy ending with Perry so we all assumed that you would be a girl, daddy and I wanted to keep it a surprise.
Over the next 8 months you grew and grew and grew inside of me. We liked imagining what you would look like, feeling your kicks and hiccoughs and what your name would be. April 28, your due date, came and went with no signs of you. We all thought you might come on Cinco de Mayo since we all like to celebrate this day and we were planning your birth party. Saturday May 5th we woke up and went to the farmers market. We walked all around and you stayed safe inside my tummy. My friends from work called and said we should get things started, so Avery and Oliver went with Gi Gi for the night and Daddy and I went to the hospital to meet Gretchen she stripped my membranes with the hope of getting you to come out! Then Daddy and I went to the library to look around and pick out some music to listen to. We came home and watched a little t.v. before going out for Cinco de Mayo dinner. It was a beautiful night so we went for a walk. It felt so great so we kept on walking all around the neighborhood. I had a few contractions but nothing too intense. At about 10:45 I went to sleep, sure that another day had come and gone and you stayed put inside my belly!
Daddy stayed up and played some video games but came to bed around midnight. I decided that since I wasn’t quite asleep, I’dget up and go potty. I had a contraction on my way to the bathroom that was stronger than what I’d had before so I decide to try and get some rest and go back to bed. I crawled into bed to have another very strong contraction. It didn’t feel good to lay in bed so Daddy made me a warm bath to relax in and turned on some music. It didn’t feel very good in the bath either so Daddy helped me out and put on my robe. Daddy timed my contractions and rubbed my back. He made some coffee because we thought we were in for a long night of labor and put the suitcase in the car so we would be ready. The ball felt better than the tub, but I was so hot and everyone had been talking about the super moon that was expected to be beautiful and bright, so I went outside to look at it.
Daddy came out to see too, but was bustling about getting ready for the hospital and reminding me that the contractions were coming quick. He suggested we go to the hospital several times but I wasn’t convinced that you were coming quite yet. I rocked and swayed under the moon and my water bag broke. It felt very good and I had some relief from the pressure in my belly. I decided to come in and shower before heading to the hospital and Daddy called the unit to tell them we’d be on our way shortly. Before I could get into the shower my contractions became more intense so we decided to go then. Daddy helped me get dressed but I think he was a little nervous because he put my underpants on sideways. Once I was dressed, Daddy grabbed the camera and music and we were out the door. I got into the car and buckled my seatbelt and Daddy grabbed his coffee and we were out the door. We only made it to the end of the block before I felt myself starting to push. Uh-Oh, I’m pushing! I yelled to Daddy hurry! Dad offered to turn around or to pull over but I told him to drive FAST! I rolled down the window so that I could feel the air on my face.
I started pushing again right in front of the hospital. Daddy offered again to pull over but I told him to drive to the Emergency Room entrance. I waited through another contraction before I got out of the car but before getting out I hear the beginning of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire coming on to the radio…..a perfect song for the moment. I looked at the wheelchair and tried to sit down but it was just too uncomfortable! I held onto it for another contraction and thought that you might just come outside the ER because I didn’t see how I could walk one more step. Somehow Dad took my hand and we began walking inside. The admission lady asked me who I was and who my doctor was and lots of other questions but I just wanted to push. I looked up and saw Gretchen and she rubbed my back and asked me if I thought I could make it upstairs and I said no. So she asked the nurse for a room to put me in we went one way and then turned around and went to a corner room. Daddy threw his keys at the front desk and told them to move the car.
As soon as I was in the room I began taking off my pants, I wanted to climb into bed so that I could push again but was only able to put one leg up on the bed before I reached down and felt your head coming out. I calmly announced that you were ready and I was so HAPPY because I couldn’t wait to meet you! I pushed once strong and hard and felt your head deliver into my hands and felt Gretchen’s hand on my back coaching me to push the rest of your body out. In one more push I felt your body slide out from mine and you were on the bed in front of me. I kissed you and dried you off and then saw that you were a boy. I was so happy. I quickly took off my shirt and picked you up and put you on my warm skin. You looked perfect and you felt soooo good against me. Daddy was so happy too and was checking you over. The girls from OB had come down to help too and were congratulating me and covering me up with warm blankets and listening to your heart. Daddy was kissing you and me and we were all so thrilled that you had come. We had waited so long to meet you and then you came into our lives like lightning, about an hour after my first contraction!
You nursed for the first time in the elevator on the way up to the OB unit. They checked me over and you over again while you nursed and nursed. We could see the bright moon outside of our window. After you were done nursing I took a shower and Daddy held you on his skin while we called to share our news! No one could believe how quickly you came in to this world. I was completely euphoric. All the planning for your delivery, making the special song list and preparing special oils….no time for any of it! We did listen to music once we got to the OB unit and you seemed to enjoy it as much as me. That morning I snuck into the locker room before all of my nurse friends got there and shouted surprise. They couldn’t believe you were here! They all held you and loved you too! At lunch time after meeting your brother and sister and Gigi and Pops we decided it was time to bring you home. I felt amazing. Really Amazing! Each time I tell this story or think of it I remember something new, I’m so proud of how you got here, it is exciting and fun and …words just can not describe! There was never any pain only this wonderful energy that helped me bring you here. Your Daddy was amazing, and calm and has been so wonderful in taking care of you and me and your brother and sister. We are all so excited that you are here Montgomery! Welcome and Thank you!
My husband also made a slideshow of the event which can be viewed at:
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