The Buss Stop: Daylight Savings and Birthdays

Daylight Savings began last week. I understand the idea behind it...to give us more daylight later into the evening over the summer...but, personally, I like cooler evenings in the summer, even if they're dark. And I like not feeling like I'm cheating time...hours don't just disappear when you want them to--they certainly didn't during labor.

Oh yeah, I had a baby!

The day before Stephen’s due date, I slept in till 10AM. As large and uncomfortable as I was, it felt lovely to get so much sleep. Robbie and I laid in bed talking, discussing life and the little things that make a conversation. And then, a little after 11AM, I started having contractions. They were similar to the Braxton Hicks contractions I'd been having for several weeks but more consistent in their strength and frequency. Like the wonderful nerd he is, Robbie made a Numbers document to track their duration and separation. Two hours passed and they kept coming. I texted our doula, Monique, and gave her a heads up and called my mom, with whom we made plans for her to come out to Albuquerque the next day if the contractions kept coming.

The rest of Friday was just a lot of relaxed preparation...we did some laundry, ate lunch, and ran some errands (got some flickering battery-powered "candles" and some new slippers for me). By the end of our outing, walking through the contractions was definitely getting difficult. We came home, ate dinner, and I spent the next hour or so leaning/kneeling against my exercise ball, practicing breathing through the discomfort. By 8:45PM the contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart and 45 seconds long, so we called Monique and let her know it was time for her to come.

About an hour after she arrived, we headed to the hospital birthing center. They monitored me and the baby for a short while, making sure everything looked good and that I was progressed enough to be checked in (which, at 5cm dilated, I was), and then we moved to one of the birthing rooms. I rested against my giant ball, hopped in a warm bath for a bit (with low lights and flickering "candles") and otherwise passed the first several hours in relative comfort. At the next check a short while later, I was up to 7cm, so things seemed to be progressing and a decently brisk pace. It was the wee hours of the morning and we were all quite tired, but we labored on (ha ha), knowing every hour brought us closer to finally meeting the little dude.

I'll spare you any gory details, but I just want you to know that everything they say about potentially puking or peeing or being otherwise indecorous is entirely true. It is also true, though, that if you've got a good support team (for me, my husband and my doula) and an understanding medical staff (in our case, a midwife and nurse), labor can be a good memory, despite the discomfort and pain.

The support team is especially important if you face any challenges. For us, that came in the form of being stuck at 9cm of dilation for quite awhile. The midwife let me know that, since my water hadn't broken on its own, they could manually break my water to help create more pressure against the cervix to push it open that last centimeter. I wasn't ready to do any kind of intervention unless I felt I'd given my body enough time and tried other methods first. But after five hours at 9cm and plenty of walking around and changing positions, I was ready to give it a shot. For the hour after they broke my water, the contractions got decidedly strong. That was the one time during labor that I would say it was truly painful. But, finally, after many hours of mini-naps between strong contractions and fighting the urge to push, I finally reached 10cm.

That's when the fun began!

I can't describe pushing any more authentically than being the most satisfying poo ever. After over a full day of breathing through contractions and having to passively let my body act on its own, it felt SO good to actively contribute to the mission at hand. I don't know exactly how long it took, but it was exhausting and exciting and I was determined to savor every moment (weird, huh?). It was incredible to see the kid start to crown (with the help of a mirror...I'm not THAT flexible). I made the midwife laugh when he was almost completely crowned and I told her it only "kinda burned" and got labeled as an "overachiever" by my doula. I was bursting with anticipation and delight as I watched Robbie pace the room between those last few contractions, calming himself as he prepared to catch the kid. And I was so focused when I finally felt his head pop out, making sure to push very gently after that so the midwife had a chance to check for the cord around his neck. The little babe started crying--as did Robbie--before his face was completely out, and I simply smiled with happiness and relief because I was done!

Things happened quickly then: Robbie placed little Stephen on my chest as the nurse helped wipe him down a bit. I just looked at him, shocked that something so big fit inside me (or managed to come out of me, for that matter). And right as I had the chance to marvel at how insanely cute he was, even at just a minute old...he peed on me. It was a glorious moment. I was caught in awe, but the job wasn't quite done yet. People around me were cleaning us up and checking our vitals...Robbie cut the cord once it had stopped pulsing...the midwife helped coax out the "afterbirth" and got some small tears mended...and I got the little dude to nurse for the first time. It must have taken at least 20 minutes for all of that to happen, but it felt like the blink of an eye.

Stephen Andrew Buss weighed in at 8lbs 14.4oz, and his little smushed head was 14.5" in circumference. He scored an 8 on his 1 minute APGAR test and a 9 on his 5 minute test. He was already an overachiever like his mom.

Now over several weeks have passed...the days slipping by very quickly (and in a slight fog due to interrupted sleep). We were blessed to have my mom stay with us and help out for the baby's first week, and we have received several meals from generous people at church (and Monique) during this past week. Robbie's parents were even able to visit for a few days. It feels that some normalcy is returning to life again...and I've already forgotten what it feels like to have a big belly. But I still can't believe that this little fellow is finally here and we get to enjoy this new chapter of his life.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep.