Kaya Holiday Sangkarat
We arrived at Glendale Adventist at 8pm on Monday night as scheduled, only to be told that Labor & Delivery was busy and that we would have to wait. I managed to reign in my insane hormones and waited calmly for about an hour until they finally had a room for me. I got hooked up to the machines and monitors, put on the assless hospital gown and settled in, having light, totally bearable contractions. I was feeling really cocky, thinking, "I don't know what these broads are complaining about. Labor is easy". Papa-to-be, my mom, Kelsey and I hung out in the room, watching television and talking for a few hours and around 11, my family left, leaving P-t-b and I alone, promising to return in the morning. Just after 11, the nurse came in and started me on an IV drip of Pitocin to speed the contractions. Slowly, the contractions started to come more regularly and got a lot stronger- going from "totally bearable" to "fuuuuuck". I summoned the nurse and asked if there was anything I could do to help me through the night since I knew my doctor wasn't going to be back at the hospital until at least 7 am. She did an exam and told me I was 3 centimeters dilated. I expected her to hook me up with a Vicodin tablet or something but instead she tells me this is the perfect time to start the epidural.
So, around 2 am, the anaethesiologist came into the room and started the epidural. Let me tell you, epidurals renew my faith in modern medicine. Within minutes, I was feeling floaty and lovely and wanted to prance around with a magic wand, dropping epidurals into all my friends' Christmas stockings. I fell asleep for a couple hours, woke up and was magically 5 centimeters dilated. Again, I was thinking, "This labor thing? No problem. Easy!". As the day progressed, the epidural went from "awesomeist invention ever" to "necessary but fucking uncomfortable". By midafternoon my entire body was numb from my ribcage to my knees and I was totally paralyzed.
My mom and dad, Kelsey, Kirk and Jazmin were all there with us and I was still able to enjoy conversation and the anticipation of knowing I was getting closer and closer to meeting Kaya. Then around 4:00, the doctor arrived, did an exam and announced that I was 10 centimeters dilated and that he was going to shut off the epidural so that I would be able to push within a couple hours. When he did that, I suddenly could feel exactly where her head was and I could feel the wax and wane of every contraction and it was NOT FUCKING EASY. I was wrong, I am sorry and broads- you were right. Labor is HARD. Within a couple hours of being off the epidural, my entire body was shaking, I was vomiting and it HURT. I excused everyone but Papa-to-be to the waiting room and started getting ready to push.
The doctor came into the room around 6pm, did an exam and said that while it looked like she was ready to make her debut, she was facing the wrong direction and the cord was wrapped around her neck. We were going to have to do this quickly and with vacuum suction. Suddenly, the room was a lot like it is on TV, the doctor calling out instructions that I didn't understand and hurried nurses delivering mysterious instruments that I was not entirely sure I wanted near or in my hoo-ha.
And then, after 20 HOURS OF LABOR (I plan on repeating that every time she gives me shit as a teenager) Miss Kaya Holiday Sangkarat was delivered at 7:10 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 ozs. and was 19 3/4 inches long.
She is perfect and beautiful and I can't wait to watch her grow up.
Kaya, please don't ever ask me about the day of your birth. I'm still bitter about it all. I told your mother to have the baby sometime during my winter break. She told me she would do all she could. I said I would only be mad if she had the baby the day after I left to go back to school. Two days after I left was fine, but I would be pissed if it was the day after. And look what she goes and does.
ReplyDelete- Auntiebom