Second Time Around

My first pregnancy was wonderful. Everything was new and exciting and to be enjoyed. Certainly the sickness, water retention and heartburn were not nice but the bigger picture was always wonderful.


My second pregnancy was a nuisance. I was sicker longer, had heartburn stronger, felt fatter sooner and I could no longer wrestle with my two year old. Nothing was a novelty.


My first Labor was atrocious. I had a three day long Prodomal Labor, which means my contractions acted as though I was 9cm dilated for three days but they only advanced me to 2cm - 3 days people. By the end of it they gave me morphine so I could get some sleep and when I finally did get past 2cm and went into "active labor" I had to have Nubain to get me through because I was just so exhausted. After that, pushing Toby out was a breeze.


My second Labor was glorious. Certainly not perfect, I had two false starts. Decent sized and spaced contractions sent me to the hospital not once but twice in the week prior to Charlie's birth. We were there a few hours before everything stopped, completely utterly stopped. After the second time they gave me some ambien because I was tired and emotionally unstable - I wanted the darn baby out of me :-)


So at 7pm that night I took a few ambien. I woke up just before 1 am feeling the need to push, which alarmed Husby just a tad. We raced to the hospital and had been in triage long enough for me to change and pee when my water broke. The Dr ran in, said "You're 9cm!!!" and we had one of those movie moments in which they are pushing me down the hallway to the delivery room at full speed, my husband running behind answering questions as we went. My water broke at 2.05am and Charlie was out and about at 3.02, I pushed for about 45 minutes. 9 pounds 2 ounces, no drugs (no time) and no stitches. Not to toot my own horn but I was very impressed with myself, once it was over, while it was going on I was impressed with nothing.


I'm glad my water broke this time, they broke it for me last time. It really did feel like someone snapped a water balloon, and though I'm sure it's impossible I swear I heard it pop. I then threw up so it wasn't a Charlotte York Sex and the City 2 kind of moment.


I had decided to say yes to the Epidural, but I'm glad it all went so quickly and I got to do it naturally this time. To know what we women can do, without the help of drugs. I rock!


Within a few hours of Labor I was ready to agree to a third child. Might take Husby a bit longer to reach that conclusion, a bit longer and a free minivan!