As promised, here's my next post with an introduction to my first born. Two weeks late, induced 36-hours of labor with an emergency c-section just to make the moment memorable -- as if being my first born wasn't enough. Child birth was nothing like I'd expected. I remember being in full makeup and hair with a few well-planned wardrobe changes for my stay. My first born shattered all of that! I remember being in the OR, flat on my back, staring up into the bright white ceiling with the anesthesiologist leaning in over my face on his cell phone making dinner reservations and my doctor asking, "can you feel this -- what about that?" I yelled, "yes, I can feel it!" I thought that she was slicing into my stomach and panic was quickly setting in. I don't think a woman ever really considers what it's actually going to take to get the child out of your body until it's actually happening. Let me just say this, it ain't all rainbows and unicorns. For me, it was more like an emergency scene from Grey's Anatomy.
I remember a huge release of pressure from the highest point of my chest and there he was. He was quickly swaddled, everyone joined hands and cut the cord and I tearfully extended my arms and placed him against my bosom. And, if you're really buying this, let me sell you some fried ice cream as my mother would say.
Well, there was a hugh release of pressure and I saw a quick glimpse of a baby with perfectly coifed hair with a part on the side (I kid you not) that appeared to be levitating over a blue barrier that hung between my chest and the rest of my lower body. Before I could do anything, I began to vomit uncontrollably -- With my head simply turned to the side, vomit engulfed the left side of my head, hair and ear. The only thing that I could think about was, why is it that women don't readily share this information?! It's like a secret rite of passage -- once you're in the club, other mothers give you what I call, the motherhood nod.
It wasn't until the next afternoon that I actually got to really see my son and hold him -- I'm not going to get into the latching on and how painful it was to hold him because of the c-section. I'll save that for another time...
My first born opened my heart to a kind of love that I knew existed but never really understood until he was born. So much so, I didn't think that I could possibly have another child and have any love left -- but it's amazing how children deepen the heart and it's capacity to love unconditionally and purely.
I guess you didn't really meet my first born in this post but at least now you have a little insight into how he made an unforgettable entrance. Let me just say that he continues in this tradition...
I'd love to hear your first experience with childbirth... Dads, feel free to chime in
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