It was the scariest experience I will ever live through... the frantic feeling of my water breaking at 5 am, not knowing for sure what the heck was going on, calls back and forth to the birthing center midwives (they weren't sure but suspected it could just be a UTI or bladder infection and had planned to just call in a prescription for me when the pharmacy opened)... the worry and fear of what was really happening. When the supposed cramps became more frequent and very regular (thirty minutes apart, then fifteen, then ten...you get the gist) we knew it was time to book it. Just in time too... once we left the house headed to the birthing center (and later to the hospital) Shadow was made a reality in less than two hours!
The ride in the ambulance from the birthing center to the nearest hospital twenty miles away in Savannah only took about ten to twelve minutes... but it was the most horrifying part of the experience (even more so than labor)!! The EMS peeps did NOT want me to have a baby in their ambulance... and neither did I! As much as I absolutely looooooooove the thrilling experience of fast vehicles (especially driving them), I did not enjoy taking corners at what felt like 30-40 mph in the back of an ambulance with an IV sticking out of my arm... not my idea of a fun ride.
Now, I will admit that I'm ecstatic to have not had to push out a 7, 8, or 10 pound baby (Shadow was a mere 4 lbs, 9 ounces... my little 49-er!)... it had to be one of the easiest and fastest labors in history. I had read up a lot on giving birth and how quickly (and lengthy) some birthing experiences could be, but nothing prepared me for this. Actual labor was only an hour and a half at best... it was a very swift labor! Looking at it in retrospect, and hearing stories from friends' experiences, I'm lucky that my body wasn't wrecked by a longer and more laborious experience. And, I had a perfectly normal pregnancy... no morning sickness, average weight gain, mild heartburn and such is all. No other issues until that joyous day.
Shadow ended up in the hospital for only about two and a half weeks with some mild jaundice and apnea of prematurity (read one explanation of this very common condition of preemies here, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004488/), which was his only serious issue (and he outgrew it once he passed his expected due date about a couple of months later). We were very lucky though... some preemies had been in the NICU for months and had very serious conditions. I am thankful for my experience. I was somewhat upset that I didn't get the opportunity to experience giving birth in the big tub at the birthing center as planned... I was really looking forward to that.
Shadow began doing so well in fact, he surpassed expected weight gains and looked something like the Michelin Tire baby they used to show on the commercials... complete with rolls of baby fat. At six months he wore a handmade onesie that his father wore at eighteen months! I firmly believe the reason he came early was that he was just very hungry and wanted to begin life immediately. In fact, I never could keep up with breastfeeding him and always had to supplement with formula.
Skip to now. Shadow's growing so much... and taller than both his parents! Just started high school and so smart too... I know I'm biased in saying that but he really does well in school and learns things with ease. I'm just so proud to be his mom. And, I wish him the best 14th birthday a young man could ever have!! "If we could be twice young and twice old we could correct all our mistakes" ~ Euripedes
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