A little later, in between contractions David quizzed me, asking me if I knew what time it was. I guessed about 7 pm, but it was actually 10 pm. They tell you time in labor moves at a different speed and it is so true. Despite the fact that you are supposed to be going through one of the most painful experiences of your life (that’s certainly up for debate however), time seems to fly. After being in labor five hours, my denial had turned more to disbelief. It’s hard enough to prepare for a baby to come into your life and change everything in ways you couldn’t dream of, but it is even more unreal when that moment you first meet your baby actually comes.
At this point in time, labor seemed to really start picking up. I started to get weary of the contractions and said that I really wanted to admit that I was done, but I was so afraid to do so, because I knew that if I said it, it probably wouldn't be true. Finally, I told Tricia and David, I was done and tired and ready to have this baby. Every book I had read told me that when I arrived to this admission, it meant I was almost there.
Soon, I threw up. Since this usually indicates transition (when your body finishes dilating from 9 to 10 centimeters right before you push), it seemed like a great sign. Remember how I mentioned that my labor was not exactly textbook. Well...since it seemed like I was at transition, Tricia told me that my water would probably break soon and I would feel like wanting to push. I continued to have contractions for awhile but neither of those things happened. So, Tricia asked to check me again and I was at 7 and a half centimeters. Luckily, or unluckily for me, I did not hear Tricia say how far along I was. Apparently, she did as David heard it, but I thought she chose not to tell me to protect my resolve. Thinking she was holding out on me worried me and made me think I had barely progressed. I thought for sure I must only be at around 5 centimeters even though I had been in active labor for over six hours.
Later, I found out that right around this time, David was considering offering me $200 as a present for pushing our baby out. Even though we could only afford $200, David decided it seemed an insulting amount of work I was putting into this effort and thus never offered it to me. And while, I know to most of you it does seem like a petty amount of money, to me it felt like a huge gesture of love. My husband is not a cheapskate but he values his budget and keeping us on track financially (he’s a Dave Ramsey fan). So, for him to think he could find that much extra money in the budget (also note, we were both working on our Master’s Degrees and had very little money) was such a kind gesture.
Later, I found out that right around this time, David was considering offering me $200 as a present for pushing our baby out. Even though we could only afford $200, David decided it seemed an insulting amount of work I was putting into this effort and thus never offered it to me. And while, I know to most of you it does seem like a petty amount of money, to me it felt like a huge gesture of love. My husband is not a cheapskate but he values his budget and keeping us on track financially (he’s a Dave Ramsey fan). So, for him to think he could find that much extra money in the budget (also note, we were both working on our Master’s Degrees and had very little money) was such a kind gesture.
Did you spouse/significant other/labor partner say or do anything special for you when you were in labor to encourage you along?
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