Bigger and better

Craig was the most normal labour I had. He was my first. He came out the largest of the three but the shortest of them as well, although I don't think they can catch him on height now. From the first labour pain to the moment he arrived was 8 hours long. It progressed just as it should. As he was my first I didn't really know what I was doing. I remember quite vividly during an intense painful contraction feeling like I was going to die and what the hell did I get myself into. My patient nurse told me not to worry as it was all going to be worth it in the end. I thought she was insane and disliked her so much at that moment I wanted to slap the silly little smile off her face, the smile that says she knows better than I do.

Well, she was right. It was absolutely worth every second. I fell in love with Craig immediately. My God, he was beautiful! He was my man right from the get go. He was so everything. I did not want to be apart from him, ever. Patient nurse, where ever you are, I now know that look and I am sure I use it all the time.

Stephanie was the middle child, the middle weight and the middle length of the three, but she took her squatting rights very seriously. My sister and I were pregnant together. She was due two weeks after me. My due date came and went, hers was nearing and her doctor told her that as everyone was ready, she should take castor oil to help start things going. She did. Within hours she went into labour. She had her baby a few days before her due date and I was still expecting. This did not sit well with me. I took a tablespoon of what looked, smelled, tasted and felt like liquid vaseline. Twelve hours later, nothing yet. I took another tablespoon and went to bed. I woke up at two in the morning with an intense contractions and they continued every two minutes. By the time I got the house up, got 3 year old Craig awake, peed, dressed and packed for a night at Grandma's, all with full painful contractions every 2 minutes, dropped Craig off at Grandma's and got to the hospital it was over an hour later. The nurse patiently checked me in, and helped me up onto a bed. I asked to go to the washroom as I felt very strongly I had to go. She said I could go after she did an exam. She didn't take long, as I was already crowning. I can still hear her gasp and she looked me right in the eye and said "Whatever you do, DON'T go to the bathroom or your baby will be born in the toilet" and ran out the door. She was back in 30 seconds, saying the doctor is being called and there is no time to shave me (heehee, I liked that). Stephanie was born about 30 minutes later. And I fell in love again. That moment you meet face to face is undescribable. She was so perfect. She was Stephanie.

After she was delivered, my doctor asked my husband to please go and park his car, it was the one running with the lights on and keys still in it in front of the front door. Wow, I really made him move.

Kaitlin was the most painful of all my three experiences with labour. She was the smallest but the longest of the three. She also took her squatting rights seriously. I was exactly 2 weeks overdue. My Doctor said there is no time like the present and decided to break my water to start things going. After the castor oil, I thought this was a good idea. THEN he came at me down there with a LARGE crochet hook and tried to pull all the hair out. Maybe he thought he would save the nurse from having to shave me. In less than an hour labour started and it proceeded quite fast. My labour was all in my back. It was awful. The first two were a walk in the park compared to this. Kaitlin came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice. I didn't know, but I could tell the doctor was concerned about something but I was in pain. She told me NOT to push. Later, Dean said Kaitlin was blue, really, really blue.

Kaitlin joined our family just over three hours from the crochet hook experience. Even with all the back pain, which I still have problems with to this day, she is worth it. More falling, more love. I still remember the emotions clearly. So overwhelming, so beautiful. Probably alot hormonal, but I don't care. I would go through everyone of those contractions again in a flash for that moment when the world stops and its just me and Craig/Stephanie/Kaitlin.

I love you guys even more today than I did then. You are still so wonderful, beautiful, enchanting and make my life so worthwhile.

Thank you.