The Day I Coughed Out A Baby (Elise's Birth Story)

Dear Elise,

You are almost 7 months old and we are about to celebrate my first Mother'sDay, so this seems like a good time to tell you the story of your birth.

Though you weren't due until October 13th, we had said all along that we hoped you would come on the 11th, so that your birthday would be 10/11/12--your Mom is very alphabetically, numerically minded. On the 10th, which was a Wednesday, I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home from church that evening. I went to bed early, but your Dad, who is an eternal night owl, did not, he would wish later that he had...

A little after 2:00am, I woke up and needed to go to the restroom. Your Dad popped up and asked if everything was OK, pretty much like he had every time I got up at night for that last little bit. I said yes, just needed to go to the bathroom...a few seconds over the bathroom threshold and that changed, I was pretty sure that I felt my water break. I woke your Dad up and he started packing the car while I got a shower and did my makeup (needed to at least look good!).

Your Dad drove us to the hospital with the flashers on, not like I was that far along in the labor process, but it made him feel important! After waiting for the slowest receptionist ever, we were checked into a room. And the waiting began, with some pretty nasty contractions thrown in for good measure. The nurse (this particular nurse was the only bad apple in the bunch) couldn't determine how dilated I was so we had to wait for the doctor to come. In the meantime, we finally gave your Mimi the go ahead to come on since she had an hour and a half drive and takes longer to get ready than anyone I know. Dr. Polidoro came in about 9:00am and said that I was dilated to 5cm--I won't lie, I cried because I thought that I remembered them saying that at 5, I wouldn't be able to get an epidural and I needed it BAD.

3 tries later, the anesthesiologist got it right and the epidural started working and we started the waiting game again. By 2:00pm, I wasn't any further along, so they started me on Pitocin to try to get me to dilate. Dr. Polidoro let me know that she had to leave by 5 to take her sons somewhere and suddenly I was frantic, wanting you to hurry up, so that she would be the one to deliver you.

The ward was full that day and Dr. Polidoro got behind, so she came in at 5:30 just before she was going to leave to check me in a last ditch effort to see if we could start to deliver. I was at a 10! Everything after that is a blur. About 5:40, they started to prep me and the room, while Dr. Polidoro texted her sons to say she was going to be late. I know she really needed to go, but after we had told her and the nurses that they were going to get to introduce your Dad to his first blood relative, she wasn't going to miss it!

Your Dad turned into the paparazzi and started waving the camera to get pictures of the whole process. By this time, I was starving since they hadn't let me eat and I was having some reflux that was making me cough. Between contractions, just as the doctor was trying to finish the episiotomy, I coughed, and there you were. I literally coughed you out! Just 20 minutes after I started pushing, at 6:08pm on 10/11/12, you were here! Dad cut the cord and put on your first diaper and after all of those months, we finally got to hold you. We haven't put you down much since...we love you so.

Mommy (and Daddy!)