So i'm sitting downstairs watching tv on Sunday night on the 13th finishing up my awesome show of who knows whatever i was watching, and my wife is getting ready to go to bed. She had just been lamenting how the earlier attempt at inducing labor via castor oil was fruitless. So she went up the stairs all forlorn and miserable when at the top of the stairs she says, "oh crap..." Then right back down the stairs. "Okay this is gonna sound really gross babe, but does this smell like pee to you?" she had a funny look on her face, me completely unphased responded, "ya sure" so i did.. i couldn't tell.. it didn't smell like pee which kinda got me excited... could her water have broke? Is it possible we'd be meeting our son soon? The excitement roared through me. Still not sure if her water had broke or she had a all to familiar pregnancy 'accident' i suggested she do some jumping jacks and see if anymore water came out. (side note: when pregnant the baby's head kinda acts like a cork so i figured doing some jumping jacks would dislodge his head and let some water out if it had indeed broken) "No way!, i'm not doing jumping jacks. What if it is broke and goes all over the carpet?" she inquired. "So go in the Kitchen, i won't watch you i promise.. just do it it'll be easy to clean up on the linoleum." i replied.. a few seconds passed... I turn my head, and hear the familiar thump thump thu---oh jeez! Success! sure enough broken water! OUR BABY IS ALMOST HERE!!!! This was a major milestone. After watching my poor wife go around the past few weeks miserable and hating life and feeling like this pregnancy will never end a glimmer of hope had just sparked in our lives! So on the phone i go to page the midwives, after their speedy reply phone call I talk to Val, she tells us "GO TO BED NOW!" which was a very good suggestion so we could get as rested up for the time ahead of us. She told us to rest as long as possible and then call her when the contractions get close together. So off to bed we whisk ourselves, I try to get all the last minute preperations while chante got ready for bed... lets see... playlist loaded on iphone... check, bags all ready by the door... check shaved and ready to look as good as a schlub like me can for this birth and the inevitable photos to follow. Then off to bed we go.. trying to fall asleep as fast as possible, and sure enough we did. I woke up hearing Chante in the bathtub sounding like she was laboring pretty tough, she got outta the tub and came in to wake me up. I was ready when she did.. she said "um, we should probably page Val. So, ZOOM! i whip outta bed at 2:30am like i'm late for work.. i call Val as Chante who's laboring pretty hard in bed now, decides to get back into the tub. After Val talked to a very frantic completely "typical expecting movie father-like" me and then talked to Chante, she told us we should meet at the birth center at 4am. So off to brush the morning breath off of my teeth (cuz the last thing a laboring woman wants is dragon breath saying 'breath baby, breath.. all while she's wishing i would stop breathing) and get everything loaded up in the truck i went, I made the calls that i could think of to make.. then off we zoomed on very icy roads to the birth center. We got about a quarter of a mile down the first road from our house when i asked if she'd like me to start playing the playlist i made for her, and she rather eagerly agreed. Well that lasted all of about 4 minutes, before hands went flying frantically, mid-contraction, towards the general direction of the stereo. I deduced with, quite preceptive logic, that music at this point in time is not high on the priority list of calming techniques. So off we race to the birth center, as i'm timing her contractions on the car stereo clock and trying not to crash us down the frozen tundra that was I-5 i would get gentle reminders, "um babe, you don't need to do 80 to get us there." Oh jeez! I hadn't even realized I was going that fast! With as many times as i had made this drive, to work, and to the birth center, this was taking FOREVER!!! However, we made it to the birthcenter promptly at 4am. From there it was a whirlwind of getting stuff unloaded and Chante into the tub and making sure everything we needed was unloaded. Then the support group showed up.. thank goodness! I've always considered myself a pretty level headed person despite harsh situations, but i literaly felt like my head was spinning! From the point Chante got in the tub it was like everything in the world around us completely disappeared and she and i were the only two people on the planet, i didn't really register what was going on around us. All i could do was make sure i could do everything i possibly could to help my amazing wife get through this ridiculously intense situation. Shortly after she was in the tub and we had gotten into a rhythm of contractions and calming techniques, Val checked Chante, to find out that she was dialated to 10 and all she had to do now was push the baby out! Holy Cow this flew past me. So i could tell that it was Pushing time by the sounds she was making, they were sounds i had never heard from her and were kind of alarming for me, however since I knew these sounds where leading to our son coming out to meet us it was easier to be happy to hear them instead of having them haunt me! She was the strongest, most beautiful woman i have ever seen throughout this whole process! After pushing in the tub for awhile, they decided to add a little gravity to the process and have chante get on the birthing stool, which seemed to help her out very well. For awhile, I was sitting behind her and being support, rubbing her back and whispering words of confidence in her ears, until my aunt Kelly snapped me out of my bewilderment and onetrack "support, support, support" mind and told me I should be in front of her to watch my son. so we switched places... it was amazing to watch and see everything that was happening. Then after pushing on the birth stool for awhile, Chante needed to be back in the tub right now, and after moving there that's when it happened. She got in the tub, pushed a few times and out came his head! the relief in her face made me feel so much better, but the little bugger had somehow managed to get his arm up by his head which was why she was working so hard without the results you'd expect to see. So they had to do a little bit of manuvering of him to get him to come out, which really didn't go over well with Chante by the sounds of it. Then 1 more push and blblblblump.. out he came! They instantly put him on Chante's chest and he made a little cry, The amazing speed of which extreme pain and work switched to relief and absolute love was astounding to me, however it was hard to hear for me through the hot stinging in my eyes of pride, tears, and eternal gratitude to my wife for bringing such a beautiful baby boy into the world for us. She was so strong, and so amazing that it still makes that sting come back to my eyes as they "sweat".. I love her so much, and she has made us such an amazing child. This was definitely an experience that i will remember to the Nth degree for the rest of my life. Thanks to everyone who helped so much, Robyn, Kelly, Jodi, Val, and Suzanne. You all have made our lives so much better with your Expertise, Passion for life, Caring, and Love. THANK YOU!!
There is so much more story after the actual birth, but i shall save that for another post!
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