Today is my son’s birthday. I can remember every detail of the day he was born. My heart is overflowing with love for this soul that God has blessed us with.
Lou was working out of town the first few years of our marriage. I was always concerned that I would have the baby while he was away. I do believe I was one of those young mothers that had “contractions” starting in my fifth month. Yes, I was one of those…..hanging my head….and I swore I was having this baby every weekend until he actually arrived. I was due on February 18 and my mother came up to stay with me during the week while Lou was gone just so she could be there if needed. We would sit and wait and sit and wait as the days turned into weeks. I remember her saying “If I have to watch the show “Quincy” one more time I am going to scream” since this meant another week had gone by. Back then the doctors only did one ultrasound during your pregnancy and they made an educated guess of when you were due and then adjusted it as you went along. Although they guessed I was having a girl they were not sure. By the first part of the second week of March when they realized that Nathan was breach and did not have room to flip on his own they finally scheduled a C-section for the morning of Monday, March 14. 1983.
Louie made arrangements to take off that week and we spent the weekend getting ready. I was HUGE! I gained 70 pounds and I was exhausted. I ate my usual Saturday night pizza from the West Pizza House and we went to bed late. At 2:15 we were laying in bed and all of a sudden my stomach stretched out the size of beach ball and I felt this tumbling kick. I jumped up and was standing on the bed as I watched the stretch marks pull apart and then in a matter of seconds my water broke. Nathan had decided he was ready to come into this world and actually stood on end inside my stomach and flipped himself around so as not to be breach anymore. The pressure of this tumbling act caused my water to break with such force that the curtains and bedding and carpet were caught in the cross fire. We had a toy poodle that was always by my side (loved that dog!) …….poor Brandy…she was soaking wet! She just stood there frozen on the bed not knowing what to do. When I jumped off the bed and went to the bathroom to take a bath (yes…I took a bath since we had no shower in our old 2-story home) and get ready for the addition to our family, Louie called my parents and his parents and sister.
My parents lived well over an hour away but they beat me to the hospital. My father was pacing up and down the halls. My mother still had wet hair from her shower. By this time I was having small contractions and I was confident that I could handle this. I thought these pains that I was having on the way to the hospital were what I was to expect during the course of delivery. I am sure all the mothers reading this are laughing and knowing what comes next! When I got there they said I need an enema. A what? I am having a baby from my front, why am I having to empty my back? I did as I was told. The pain got worse. Now I was second guessing my decision to have a natural child birth “for the sake of the baby”.
It is now about 6 am and I am in full blown labor. I remember telling Lou that he better find someone who can give me something for this pain or I was actually going to kill him. That “something” never came. My mother came in and she tried to make it all better like she always had but there was no reasoning with me. I wanted to see my Daddy but I told them to make sure he came between contractions since I did not want him to see me in pain. The contractions were closer together now and they had to hurry. He came in and I remember the tears in his eyes and then it hit me…..the mother of all contractions! He was horrified! Here was his baby girl having his grandchild and there was nothing he could do to ease my pain. I told him to go and he kissed me on the forehead and went and got Louie. By 7am I was in so much pain and was hyperventilating from the breathing technique they taught us in Lamaze, I think I blacked out for a few minutes. When I regained a sense of where I was I realized I was in the delivery room. It was time for Nathan to be welcomed into the fold. At 7:20 am I heard the first cry of the most beautiful soul I have ever known; my son. The disappointment of not having a baby girl was soon lost to the never felt before feelings in my heart. Only a mother knows what I am talking about. The moment I held him there was nothing else on earth more important to me. God had just entrusted me with his angel and it was my job to be the best mom I could be. I hope I did Him proud.
Happy Birthday Nathan (a gift from God) John (given by God- also masculine for Johanna which was my Grandmother’s name)- you are my most precious gift and I love you more than you will ever know….until you have a precious child of your own.
And by the way…….natural child birth is highly over-rated. I did not even get a gold star for my scrap book!
Happy Birthday Nathan!!!
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