Your Birth Story

This post is for you my baby Riley and I want to do it now because I realized today that your months are flying by and before we know it, it will be years that we are counting. I can still remember your birth, but I'll admit that as each wonderful day with you passes it becomes a bit more blurry...


Sweet baby, your due date was February 3, although I remember when I was doing the counting myself Daddy and I were secretly hoping you would be a Valentine's Day baby. Valentine's Day is a special day for us because Daddy proposed on that day! Even so we were thrilled to learn you would be a winter baby just like your Daddy, Gammy and Aunt Tata.

My pregnancy with you was wonderful! Even now I miss having you with me all the time. We were so blessed that you were happy and healthy the entire time you were in my belly! Mommy did have gestational diabetes with you but it was only for the last two months. Did you know that even though Mommy is terrified of needles that she learned how to give herself shots four times a day to keep you safe? It was because of the diabetes that you were born in January and not February, the doctors wanted to make sure you were safe and so they decided to induce Mommy and give you to me early. At my last check up they decided that Tuesday, January 22 would be your big day!

We quickly learned that you would do things in your own good time, but that's later in the story. Monday was a school holiday so Mommy and Daddy spent that day doing the last things to get ready; buying more outfits and necessities for you, cleaning the house and doing some resting in between. On Tuesday, Mommy went to work, can you believe it? I was very grumpy that morning because I was nervous and I was wondering what I was thinking when I decided many weeks before that I would work on that day. It turned out to be the best thing for me though because as you'll learn Mommy is a worrier and it kept me from worrying!

That night Daddy and I got ready to go to the Birthing Inn! We had our bags packed, we showered, we kissed your "brothers" Duke and Dahntay good bye and hopped in the car. I was SCARED, I even cried a little bit. I so wanted to meet you and hold you and love you, but having a baby is a pretty big deal! I talked to your Aunt Tata right before we went in and she said to tell you that she loved you.

We had to be there by 7:30 and they got us all checked in and settled into the room. We had a really nice nurse that night and she got me all ready. She got my IV going to make sure you were getting enough fluids and they gave me special medicine to try to get contractions going. That night was pretty uneventful and we just slept, sadly the medicine didn't work because you were still warm and cozy in my belly by the next morning.

Gammy had arrived late on Tuesday night and she came over on Wednesday morning with your Great Aunt Jo Jo. By then they had given me another special medicine in my IV to try and get things started. Wednesday was long and uneventful, I slept A LOT. Happily you were still safe and sound and thriving in Mommy's belly. They tried with more and more of the medicine until late that afternoon before they decided to stop for the day. The nurses said I could eat whatever I wanted and do you know what I asked Daddy to get? Chicken McNuggets! The nurse laughed and laughed when she saw me with the nugget box resting on your "home" and my cartons of sweet and sour sauce. She thought it was pretty funny that I picked McNuggets out of all the things I could have asked for, but that was what I wanted!

Dr. Roberts was on call the first two days and by Wednesday night she wanted to try another method to get you out! I will simply say that it was by far the worst part of my entire stay in the hospital and involved a poor hospital tech guy that had to search for a lamp because the overhead light was out and returned at one point with a flashlight. I promise to tell you about that when you are a little older! They call it a foley bulb, I call it pain balloon.

So the foley bulb was described by the nurses as, "100% effective in our use of it so far". Make that 99% effective ladies because you weren't BUDGING. On Thursday morning they started the IV medicine again and again the morning was slow going. By now Dr. Parks was on call and she was happy to let the medicine try. By mid day, your delivery doctor, Dr. Choudry arrived and he decided that today would be the day we would meet, no way around it. He broke my water and upped the IV medicine and that's when the show really got started. Gammy and Aunt Natalie were with Daddy and I by now.

I did have contractions and I tried to hang tough, but I think I only lasted about an hour and a half before I asked for my epidural. Secretly I was always TERRIFIED of the epidural, it is a needle you know, but that part was a piece of cake especially compared to the pain balloon. That little anesthesiologist guy knew what he was doing. Daddy looked even though I thought he would faint, but he didn't. By now I had two nurses with me, one of which ended up being a parent at the school Daddy worked at and she actually ended up in the delivery room with us and stayed with Mommy in recovery, more on that to come...

So after my medicine I was quite happy and not in pain so much as just lots of pressure. You were trying to come out, but after about 2 hours there was still not enough happening. Dr. Choudry came to Mommy and Daddy and told us that to keep you safe it was time to take you out and that we would have to have a c-section. Now, I absolutely wanted you safe, but I was very sad because I knew that I wouldn't get to keep you with me right after you were born so Mommy broke down into big alligator tears. Gammy cried too, especially when she found out that only Daddy could come into the surgery room with me.

They quickly got me ready (I cried the whole time) and wheeled me away while Daddy got dressed in his special outfit. I was pretty upset by the time we got into the very COLD surgery room, but luckily the head anesthesiologist was a VERY nice man. He got me talking to take my mind off of things and asked me of all things about my tattoo (which you are not allowed to have until you are 18 at least!). They had me take off all my jewelry and I actually had to have my Hawaiian name bracelet cut off! They tried greasing it, but I knew it wouldn't work because it had been on since your Daddy gave it to me 5 years before that on our anniversary. Plus my hands and fingers were VERY swollen during the pregnancy. Imagine Mickey's glove balloon times 10!


Daddy showed up right after that and held my hand while the nurses and Dr. Choudry were all trying to guess how big you would be. Dr. Choudry thought you would be little, 6 lbs., because my stomach wasn't too big, but the nurses were all saying you would be at least 8 lbs. because of how long my torso is. Then in a flash I heard the anesthesiologist telling your Daddy to look over the curtain! Daddy wasn't so sure, but the doctor said, "Trust me, you don't want to miss this." So Daddy stood up and right as he did I heard the most wonderful sound in the world, you screaming your little heart out as they pulled you up. The next moments are a blur, but I know that I kept asking Daddy if you were alright and how you looked. I was crying and Daddy was choked up a little bit too. They cleaned you and checked you out and got you weighed and Daddy snapped pictures the entire time.


Finally, the best moment of my life so far happened and Daddy brought you over to me and we met for the first time. You opened your little eyes and looked right at me and I told you how beautiful you were and how much I loved you. You stared at me and then started to move your mouth in a sucking motion. Poor thing you were hungry right away! We had a few minutes before it was time for you to go with Daddy to the nursery. I know that I was overcome with emotion and I just kept asking if you were okay and once I saw you I kept saying over and over again how beautiful you were. I even asked Daddy several times , "Isn't she beautiful?!?" to which of course he replied YES!

Riley, when I was pregnant with you I couldn't imagine what life would be like with you and now that you are here I just can't imagine my life without you. You bring such happiness and love to our little family. I am so very proud to be your Mommy!

Love you forever and love you for always,
Mommy