Megan is 2!!!

Well, it was bound to happen -my baby is 2. I find myself in complete and utter disbelief. When did she get so big? Who told her she could grow up so quickly? It feels like I am pregnant with her instead of with her little brother or sister. Crazy how quickly time flies when you have a kid.



Not only is it Megan's birthday, but it's also the 2nd anniversary of me becoming a mother. How is something as monumental as this not celebrated? Your life, priorities, paycheck, conversational abilities, hobbies, hormones, worries, and hopes all change so much once that little one arrives. It feels like it should be commemorated somehow. Now, don't worry I won't in any way take away from Megan or her birthday celebration. I just decided to take a minute and briefly celebrate by telling the story of Megan's birth - which I'm still in awe of by the way. So here goes.....



I had contractions on and off the whole day before (June 11), but since they didn't get stronger or closer together I chalked them up to braxton hicks. On Tues., June 12 (my due date) I woke up at 2 am with contractions that were 10 mins. apart. They weren't too bad and I was able doze off in between them. Around 3:30 they started getting stronger and I couldn't sleep anymore. As I was trying to get Nathan (who is a very heavy sleeper) up I got a particularly strong contraction and was yelling, "OUCH!" as he groggily asked, "What hurts?" To which I yelled "My uterus you idiot!" Well, that woke him up! He bolted out of bed and became Mr. Attentive Husband. At some point I got in the shower and let me just tell you hot water is AMAZING. It really took the worst of the pain away. As I'm in the shower my contractions are getting closer and closer together - to the point where they were 3 mins apart. Poor Nate kept trying to convince me I had to go to the hospital. But I, being an incredibly stubborn (and potentially stupid) person, kept refusing because 1. I wasn't convinced I was in real labor and 2. if it was real labor I WAS NOT going to the hospital to only be 3 centimeters dialated. Finally, the hot water ran out and I was forced to get out of the shower. The only way Nate could convince me to go to the hospital was by telling me they had lots of hot water - so off we went. We arrived around 6:30 am and of course I was assigned to the C wing - the farthest away. (Northside Hospital is referred to in Atlanta as the baby factory, Nuf said) After 5 mins and I barely got past the A desk & a nurse realized I must have been in actual labor and kindly got me a wheelchair. When I hit the room a bunch of nurses descended on me trying to get me into a hospital gown, put in an IV, do the paperwork to admit me and I'm having contractions that are 2 or 3 minutes apart. Nate stepped in and was able to convince them to let me follow my birth plan (no IV, no epidural, as natural as possible). As soon as I got the hospital gown on my water broke and with the next contraction my body curled around itself and I yelled out, "I'm pushing." You can imagine the panic this caused the nurses. They leaned me back, found I was 10 cm dilated, and called the doctor. He came in confirmed it and said the baby was trying to come out ear first and left. The doula arrived and along with a new nurse, who liked helping women go naturally, helped me get into different positions to shimmy Meg into the correct position. At 8:11 am Megan was born. The (new) doctor put her on my chest and Nathan and I just gazed at her in amazement. It took about 5 mins. before the doula finally asked, "Well, what is it?" In our amazement neither of us had thought to look! It was very special to have this baby on my chest and just love it for itself and not because it was my daughter. That bond would come later. Nate called everyone as Meg was being weighed and measured - she was 8lbs. 3 oz. and 21.5 inches long. Very long and skinny - no sursprise since she's still very long and skinny. Of course I wouldn't let him call anyone before we got to the hospital because I wasn't in real labor so why wake everyone up? (Did I mention I am incredibly stubborn?) My mom didn't believe him at first! It wasn't until she heard the word placenta in the background that she realized it was for real!



So very long story short I woke up with contractions at 2 am, got to the hospital at 6:30 am, and delivered Megan at 8:11 am. I was able to have her completely naturally like I wanted. Amazing!



Now those of you who know Megan know this birth story fits her to a T. The girl decided she wanted out and BAM she was out. Who else but my Meg would be born on her due date in just over 6 hours? Yes, my Megan is just that determined to do things her way. I should have known when the pediatrician came in to check on her later that day and said, "You're going to have fun with that one!" She was already holding her head up and looking around while she was in her bassinet less than 12 hours old.