Ryder's Birth Story (Part 2)

By 10:00 pm I was comfortably settled into a delivery suite. My doctor arrived soon after to check me and said I was at a 6. He broke my water so that things would continue along at a good pace. I panicked at this part, though, because it was after my water broke with Ella that I was brought to my knees with contractions. Thankfully, the anesthesiologist breezed in the doorway 20 minutes later. I had yet to have a painful contraction. I never knew delivery could be this way. Relaxed. My parents, Ella, and my brother, Andy, visited with us for about the next hour. Midnight came and went, and John and I discussed how we had made it. We were going to have a full-term baby (just barely). God had granted us exactly what we asked of him. Not only to keep our child inside until he was ready but also to help us to know when it was time to go to the hospital so that we might have a different delivery experience from the first time. We were so thankful and happy.

At 2 (ish) am I was checked again and told I was at a 7. A few minutes later I took a turn for the worse, and my blood pressure dropped to 50/25. I felt like I was about to faint. The nurse said that it was probably because I was about to deliver. She called the anesthesiologist back in to give me some more medicine via IV and checked me again. I was at a 10. I went from a 7 to a 10 in 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. This is where I go back to the decision to call the doctor earlier that afternoon. If I had not called the doctor about those painless/irregular/frequent contractions I would have ended up going to sleep that night and waking up probably by my water breaking and being in the same situation as last time. Or much worse.

The doctor walked in about the same time that I noticed nurses turning on the warming lights above the infant bed. A NICU doctor and nurse were also present due to the fact that we were just barely full-term. My labor and delivery nurse said, "Are you ready to meet your baby?" It was time to push. Nurses were busy all around us, but I felt like it was only John and me in the room. I pushed for about 10 minutes, and my nurse asked if I wanted the baby placed on my tummy. Due to the fact that I was paralyzed by pain and fear during Ella's birth, this question had never been directed toward me before. I said 'yes' and within a minute Ryder was placed on my stomach. I was crying by this point and cupping my hand around his tiny face and saying, "He's perfect. He's absolutely perfect." I looked at John, and in that instant we shared a moment that was so intimate and special as we held our baby. I kept looking back and forth between Ryder and John because I wanted to memorize John's face at that moment. But I was so in awe of Ryder. His soft, dark hair. His tiny round head. All the months of day dreaming about what he might look like couldn't have prepared me for reality of it..
I know it sounds like a no-thrills, textbook delivery to most, but to a couple who had experienced the complete opposite end of the spectrum the first time...it was Heaven. Unfortunately, there was always a constant duality at work within me. Every time I would think how wonderful Ryder's birth was, it would immediately sadden me to think of Ella's. For Ryder's delivery we couldn't wait to meet him and were so excited, and for Ella's all we could focus on was getting through it.

A little while later John went to the waiting room to tell the good news to our tired family. We decided beforehand that we would bring Ella in to meet Ryder first. The entire trip from the waiting room to the delivery room John held a sleepy Ella that kept saying, "I'm just so happy. I can't stop smiling." Her reaction to Ryder was priceless. She didn't get to hold him until the next day, but she repeated over and over, "I love him so much. I can't believe I love him so much."
I knew I needed to rest, but all I wanted to do was stare at Ryder. Hold him. Kiss his cheeks and hair. I don't think there is anything better than running your nose through the swirl of newborn hair at the crown of their head. Bliss. Every time I discovered a new feature for the first time on Ryder's little body it felt like unwrapping a tiny treasure. The dimples on his hand. The red "stork bite" on the back of his neck (that needed to be kissed at least once an hour). The soft skin behind his knees. His warm tummy.

A few hours later we were exhausted but still on a high from adrenaline as we received our trays of food for breakfast. Ryder was asleep in my arms as John and I prayed and thanked God for all we had been blessed with. A full-term pregnancy. Two healthy children. A perfect delivery. Everything had been mercifully granted and then some. We felt like we had won the lottery. We finally fell into sleep that afternoon with our hearts full and our son---our beautiful son--sleeping in the bassinet beside us.