I don't know nothin 'bout birthin' no babies!

You want to know what's harder than going through labor? Watching your CHILD go through labor. Let me tell you, I was just beside myself, watching my baby in pain. Even though I know millions of women go through this every day, it's not MY BABY.

Jessica was six days overdue when she mentioned to me that her face felt "funny" and that one side was not cooperating with the other side, especially when she smiled. When she blinked her eyes looked like the gates at a railroad crossing - they blinked alternately. My heart jumped into my throat - I thought that she possibly had a stroke.

"Do you think I should call the doctor?" she asked me innocently.

I immediately began to cry (ever the strong one - that's me) and answered, "YES!"

The doctor decided to admit Jessica for "observation" on Monday, 1/12. She was diagnosed with a slight case of Bell's Palsy, which is not too uncommon in the third trimester.

She was only dilated to 1 centimeter and 50% effaced so they decided to induce labor through various means. TWO days later, Wednesday, 1/14, Jess was only at 5 centimeters. Her blood pressure was going up pretty high. I was a nervous wreck. The first epideral that had been placed in on Monday wasn't working, so they yanked that one out and put a new one in. Jess was in a lot of pain and I couldn't understand what the doctor and midwife were waiting for to decide to take the baby by c-section. My eyes were filled with tears.

The midwife asked me if I knew a "Dr. Farley". I replied no.

She said, "Oh, you're not from around here."

"That's right," I said.

"Well," the midwife continued, "The doctor was a firm believer that the mother of the pregnant woman should never be in the delivery room. I never agreed with him. Now I see why he said that!"

As my twin sister would say, "Well la-de-freakin'-da lady!" That's all I wanted them to do was make a decision and get this baby out NOW!

And that's exactly what happened. Jess was wheeled into surgery, and wha-lah! A baby was born!

Introducing

Lilith (Lily) Winter Gray
8 lbs 1 oz
19 1/2 inches
11:16 a.m.
1/14/09

Tick, Tock

We are currently in Princeton, IL awaiting the birth of our granddaughter. And waiting. And waiting.

Our daughter, Jessica is due TODAY, January 7Th. We arrived here 10 days ago for the blessed event, hoping the baby would be born early so we'd have more days to enjoy her before we have to fly back to Mesa. Time is slipping away, she is still inutero, and I'm trying to will her out.

Poor Jess is so swollen, like Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.





She is SO ready for this baby to come out. The midwife has suggested that Jessica either a) drink some Castor oil in the morning (causing a shitload of diarrhea and then the onset of labor) OR b) have intercourse. I, personally would prefer (b), but apparently, neither option seems appealing to my daughter. I can't imagine why with her stomach out to HERE, and her cute, skinny little feet swollen beyond recognition. She just wants the baby out, "NOW!"

But we all know that the baby will come when she is good and ready. SHE doesn't care that Grandma is pacing the floor counting the days till she has to leave; SHE doesn't care that Mommy can't possibly get any bigger or she'll explode; SHE doesn't care that it would have been more convenient for her to have been born during the last two weeks while Daddy was home from teaching on Christmas break. No, none of these thoughts seem to bother her.

Although it's getting crowded where she is, it's warm and dark and she is comforted by the sound of Mommy's voice and heartbeat.

And so we wait. And wait. For Baby Girl Gray