It was really important to me that Dr. Ford delivered my baby. She brought Noah into this world two and a half years ago and I have the utmost trust in abilities as a doctor.
I was going to be induced on April 15th for two reasons:
1- I was exactly one week before my due date and the earliest I could be induced (39 weeks)
and
2- If I was induced early I would not have to leave the hospital in a moving truck since we had to move the day after my actual due date of April 22nd.
Dr. Ford had assured me that even if she was not on-call she would make every effort to be there to deliver this baby. The only foreseeable exception was the weekend before I was going to be induced (April 12-13th) because she would be out of town. Now I am sure you can all see where this is going...
That Saturday (April 12th) I was extremely tired all day long. That night we were going out to eat with some friends at Cheeseburger In Paradise in Downers Grove, IL. To be completely honest I was looking forward to a virgin margarita. On the way to the restaurant my contractions were about 8-10 minutes apart which was fine because I was not going to have my baby that weekend so bring on the contractions. When we got to the restaurant I informed our friends that I might be in labor, but its not a big deal because I was not going to have my baby until at least Sunday night when my doctor was going to be home.
Nothing on the menu sounded good except salmon. After the waiter took our order my contractions were about 6-7 minutes apart. I called the waiter back to the table to cancel my order. I explained to him that I was in labor and probably would not be able to finish my salmon and I would not be able to eat it until after I came home from the hospital and we all know salmon does not reheat well. He looked at me like either I was crazy or just trying to be funny.
I tell Reid that when him and Noah are done eating we should probably go so I can get my over night bag. When I was pregnant with Noah my hospital bag had been in my car when I was 35 weeks pregnant and the car seat had been installed and re-installed 15 times just to make sure it was snug. With this pregnancy my hospital bag was at home and not completely packed and I was not quite sure where the car seat was. As we left the restaurant my contractions were 5 minutes apart. I convinced/demanded that Reid drive back home so I could get my hospital bag even though the hospital was between the restaurant and home.
We arrive at the hospital around 9:00 pm. We meet my friend Carol at the emergency room entrance so she could take Noah back to our house. I kissed my sweet baby goodnight and it was in that moment I knew that the next time I saw him we would be a family of four.
So there we are, Saturday night and no favorite doctor around and to top it off it is my bedtime. All I want to do is crawl in my select comfort bed with my 37 pillows to keep me "comfortable" and watch an episode of MASH.
At 3:36 am our Meredith Louise Hamann was born. 7 lbs 9 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.
I was so blessed that my friend Ellie captured Meredith's entrance into this world. She made the beautiful slide show that I want to share. Now, there is no "Money Shot" as I like to call it, but you can definitely see legs, umbilical cord and breastfeeding. For me this video is priceless and I am sharing it because it is part of Meredith's story and her story is amazing and beautiful.
This pregnancy has been on my check off list along with packing, moving, and trying to remain sane, but when I watch this video all the "need to do" items fall away. When I watch this video my life slows down and I have peace with the chaos that surrounded her birth.
My hope is that you can appreciate the beauty of Meredith's arrival.
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