How Cora Got Here

It was really exciting and scary to think that I'd be responsible for picking the day she'd be born. It was even more exciting that my uterus decided for all of us.

I went into the doctor on Friday morning, February 15th. All was fine and good. I gave her the days for the c-section so she could double check with the doctor who'd actually be performing the c-section (the 27th won). She did an internal exam to see if I'd progressed at all. She said I was 4-5 cm dilated, and the baby was "right there." My appointment was around 9:00. I went home, and I just felt really crampy. I've had more internal exams to check the progress of my cervix to last for a couple of lifetimes, so I knew the cramping for a few hours afterwards was a little weird. I called my doctors office and got my favorite nurse, Tonya. She said I should go into labor and delivery and get hooked up to the monitors to make sure all was well. I waited for Jake to get home, and I ate a delicious oven roasted sandwich because the last time I went to labor and delivery I didn't see my home for two weeks. My contractions were two minutes a part...while that seems exciting, it was nothing new, but the doctor said I was definitely a 5. I was there for about an hour, and still a 5 Things were getting progressively more painful. They were going to give me some medicine for that, but I had to find a ride home first. The doctor there wanted to check with the head doctor and with the doctor who was going to deliver Cora (Dr. Ryan) before he sent me home. About 15 minutes after the pain medication/go home conversation the pain really picked up. I was paging the nurse for the meds, and that's when Dr. Ryan came in. I was smiling, but I couldn't hide the tears in my eyes. I'd seen him on Wednesday, and he knew that my contractions had been pretty strong and quite close...Well, they were 1 minute a part when he walked in. He said, "Wow, you're really contracting a lot." He looked at the monitor, then at me, then at the monitor again, and he said, "You're there." He was impressed with the amount of pain I was in because pain had become somewhat of a regular event I'd learned to deal with. I said, "Do I have time to call my husband?" He smiled and said, "You have about an hour." I called Jake and didn't get him. He was playing for a vocal master class, so I called the music school, and Audrey, one of the secretaries, went and got him. He called me and I had him swing by and get the camera. He was supposed to play for a girl's vocal recital at 5:00, so he got to the hospital wearing a suit and tie.

In the meantime, it took four tries to get the iv in. A nursing student made the first attempt. He was really nervous and ended up blowing my vein. He felt so bad. I just smiled and blamed my wincing on the contractions. A real nurse blew the same vein in a different spot, and another one in my other arm. Then my real nurse got it in on her first try with zero pain. They had to get that in before they could take me to the operating room. Jake got there and I asked if there was a place he could hang his jacket. Ha, of all the things to be thinking about. He put on his crazy operating room outfit, and we were off. He stayed outside while they did the spinal and put the catheter in. The blue veil of secrecy went up. It was so weird feeling my body fall asleep...trying to move my legs and being completely unable to. Dr. Ryan said he was going to pinch me. I said okay. I didn't feel anything, and he didn't ask. I asked when Jake could come in, they said, "Right now." That's when they turned into surgeons and I didn't understand their language anymore.

Jake held my hand and touched my cheek. The doctor said, "Dad, stand up. This is what you call backing into the world." It was so neat for me to witness our baby coming into the world through Jake's eyes. He sat back down next to me. I remember him saying, "She's a weird color." I laughed a little on the inside. During a c-section, you can't feel pain, but you can feel the tugging at your body, and the table moving. I know I was making some horrible faces. I had to tell Jake I couldn't feel any pain, but I just needed to close my eyes. They brought her past. She hadn't cried yet. She's not a crier. When they were drying her off and inking her feet she let out a few cries, but other than that, she just stared open eyed at her new world. They brought her to me, and we got to know one another, and then we went to our room. There were already friends and family there. She was born at 5:04 PM on February 15th. She weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19 inches long. I was 35 weeks and 3 days along She dropped down to 5 pounds, 8 ounces before we left the hospital. At her last weight check a few days ago, she was 6 pounds, 4 ounces.

There was a definite before and after...A BC and AC (before Cora and after Cora). Being a parent changed me in ways I never thought possible. I've always heard about that elusive change, but the reality of it is amazing. It's almost like I lost a part of myself to gain something that seems much bigger than I had ever imagined for myself. I love her. I love to see Jake with her. I love the way it feels to be her mother.

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