Birthing stories part deux...

I was in the challenging and competitive world of financial planning, working almost 60 hours a week, taking care of a toddler and being a wife to Brian in 2002. I had been feeling pretty sick for awhile already, and had missed my period but it was a stressful time - I was pretty irregular anyway and didn't pay attention to it. I went to Manila because of a death in the family and also to take a breather - the demands of my job were huge and I was missing a lot out of my little girl. I came home and a week later began complaing to Brian about a shooting pain in my back. I asked him to press it and he bought me a pregnancy kit.

I was pregnant.

Shamefully and guiltily, I admit now that I cried. In fear, in confusion and just being completely overwhelmed. I didn't know how I was going to handle a toddler and an infant AND work. Bri and I talked for awhile at the timing of the baby, but after our hug - we both said, well, if the baby had gotten through 2 forms of birth control, Someone infinitely more powerful and knowledgeable has our lives in His hands. And He probably knows something we don't.

We went to the doctor, all the while dicussing (debating, truth be told) about how far along I was. I was thinking I was maybe 4 weeks, he was convinced I was 8 weeks. The doctor after initially doing an internal ultrasound and going, "OH HELLO!", corrected us both and said I was 14 weeks pregnant! Brian's initial reaction? "Yes! We missed the first trimester - no weird cravings!"

From the start, I already felt that this one was bigger. This time, we both wanted to know what we were going to have. I was ecstatic, I was going to miss morning sickness! (Now that I think about it, I didn't because all the time I was nauseous in the office, I was actually having morning sickness. It wasn't stress, I was pregnant!)

One of the biggest differences with Ian was the relationship I had with my ob-gyn. With Moira, she asked all sorts of questions, I asked all sorts of questions, lots of advice, tips, etc. This time, this was how the typical check up went:

Doctor: How are you feeling?
Me: Bloated, constipated, my legs cramp all the time, my back hurts a lot, headaches are more often, I can't sleep at night, but I'm tired all the time.
Doctor: Ok, so normal?
Me: Yes, pretty much.
Doctor: Any questions for me this time?
Me: Yes, when can we induce?
Doctor: (laughs) Let's try to make 9 months, ok?

The decision to cut on my hours and make a slight change in my career path was made easier and God was watching over us, there was a job waiting for me that accomodated my current situation AND kept me in the industry I enjoyed. Without the crazy hours and insane stress.

Again, the pregnancy went brilliantly. No complications, no bad surprises...just the normal aches and pains and gains of a growing human inside you. It was the longest 6 months of my life. I had initially thought that by having gone through the first trimester without knowing I did, this pregnancy would go much quicker...not quite.

Ian was big! He had his feet in my rib cage ALL THE TIME. When he moved, it wasn't the graceful, slow movements that Moira had - it was abrupt, sudden and action-packed. As I worked, I actually grunted or jumped in surprise when he moved. A co-worker called me her human birth control. Hahaha

The funny part, now that I had experience child birth, I knew the difference between Ian moving (the fluttery movement) and gas. What I couldn't stand about the thing was not being believed because I was the mom. When I told people that Ian was definitely bigger, they all said, "nah, that's only because you feel it more." Hah! We'll see.

My due date was on May 15, 2003. A month before, I was convinced there was no way I was making that mark. He had been in position, I was bigger than I was even though I only gained 30 lbs. again. (I obviously took to heart what our doctor said about maintaining weight gain to 25-30 lbs at most to ensure that I lose it after birth.) But like Moira, Ian was stuck fast to my ribs - he wasn't coming out unless he was pushed out.

May 2nd, Friday - our last doctor's appointment. She said, "you're free and clear, if you want to and you're really having a hard time, I can induce you on Monday." Now before you think I'm complete wuss and HUGE complainer. At this point, I was starting to feel like I was coming down with the flu. The LAST thing I wanted was to be sick and giving birth. So when she said Monday, I said, "Great, see you at 7am." She did warn us though that if another couple goes in that's an emergency, they will be given priority and we might be bumped. I told Brian as we were leaving, "no way, can i be bumped off."

May 5th, Monday, 7am we were at Scripps Memorial Hospital again. This time it was just Brian and myself. I did the things I wasn't able to do before I was strapped the last time, go to the bathroom, tie hair, get ready to be stuck on a bed, etc. and then had the fight with the IV again, and then the pitocin.

Our nurse was just as good as our last one. They stay with you the whole time, so you can only have one nurse taking care of you. EXCEPT, this nurse told me, "why didn't you get the epidural earlier? why did you do the sedative? didn't you wake up every 5 minutes or so in extreme pain?" I love my nurse.

This was our set-up, Bri sat next to me and started reading his comics. I was laying down, with pain killers in my IV and the pitocin, I reached for the TV remote and started watching TV. It even became a game for us to watch as the monitors marked when I was having a contraction and when it started to peak. After a while though, I started to feel the height of the contractions and Brian called the nurse.
Again, the scientific puzzle of injecting the epidural in a pregnant woman's spine and then, the comfort of no pain and just excitement at the coming birth.

Throughout what I would call the calm before the storm for Brian and myself, I only saw a couple people constantly, my nurse and my ob-gyn checking on me, and once in awhile if my nurse was away, another nurse to hand me my ice chips. My nurse and Dr. Nguyen would come in, say something like 6 cm dilated, 80% effaced, you're doing well. And then Brian and I would watch TV, chat and generally relax.

It changed at 2:45pm, when they came in and said, "Ok, it's time." Again, I couldn't feel anything below my waist and so would only push and hope I was pushing when they told me.

At 3:07pm Ian Christopher Rausch was born, 7 lbs. 9 oz (HA!), and 20.25 inches. He was perfectly handsome, as calm as his sister and we had our family.