It Started as a Typical Sunday...

Tony and I planned to go to Home Depot, Hannaford and hopefully Dunk's on Sunday, Dec. 6 when I began to feel crampy. I took a break and laid down in bed when Tony said something funny and I felt a leak. I joked that I either peed my pants or my water just broke when I hopped to the bathroom. Fluid continued to slowly leak so Tony went online to seek the advice of Dr. Spock. The late Dr. Spock advised to wear a pad and lay down for 30 minutes. When 30 minutes were up, I checked the pad and sure enough it followed the doc's description. Tony called our doctor's office and the nurse had us come to the Kenmore office by Fenway at 1pm. At this point, he was timing my contractions (which were really just mild cramping) to about 5 minutes apart. They lasted 45 seconds - 1 minute.

Tony dropped me off at the front door so I didn't have to walk from the garage. Apparently he came tearing into the lobby and the two women at the front desk knew he was with me. He had that "my wife's water just broke" look about him! We met with a midwife we had never met before. She was honestly a little strange. She wanted to do an internal exam, which I had successfully avoided until now. I asked if there was another way she could test to see if my water had indeed broken. We were fairly sure it had but were still waiting for that gush of fluid. She took a swab (much less invasive) and went to the lab to test the cells. In the five or so minutes she was gone, my water broke - 4 times - all over the floor. Tony sat by the exam table completely mortified. We laughed. I joked with him to go get a janitor with a mop! The midwife returned to a complete mess on the floor and said that the cells were indeed amniotic fluid (the puddles on the floor confirmed) and that we were going to have a baby! Since this was our first time, she said I would likely be in labor for a very long time. If it was a week day, she would have told us to go straight to the hospital because of traffic. But because it was a Sunday, she said we could go home for a bit and head to the hospital when the contractions intensified. This would happen soon now that my water had officially broken (this was around 1:30pm). So we went home; Tony laid out a bright blue tarp on the couch (see above); and we watched the Patriots game. My Mom, brother and sister-in-law met us at the house. My Mom left work early and packed an overnight bag. She stayed at the house with us and rubbed my back and neck as the contractions worsened. I found it very uncomfortable to stay seated; I had to get up and lean against the wall. Around 4:30pm, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. It was a strange decision. Since it was our first time, I really had no idea how much it was supposed to hurt. And we really didn't want to spend endless hours in labor at the hospital.

Tony drove like a mild maniac to the hospital. He skillfully cut people off and avoided most potholes. My Mom sat behind me and rubbed my shoulders. I yelled now at almost every contraction. I must've been quite the sight at any stop lights. I wonder if other drivers saw me! Tony later confessed that he had to ignore me most of the way so that he could concentrate on getting us there quickly and safely. I think we checked into the hospital around 5:30pm. There seemed to be a lapse of time before a midwife came to the delivery room. At this point, it was just about 7pm. She checked me (finally an internal exam) and I was 8cm! Almost there! I had gone through the majority of the labor at home. What a champ! The delivery was definitely intense at this point so I opted for an epidural. The epidural was intense and painful but after that was sheer bliss. Well I wouldn't exactly say bliss but Tony said I was a completely different person. For the hour and a half prior, my eyes were closed and I was doing some serious deep breathing. Now my eyes were open and I was much more pleasant, he said. I also couldn't feel a thing! I experienced one of the possible side effects of the epidural and had pretty intense shivering. My entire body was shaking. It wasn't uncomfortable but I didn't like how I couldn't make it stop. I didn't have any control over it.

Our midwife was great throughout the entire process. We opted for a midwife rather than a physician for the personal attention. A physician would likely be in and out while a midwife generally means more time with the soon-to-be-Mom. She was very encouraging as a labor coach. She commented on my flexibility and fitness level. Exercising throughout pregnancy definitely helped ease my labor experience and will also aid my recovery, she said. Once the epidural kicked in and I was "ready" to push (too graphic for blogging), the hard work lasted only 30 minutes. I heard Tony yell that he could see her head and that she had dark hair. At that point I was so excited to meet her that the uncomfortable feeling (it really didn't hurt with the medicine) went away. They put the baby (Baby Musante did not yet have a name) directly to my chest before she was cleaned and Tony cut the umbilical cord. At that point, the midwife delivered the placenta (gross I know) and did two internal stiches due to my natural tearing. It was all over by 10pm. We couldn't believe it. We were parents.