The Big Push

Tina kept checking Mommy to see if she had dilated to 10 cm. Daddy read that first-time Mom's dilated 1 cm per hour. But, I didn't read the book. Only three hours after Mr. Mac fixed Mom's pain, she was dilated to 8 cm. An hour later, Tina said we were ready to push. Mom couldn't feel her contractions because of the epidural, so Tina told her when to push.

On Mom's first push, Tina showed Daddy the top of my head. I guess she didn't learn after his first two near-feinting experiences. But, Daddy wasn't even fazed now. Dr. Smith came in for the "catch", but realized he was a little too early. He went back outside to drink coffee while Tina continued coaching Mommy. Good thing Dr. Smith didn't go far, because 8 contractions later, Mommy was able to touch the top of my head. Now I just had to squeeze the rest of the way out.

Dr. Smith sauntered back in and made a quick assessment. My head was too big to fit. A quick flash of his scissors and he made an episiotomy in Mommy. Apparently, Tina didn't warn him that Daddy was already light-headed. That extra shot of blood almost sent Daddy tumbling into Mommy. But, before he could, the rest of my head popped out. Nobody could feint after seeing my cute face. One more push, and I was out in the world. See Mommy, that wasn't so bad - only 30 minutes of pushing. I was worth every minute!

Daddy cut the umbilical cord, and I was free. Free until the nurse snatched me away for an Apgar test. I scored a 9 out of 10. Not bad for a little girl, if I do say so myself. Dr. Smith stitched up Mommy, and my new tormentor weighed and measured me. 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long. Born at 5:30 pm on April 7th. Yep, that's my birthday, same as Russell Crowe's birthday. Mommy thinks he's cute, but Daddy thinks I won't be bringing any boys home for another 22 years....