A few years ago on Jacob's birthday, I wrote out the story of my pregnancy and his birth. I did it mostly to remember all the little details, because I was so happy that he was a strong, healthy, fun loving little boy when at a time, it seemed he might not make it to our family. Today, I remember the first pregnancy and your birth.
Daddy and I had been married, not quite 5 years, both working full time, just brought a house, gotten a 2nd car, and was truly living the nice life as DINKs (Double Income No Kids). There was money in the bank account, we could buy what we wanted, go out to eat or the movies without guilt or without advance planning! It was a nice life. But the house had 3 bedrooms, and one of them would look so cute with a crib in it, I thought.
Our friends, Jim & Vicki Vaught were living in Portland, OR. I would have to look up the exact date, it's in your baby book, but I think it was sometime in Feb. They were visiting, and so we had lots of college friends in our house that weekend. I wasn't feeling great. I was getting worried that I had a touch of that stomach flu that was going around work. But I wasn't sick, just queasy. Vicki, being a nurse, asked me if I could be pregnant. I told her I could be, but didn't know. Well, she decided it was time for me to find out! :) Drug Store, bathroom...3 minutes...and Vicki & Dawn watching me walk out of the bathroom. I avoided their question and went to find your Daddy. He, of course, was manning the grill cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for an army of friends. In true David fashion, I whispered the news in his ear, he looked at me and asked if I was sure. I showed him the pee stick, he said "OK", gave me a kiss and went right back to flipping his hamburgers!
We went until the beginning of March to tell the family. Your Mamaw & Papaw came to visit one weekend so we gave them the news on a Saturday. Your Aunt Sue called that morning, while Dad and Mom was on the road to our house, and started asking questions because she said I sounded "sick". So she figured it out just minutes before Mom and Dad arrived and got the news themselves. The next day, Sunday, we meet your Grandma & Grandpa Brown for lunch celebrating their wedding anniversary. It was O'Charley's. Your Daddy handed them a card and said "We couldn't wrap your gift, but hopefully you're like it." The card read something about "Happy Anniversary to my Grandparents" and was signed "Can't wait to meet you in October". Your Grandpa Brown didn't notice that it said Grandparents until after Grandma pointed it out. :)
Remember that "queasy feeling" back a second ago? Well, Little Kalissa, you made Momma sick! After the first week, I really didn't have the queasy feeling much, I actually felt great, until...without a bit of warning, suddenly I was sick. I would get maybe a minute warning to rush to the restroom or the nearest trashcan or 32 oz cup before anything I had eaten was visible. Doctor watched me for dehydration, watched my iron levels, watched me for too much weight loss. I think in that first couple weeks I lost between 10-15 lbs. I worked full time, but carried an empty 32oz plastic cup with me everywhere I went. I lived those first few weeks on the idea that everyone told me "morning sickness ends about week 14". Well, let me tell you some truths about morning sickness...
- "Morning" sickness is not limited to the morning. It can strike all day, at any time, and more than once per day.
- Morning sickness "normally" begins around week 6 and ends around week 14. For me, it began about week 4 and ended the morning I delivered you. Seriously! For Real.
- Morning sickness varies greatly by person and by pregnancies!
- Some believe that morning sickness is a sign of a healthy baby and pregnancy. This I also believe. I never worried about you or Jacob while I was having morning sickness.
In Sept, Mom and Dad moved to the new house, and the first weekend hosted a baby shower for you. They made chili and it was good, but of course that good old "Morning sickness" thing. I "went for a walk" when I felt it coming and your cousin Caleb decided he would walk with Aunt Lisa. He was around Jacob's age now then. I give him credit for staying there with me and not running back to the house, but we returned to the house and I heard him tell his Dad (Uncle Bob) and my Dad (Papaw) "I am NEVER going for a walk with Aunt Lisa again! She puked...would walk a couple steps and puke again..." Disclaimer, your Daddy did suggest to him that he might not want to go, but he went anyway.
In mid-Oct, the Bowers did it's annual Stone Soup. We did it at the farm house, which you know as Calvin & Ronitta's house. That was my home growing up. After dark, your Uncle Calvin took everyone on a hay ride. I'm pretty sure the roads of Shelby County were trying to bounce you out!
Friday, Oct 24, I was working full time, tired by the end of the day but overall felt pretty good. We had Friday afternoon staff meetings every week. At the end of the staff meeting that week, James, the Director of IT, said "now everyone wave bye to Lisa because we won't see her next week." I thought he was just confused by his dates, easily done with him, so I said "oh no, I have another week before my leave begins." He just smiled and said "we'll see".
Saturday, Oct 25, I don't recall what we did but a normal weekend then was catching up on cleaning, laundry, and playing games or cards with all your honorary aunts/uncles in the Southern Indiana area (Jim, Greg, Paul, Dawn, Marcie, etc)
Sunday, Oct 26, normal day...church in the morning, afternoon naps, church in the evening. We always went out for supper with others from Church afterwards, so we got home and turned on the TV. I think we watched some show we liked on Sunday evenings, then flipped the channels and realized it was the bottom of the 9th for the final game of the world series. It was the Cleveland Indians and the Florida Marlins. We figured we would watch the end, and be able to chat about the game at work tomorrow. The game went into 11 innings! I think only 3 other world series final games have gone into extra innings. We finally went to bed after 1am.
Monday, Oct 27 2am - I wake with a feeling that I wet myself. Not a feeling I really liked and my first thought was that you kicked my bladder. I did a shuffle to the restroom, cleaned myself up a bit, and realized that I needed to call the doctor. Called the OB night number, told them I thought my water had broken...I was told to come into the hospital. I woke your Dad. We gathered items, left for the hospital. Arrived to Floyd Memorial and was taken up to a room. I was having a few little pains/contractions but nothing major.
About 3am the nurses were done messing with me, and so I decided it was time to let my parents know. Papaw had told me to call when I was having this baby, and I was a Daddy's girl so I wanted my Daddy to know we were at the hospital. He answered on about the 2nd or 3rd ring, and I said "Daddy, Guess where I am?" He grumbled something like "you better be at the hospital if you're calling me at 3am" Then he told me call again after daylight.
About 5am the Doctor told me I wasn't having contractions and with my water broke, we needed to "move this along". So they gave me a medicine in my IV and also put an internal monitor in your head (that's not fun...let me tell you!) They were worried about your heart rate, but the new monitor showed all was great with you.
Between 5am and 9am, the medicine they gave me started working....if the goal was for me to suddenly start feeling like my body was being torn apart from the inside. Oh by the way, we also decided and insisted that I was doing this naturally without pain meds. The best way I know to describe a contraction is to suddenly feel like every muscle in your middle (chest to thighs) tighten really tight then do The Wave, only they don't release until the wave has gone from top to bottom and back again. They say they only last seconds, but when you're in one, they feel like FOREVER.
The hospital room had this huge clock right across from the head of my bed, so I could watch it's hands move slowly around the clock. I was so tired, my body would dose off between contractions and then wake with a start when one began. At 9am, I remember this clearly because of those big hands on the clock, the nurse came to check me. She told us that I was "maybe 5 centimeters and fully effaced". She then said "At this rate, the baby will make an appearance around Noon or so". This was the same nurse who had laughed at me when I said I was delivering this baby without pain meds, by the way.
At 9:10am, I told your Daddy suddenly "Go get the nurse! Somethings happening!" He asked what I mean, and I said I think my body is pushing. I didn't know, all I knew was something was different about that contraction and my body felt like it wanted to push something out. I listened as Daddy told the nurse that I was ready to push. The nurse laughed, I heard her tell him "I just checked her, there's no way she's ready to push". Your Daddy insisted and finally the nurse agreed to come tell me herself that I wasn't ready to push. She walked in still laughing and mumbling something about "first time mothers", lifted my blanket, looked down, looked up with a little bit of a deer in highlights look, and said "Hmm you're crowning. It's time to have a baby". She wasn't laughing then.
Suddenly there activity level went from zero to 60 in our room, the doctor walked in, pretty much just in time to catch you. You were born at 9:56am on a Monday morning, very similar to this one. You were 19.5 inches long and 6 lbs 0 oz. You screamed immediately to tell the world you had arrived. After they cleaned you up and checked you out, I held you for the first time, checked out your fingers and toes, introduced you to the doctor and nurses as Kalissa Michelle Brown.
Your daddy didn't pass out during my labor, but a nurse did escort him to the couch as soon as you were born and he was looking a little white. There's other details here and there, that you might have heard over time.
I loved you from that day back in Feb when I learned you were coming and I love you more today. You are a beautiful girl, inside and out. Your heart is so tender and loving, your mind so incredible. You challenge me in how I think, how I speak, you have taught me more about life and love than I knew I was lacking. I hope I have blessed you as much as you have blessed our lives. I love you, BabyGirl! :)
I love you forever,
I like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.
~Mom
I was 21 inches long and Jacob was 19.5.
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