The birth of Annie, our first child, always felt like something out of the movies. I felt so depressed that day I went to the doctor, now four days passed my due date. I was sure I would be eternally pregnant, even though he told me to be careful where I sat because after examining me, he knew I was about to burst.
I went straight from the doctor's office to my parents house and did what they always tell you not to do when you could go into labor at any moment. I ate a big ‘o sandwich with a full glass of milk. To top it off, my mom dished up a huge bowl of my favorite comfort food…ice cream. Then I drove to my apartment in tears. Jer happened to have stopped by to pick something up from our apartment. Jer kissed me goodbye and left while I went to lay down for a nap. Within an hour I woke up in the height of a very strong contraction. This was not the way they told me it would be in my birthing classes. It was supposed to start off gradually and increase over time, usually first births were twelve to thirteen hours, or so they said. I think God prepared me because two days earlier a new gal at church held her second child in her arms. She told me how her first labor and delivery was only four hours and her second only two hours. I told Jer as we left, “I don’t have the faith for that. I’m just praying it’s a healthy delivery.” I called the doctor’s office and spoke with the nurse I had just seen a couple hours earlier, asking her to wait every couple minutes to allow me to breathe through another contraction. She calmly told me I needed to get to the hospital immediately…over and over. I kept telling her that I didn't knowing how to get a hold of Jer. He had the car. Finally convinced, I called my dad. My mom stayed at my home just in case Jer called. Luckily, his sister did and suggested she call their mother. Jer was just happen to be at there, but he didn’t believe I was at the hospital. He had just seen me. It took a good push from his mom to get him moving. Dad was calm as I had contraction after contraction. Stress made it worse. I only made it to the door of the hospital before informing him another contraction was coming. He swiftly moved forward and they whisked me up to the maternity ward. Jer showed up minutes later. The labor and delivery was four hours in total. When they wheeled me out to the recovery room my family, about twenty, cheered when they heard we’d had a girl. It was a magical moment I’ll never forget.
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