Ever since July, Darren has been asking Piloshe to come out and play. But that would've been too soon, and I knew he needed to stay in and cook a little longer, so I always just told him to hang tight and come out when he was ready. So there we were, two soon to be parents on opposite ends of the birth date guessing game. I figured if he at least stayed in there until after the baby shower, we should be good.
Piloshe's due date was Sept. 13 2016, and I was hoping he'd come as close to his due date as possible. Part of the reason was because I really wanted to teach until the last minute possible, and the other part of the reason was because I hadn't finished preparing for his arrival. I was a bit of a procrastinator on that front. Thank goodness Darren had already set up most of what we needed.
Cut to Thursday Sept. 1, 2016. I woke up extra early that morning, around 4am, because I just couldn't sleep comfortably anymore. I spent some quiet time by myself before heading out to teach. I taught from 8am-12pm, then chatted a bit with a fellow teacher before heading out in the pouring rain to meet up with a friend for lunch. I headed home around 4pm, ready for a long nap. I was exhausted, and hoping that sleep would come easily and more importantly, comfortably.
As I was climbing into bed for my nap, I made a joke to Darren saying that Piloshe was getting too heavy and maybe it was time for him to make his way out. To which Darren said "Why don't you tell him that?" So I did. I said to my belly (jokingly) "Hey in there, you can come out now. It's getting a little too heavy and crowded." Then I climbed into bed and started to drift off into my much needed nap, while 'The Secret Life of Pets' played softly in the background. Twenty minutes later, I felt a sharp kick in my lower belly, I sat up in a moment of sleepy confusion (thinking it was just another bout of Braxton-Hicks). Then my water broke. It was 6:15pm.
Our months of practice and preparation for this moment immediately kicked in. Darren grabbed the hospital suitcase and some last minute necessities while I called our OB. We were told to come into the hospital, so we hopped into a cab and made our way down to Mt. Sinai. The contractions hadn't fully kicked in yet, so I was still just a bubble of smiles and excitement. We were going to meet our little one soon!
We get to the hospital, they check me, and I'm at one centimeter.... we are in for a long night. Laboring in the hospital was not part of my plan, but we were gonna have to go with it. Alex, Lizzie, and my mom met up with us at the hospital after work. Then Alex went home and Lizzie, Darren, and my mom buckled down for the wait. We were put in a decent sized delivery room, but it didn't have enough chairs, so they took turns sitting and standing. They hooked me up to an IV, but still let me walk around to get the labor going. By now, my contractions were starting to pick up. At around 12am, the doctors check me again, and I'm only at 3 centimeters. Wow, it's really going to be a long night, and everyone was exhausted. And by this time, my contractions were pretty close together and getting really edgy and painful. I tried some yoga poses, chanting the Ho'oponopono and Maha Mantra, deep breathing, even twerking (don't ask), but it was getting harder and harder to stay focused, because I was so sleepy and tired.
At around 2am, the doctors come in to talk to me about pain management and speeding up the process a little. I was really looking forward to getting some sleep, so I opted for the help. The pitocin revved up the contractions and caused Piloshe to descend (which I was told was a good sign), so they just had to come in every now and then to readjust his monitor, and it felt a bit like a roller coaster ride. But once the epidural kicked in, I started to drift off. The doctors told me to try to get some sleep and that they would come back at 6am to check me again. I told my mom and Lizzie to go home and get some rest, so that we would all be a bit refreshed for the big moment. Darren would call them at 6am to let them know what my status was. Everyone agreed to the plan, and I was finally able to get some sleep.
Fast forward to around 5am, the pitocin induced contractions were getting closer and closer together, and I started to feel stronger and stronger peaks as Piloshe continued to make his way downward. At around 5:50am, the doctors came back in to examine me, and that was when I started to feel a shift in the contractions. There was still no pain, but the pressure was now causing the urge to push. And this urge was rather involuntary. I asked the doctor what are the odds that the baby would be pushing himself out without me feeling it, and she said it's rather unlikely, and that it could just be the result of really strong contractions. So during the next peak, I tried to refrain from pushing, and that when I felt that there was definitely something else pushing down there, and it wasn't me. I mentioned this to the doctors, and they said "Okay, well let's take a look at how far along you are." It was 6am.
They lifted my blanket, and one doctor exclaimed "OH! The baby is coming!!" Darren jumped up and rushed to my side and gasped "Wow, the baby's head is halfway out." The doctors had no time to set up properly, all they could do were place my knees in a butterfly position, lower the bed, holler for a nurse, and turn on the lights. Darren quickly called my mom and lizzie to tell them to get down to the hospital. This baby was coming and he was coming fast! The doctors told me to give a couple of good pushes and the next thing I know, there's a tiny little thing covered in hair and goo, writhing and crying on top of my chest. Piloshe was here. It was 6:04am.
Four minutes. That's all it took. Four minutes, and my little angel made his way into the world. He basically climbed his was out. What a miracle! Everyone was shocked at how fast and smooth everything went. It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to process my emotions (but Daddy Darren did, which was good!). Ralph Kuni Randall Nowbath aka Piloshe was born on September 2, 2016 at 6:04am. He weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces and measured 19 inches. And he was perfect. Correction: He still is perfect.
*This was my miracle birth story, and I have to take a moment to acknowledge how lucky I got. I know most birth stories aren't this ideal and smooth sailing, so I am beyond grateful to God, the Divine, the Universe for blessing me with such an incredible experience. Later when the doctor asked me what I thought about my birth experience, I said I only wished the pushing part lasted a bit longer, and that my mom and Lizzie made it in time to witness it. But truthfully, it was was the best experience! I can't wait to do it all again! =)
