Riley Kimball

I had an uncomplicated pregnancy. I spent the 9 months cross-stitching baby things, reading EVERY childbirth book I could get my hands on and basically planning for this baby constantly. I couldn't wait for childbirth classes. I knew that the best way to ward off fear is knowledge. My due date was June 4, 1996, so the classes weren't until May. I absolutely loved them. The instructor was so down-to-earth and informative. And, it was great to see 10 other women who were just as fat and scared as I was! Since my mother-in-law and my husband were both going to be in the delivery room with me, they each came to 2 classes.

The evening of May 30th I seemed to be having more Braxton Hicks than usual. I'd gotten pretty used to how they felt cause I'd had them the last 4 months of my pregnancy. But, these seemed to last longer and come more frequently. I decided to go to bed, anyway, and see what happened. Around 10 pm. they became slightly painful, so I called the hospital to see what to do. The nurse suggested I take a bath and see if the pains would subside. They didn't. By now, the contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart, but they weren't very painful. I called the hospital again and another nurse told me to come on in if I wanted to. I did! My biggest fear was that I wouldn't make it to the hospital. (I needn't have worried!!!)

When I got to the hospital, around midnight, I was only 2 cm. dilated. I was so discouraged. I was hoping to be at least half way there! So, my mother-in-law and I walked the halls, did word puzzles and watched t.v. most of the night. (My husband slept) At 5:45 am. I was only 3 cm. dilated. I was still having contractions every 3-5 minutes, but they weren't very painful. More of an annoyance, really. At 8:30 the doctor came to check me and I was 4 cm. He asked me if he could break my water, hoping that would speed up the process. I let him because I wanted to have that baby! At about 10:00 my contractions became very painful. I asked the nurse to check me because I figured I was ready to deliver. I was only 4 1/2 cm. dilated! I remembered my childbirth instructor talking a lot about gravity helping to dilate you, so I headed to the toilet for a few contractions. After trying out different positions I ended up sitting on the doctor's metal stool and leaning on the bed. My mother-in-law was helping me stay focused and my husband was massaging my back because I had EXTREME back pain. The nurse was amazed at how much of a team the 3 of us were. (I really believe that sitting upright and concentrating on staying calm during the contractions was what finally helped me to dilate.)

Around noon I'd had it. The pain was excruciating, but I was dealing with it very well using the breathing techniques I'd learned. I kept reminding myself that each pain I got through was one more step to seeing my baby boy. I never gave myself the luxury of yelling at my husband (after all I wanted this child and I needed his help) or totally freaking out. So, since I was dealing so well the nurse was hesitant to give me the Demerol I was asking for. During a contraction I would say I wanted it and then when it subsided I was glad I didn't' take it. Then, during a particularly hard contraction I said, "I'm not kidding this time - I want Demerol!!!" (I thought I had hours more to go) So, the nurse called the doctor and I got the shot (at 12:20 pm.). What she didn't know was that I was in transition and that's why I was in so much pain. In a half hour I dilated 2 1/2 cm. (I'll never know if Demerol is what helped me progress or not, but it sure didn't hurt anything!) I never would have been given the Demerol if she'd have know I'd progressed so much. At 1:00 I felt the urge to push. Actually, my body just involuntarily did it! I'd always wondered how women on t.v. knew their baby was coming. Now I KNEW! I yelled to my mother-in-law to get the nurse. I was checked again and was 10 cm. dilated. YES, I could finally push. Once I felt that pushing urge, the room came alive - my doctor was pulling his greens on, the nurse was bringing the baby warmer in, and my husband was trying to work our new camcorder. In between pushing I was instructing him to make sure he was doing it right (Incidentally, the battery was dead and all we got on video was a couple of pushes). I can't believe how "together" I was. I always figured I'd be out of control and hysterical, but I wasn't. Most women find pushing to be painful and exhausting, but I was relieved to finally be doing something to help the whole process along. It stung some when I pushed, but I didn't care. It only made me push all the harder. I guess I pushed maybe 5-6 times and out came the head. The doctor told me to stop pushing and I waited while he suctioned the baby's nose and mouth. The next push was easy and out came Riley Kimball, weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz. - 20" long, with bright red hair like his Mama and Papa. My husband cut the umbilical cord and the doctor showed us a big knot in it! We'll never know how long it was there. We were just thanking God that our baby was safe and sound. When the doctor handed Riley to me he said, "He's a keeper!" And, he was.

I spent hours walking the halls during labor trying to dilate. I remember my nurse telling me, "This is the easy part, Honey. Rasing 'em is what's hard!" I thought she was crazy at the time, but now that Riley is 10 mos. old I've discovered she was absolutely right! I want Riley to grow up to love Jesus Christ, the way I do, and I want his life to make an impact on this world. The 15 hours I spent labor are nothing compared to the 18 years I will spend loving and guiding him. The good news is that having a baby empowers you. After that experience, you feel like you can do ANYTHING!!!