I woke up at 4:00 am with very strong contractions. I had been having light cramping for about 2 weeks, and so I wanted to wait and see what would happen. I went downstairs and had a bowl of cereal to see if moving around/eating would cause the contractions to stop. They did not; they got stronger & made it harder to concentrate. Chris woke up for work & took his shower. When he came downstairs, I told him that we needed to go to the hospital. It took a long time to get ready to go even though I had lists made of what to take, because every four to five minutes, a contraction paralyzed me. We left the house and it was bitter cold out.At about 6:45 am we made it to Marion General Hospital. Chris dropped me off at the front door and went to park the car. I went in, went up on the elevator, and went to the front desk of New Beginnings. I remember being asked why I was there and telling the lady I was in labor. She offered me a wheelchair, and I don’t know if I used it or not. I used the restroom, and a registration clerk and Chris came into the room. It was incredibly hard for me to talk. Chris had to help answer questions. During contractions all I could do was close my eyes, tune everything out, and with my right fingers, grasp onto the bed rail tightly.
Dr. Foulk came to see me around 7 am. I was 4 cm, and he wanted to know if I wanted an epidural. For nine months I studied the Bradley method of natural childbirth. However, I had said I’d keep an open mind, and when he suggested it, I did not hesitate to accept. The anesthesiologist made it to me around 9:45 am. The relief that came from the epidural was so needed and much appreciated. I still could feel pressure, but the contractions were no longer painful. I could open my eyes and communicate with others. Chris and I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama on television. His message of hope and positive change for the U.S. felt like a parallel for Chris and my life together. The excitement of the country, full of anticipation, was a beautiful backdrop for bringing our daughter into the world. The message of her birthday is that anything is possible.
By 11 am I was 10 cm dilated. The nurse, Tammy, called Dr. Foulk, and he suggested allowing me to “labor down” instead of delivering quite yet. This was fine by me. I was ready to push, but I was not uncomfortable. At about 2:00 pm, the nurse began having me push with the contractions. At 3:00, midwife Christina Rumph came in and began assisting. Chris was helpful in watching the screen and coaching me in pushing, for 10 seconds, 3 times, during each contraction. They told us that the baby was “crooked” and that I would need an episiotomy. I didn’t know it until later, but during this procedure, Chris was close to passing out. He said that he had to work on his own breathing. (He didn’t actually watch, but he saw the instruments.) I pushed for close to 2 hours, on every single contraction except for one. Kit came at 3:48 pm. It seemed that in the end, it only took 2 pushes for her to come out. I cried with joy, gratitude, and relief.
Chris stayed with Kit as they cleaned her up and as I finished up with the midwife. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I leaned my head as far left as it could go so that I could keep my eyes on my precious girl. Her eyes were wide, and her cry was healthy. Chris and I agreed that she should be called Kit Elizabeth. Finally here! Beautiful Kit Elizabeth Parsell!