I breastfed the Astronaut until he was 13 months old. Within four months of him weaning, I was pregnant again. I was 20 years old and in the second semester of my first year of college. I went to school out of state so I decided to return home at the end of the semester and transfer to a local school.
This pregnancy was very different from the Astronaut. For one, there was no mistaking that I was pregnancy. I was extremely sick and lost around 20 pounds during the first 6 months. Emotionally, I was a wreck.
>I don’t want to go into graphic detail, but I want you to know that depression during a pregnancy is a very serious thing. I try to offer words of encouragement to every pregnant mother I know because it is such a difficult time, especially if you are young. Regardless of your personal opinion of a person’s situation, it is never appropriate to berate a pregnant woman for her situation. We live in a time where stories of matricide are becoming terrifyingly common. Mental state plays a huge role in this. Internalize your negativity because it won’t do anyone any good, especially the innocent baby. If you suspect a pregnant woman of depression, please support her and try to get her some help.<
By the end, I managed to gain 17 pounds. At 38 weeks, I stopped working. I spent the next two weeks folding baby clothes and resting. My little girl was due 3 days before my 21st birthday. Her due date passed. My birthday passed. I went to my 41 ½ week appointment. When my OB told me she’d see me next week, my jaw hit the floor. She was just kidding. She told me to eat and head to L&D for an induction. I knew from experience that I wouldn’t eat again until my baby was born so I headed straight to Sonic for a last meal. Sonic was on the same street as the hospital so it was a 5 minute trip. I ate and immediately vomited in the hospital parking lot. In hindsight, I was probably in early labor. I had been contracting lightly for a few days and was at about 3 cm.
My induction began around 1 pm and my “discomfort” level escalated fairly quickly. At 4 cm, I asked for an epidural but was told I need to be at least 5 cm. The anesthesiologist had left his cart in the room. The nurse checked me around 5 pm and I was at 5 cm and my water broke in a big warm rush. She went to get the anesthesiologist but he was in another room. About 6:00 pm, I became extremely agitated. I felt the urge to get up out of the bed. I had IVs and monitors on me but I still tried to get myself upright. The nurse who was in my room told me that I couldn’t get up and a little yelling match ensued. My mother stood in the corner crying. However, she had her mouth covered and her shoulders shaking so I thought she was laughing. I told her if she thought it was funny she could get out. I’ll admit; I was a bit hysterical. The nurse took that opportunity to push me down and slap an oxygen mask on me. She checked me and I was at 6 cm. She said it was too late for the epi which just made me extremely angry. 20 minutes later, I was as close to 10 as I could get-a bit past 9 with that same little bit of cervical lip. Someone called the doc and she dashed in just in time to catch the little girl that was exiting my birth canal. The princess was 7 lbs 9 oz and 18 inches long. She was perfect and gorgeous. There was no fainting but I was famished. We both had a meal; I had a tuna sub and she had colostrum.
STATS
GA: 41 weeks 3 days
Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz
Length: 18 in
Length of labor: Approximately 6 hours
Interventions: induction
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