November 17th, 2011
It all began at 3am. I woke up for my usual bathroom routine but noticed some real pain going on down there. I decided to wait a few minutes. The pain went away and I laid back down, and then it came back again. I realized HOLY COW... these are contractions. I woke up Mike by saying "I hurt" and he immediately started timing my contractions. Sure enough, these were the real deal.
We live in Northern Virginia, right outside of DC. My goal was to make it through rush hour traffic at home and not have to endure the parking lot called I95. Around 10am I took a bath and we started to pack things up and prepare for the hospital. After I got out of the bath my contractions were 4 min apart. We knew it was time to hustle our way to the hospital.
We had practiced the drive several times. However, we had not practiced the drive from the HOV lane. Long story short, we missed the exit because we were in HOV and ended up past the hospital and in DC. I giggled through the pain and said "wouldn't it be funny if we visited a monument..." Well, as you can see we did! The photo below is me, in labor, smiling at the Washington Monument while contracting!
We made it to the hospital around noon and I had made up my mind to walk all the way up to the Labor and Delivery wing. The front desk lady asked several times "are you sure you don't want a wheelchair?" I was certain that I needed to walk through these contractions. And walk I did...
After I was admitted they "checked me" and I was 4 cm dilated. I was then given the all clear to move and walk around the hospital to progress my labor along. Labor was difficult. I totally relied on Mike and Judi to get my through each contraction. As things progressed they really had to be directly in my face coaching me through each one. The doctor came to check on me at one point but decided not to "check me" because I had not been hooked up to the monitor and she didn't think that I had progressed all that much. She said she would be back around 5pm to check me again.
5pm came and went, I was in so much pain. Occasionally the thought of pain meds and an epidural would creep into my mind. But I never said the words out loud. I always reminded myself that God had equipped me for this! At around 5:30 the doctor finally came. I was expecting her to check me and say I was 6 cm dilated. She checked and to everyone's surprise I was 9 cms!! My water still had not broken so she broke my water. (Which was an interesting sensation and so much water came out that it soaked the bed and I ended up having to push Owen out in a puddle of amniotic fluid- GROSS!) Anyway, once she broke my water things moved very quickly. They brought in the delivery cart and my doctor got dressed in her head to toe blue plastic gear. She explained to me that soon I would feel the sensation to push. I sat and breathed through three contractions and then out of nowhere it hit me like a two ton truck- I needed to push! Mike screamed to get the attention of the doctor and the nurse. They rushed into the room, I was 10 cm and ready to go. Mike and Judi grabbed a leg and they told me to push hard at my next contraction. I looked at Judi and asked, "is this like the real pushing its time pushes?" She smiled and said "yeah, Chel, this is the real pushes." 9 pushes later, after much screaming and pain, the most handsome little man was placed on my chest. I felt his warm body, I could hear Mike next to me, I touched his little checks and counted his fingers, I cried in the miracle that God performed, I realized that I was a mommy. But not just any mommy, the mommy of Owen Michael Wojcik.
I praise God for Owen every single day. He is a joy! I never imagined love in the capacity that I now feel. November 17th is a day I will never forget. I am humbled that God chose me to be Owen's mommy. I am proud that I delivered a 8 pounds 14 ounces baby completely naturally. I have a deeper love and admiration for my husband, because he is totally built to be my other half. I am filled with so many feelings, I just tear up when I think about this special day.
When asked, would you do it again? The answer, without hesitation, is YES! I would endure the pain, contractions, tearing, stitches, pregnancy, and everything, in a heartbeat! Owen was worth all this and MORE!
