As the nearing of my due date approached, I was busying myself with every detail I could possibly imagine. I had this scheduled down to the micro second. This would be smooth as smooth can be (because didn’t you know that’s EXACTLY how life works?). The more prepared I was, the easier this would be.
Step 1. Go into labor (deny drugs because you are woman and you are strong!)
Step 2. Go to hospital looking fly ( just because you’re birthing a child, that’s no excuse to look a fool.)
Step 3. Call Jill and Bob (duh) and all friends and family so they could come and support me in what was going to be the easiest labor of all time.
Step 4. Have baby smoothly, eat a large amount of McDonalds.
Step 5. Love on baby, have friends and family love on baby.
Step 6. Spend alone time with Jill and Bob before leaving hospital.
Step 7. Go home with family, knowing I just changed a families life.
Step 8. Continue life.
The only step that went according to plan was the ingesting of a very large amount of McDonalds. The day I gave birth, July 30th, 2009, I was scheduled to be induced as I was overdue. NOT according to plan, my water broke before hand and my mother awoke to me screaming that I not only had just wet myself, but I had a mucus of sorts leaking from my body. (LISTEN PEOPLE, this is birth, do you THINK it’s glamorous?!) This was NOT part of my plan, step 1 was already being foiled. On the way to the hospital at 6 a.m. I scrambled to even put pants on, let alone hair and makeup (sorry step 2) and only because of my mother did I remember to let Jill and Bob know the time was now!
The labor didn’t seem to progress as doctors had hoped so despite plans, I still had to be induced and an all natural birth went out the window. I demanded drugs of any sort and even offered money to nurses to make it stop. Hey, women are strong remember? We’re also incredibly resourceful and willing to do anything to get what we want! After the epidural the day went rather smooth and on par with what I would’ve hoped. Friends visited, my mom was with me, Jill and Bob were there and as excited as ever to become parents, and I, well I just wanted this life form out of my body, and to eat the cookies taunting me across the room that were sent from my grandmother. (Deep, I know.)
By that evening and 30 minutes of pushing, Riley James Gabriel entered the world. It was a whirlwind and again my memory is fuzzy, but I’ll never forget the feeling of that child being put into my arms. It was as if everything I had ever thought I knew about the world was wrong. THIS was what life was about, and THIS was a love I never could’ve imagined. My whole family waited to meet him..Jill and Bob got to hold and bond, and I.. I was blessed enough to have two friends come into the hospital room with a Big Mac and French fries. Just. For. Me.
All was right with the world.
And then the whirlwind stopped. Everyone went home for the night except for me. I would stay and suck up what was supposed to be a full three days with Riley. I would take every second and cherish them. To love him. To learn and remember every part of him, for in three days he would be someone else’s to learn…
Ashley Wilson 