On the Eve of Trin's 2nd Birthday...

Every mother has a birth story (and I’m sure if you questioned a great majority of fathers, they too, have a birth story to tell). And there are very few days a mother remembers just as well as the birth of her child(ren). Like every other mother out there, that day will forever be etched in my permanent memory…with the fine details recounted yearly on the anniversary of my daughter’s birth. Allow me to recount my birth story on the eve of the second anniversary of Triniti RayAnn’s birth…

On Friday, March 14, 2008 (six days before my given due date), I clearly remember walking out of my classroom at the end of the school day, praying to God that He would allow Triniti to be born that weekend because I just did not know how I would get through four more days of work the next week. However, my faith was pretty flimsy during that prayer…it was more like a “wishful” prayer. I drove to my weekly pre-natal appointment, again praying that the doctor would give me “good news” that my baby was ready to come at any moment. However, that did not happen. I left my appointment very disappointed after my doctor told me that I had not even begun to dilate, and I would probably go another week or two! The thought of “another week or two” did not sound the least bit appealing.

The next morning I awoke as normal around 7:30 AM and got ready to go treat myself to a manicure and pedicure before meeting a friend for coffee out in Tinley Park. I noticed mild cramping that morning, but did not even begin to let any excitement grow that this could be the start of something. After my mani/pedi, I headed out from home in Merrillville, IN to coffee in Tinley Park, IL. I casually mentioned to my friend that I had not felt Trin move yet that day (and for Trin, this was not normal). However, I had also heard from several people that sometimes at the very end of a pregnancy, the baby will drastically slow down its movement or not move at all. So by this point on Saturday, March 15, 2008, I wasn’t too worried. I indulged in my favorite beverage from Caribou (one full of lots of caffeine and sugar…just what every pregnant woman should have)…and still no movement from Trin. The more I thought and talked about it, the more the nervousness started to creep in. Following the “motherly” advice from my friend, I decided to go ahead and place a call to the hospital. They ran through a series of questions, all of which I had tried/done/passed/etc. So they told me to come on in. I departed from my friend, called CJ to have him meet me there, and I was on my way to Munster, IN.

The next four hours were a whirlwind of agony, excitement, pain, apprehension, fear, and the most incredible joy a mother-to-be could ever experience. After “finding nothing” wrong, I signed the discharge papers and was preparing to go home. And then it was instantaneous…I began to experience the most excruciating pain and later found out the pain was being caused by a Placenta Abruption. Needless to say, I was never officially discharged that night. I was separated from CJ and whizzed away for an ultrasound (that is when they discovered the Placenta Abruption). I was then able to “reunite” with CJ, only to find out what was going on. My hopes of having an all-natural birth were dashed away when I was told by a doctor I had never met before that it was in my best interest (along with the baby’s) to have an emergency c-section. The next few moments after that were blurry…I was being poked and prodded by people on both sides, asked a million questions, and then whizzed away again for an epidural. Ahh…but as soon as that epidural was done, I was finally able to relax and await the good news of my baby’s arrival.

Moments later, at 9:21 PM, I heard the most beautiful sound…Triniti’s first cry. It was all over…and yet…it was just beginning.  Unfortunately, because of the complications she and I went through, I was unable to hold her until she was about 11 hours old the next morning. But I will never forget holding her for the first time, looking into her (then) blue eyes, and becoming overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for allowing me this blessing from above.

Growing up as a child in a loving home (which I most definitely did), I only knew the kind of love that was experienced with my dad, mom, and sister. And then I met the man of my dreams at age 24 and fell in love within two weeks. I learned a whole different kind of love…a love of being “in-love.” And then I held Triniti for the first time, looked into her eyes, and fell in love instantaneously. I experienced yet a different kind of love…one that can only be shared between a mother and her child.

(I have a something special that I will post as soon as I can in the morning...for Trin's actual birthday...so check back tomorrow for more!)