Kyleigh May

Well, Brian is at a friend's house helping him do some things in his kitchen.  How exciting for my guy to be able to do something he absolutely loves in a completely different country.  I figured since I am here all alone, well, with a dog, who for some reason decides all she wants to do is look at me and whine today, I could tell you about a sweet little princess who completely stole my heart and rocked my world...Kyleigh May.

Kyleigh was born December 8, 1999.  And in true Kyleigh fashion wanted things done her way.  I went in for a regular doctor's appoint just to have her checked.  I remember the conversation I had with my Doctor like it was yesterday.  He asked me if I was ready to have the baby, and I told him I would prefer the 12th, since that was my Grandpa's birthday.  He told me OK, checked me (OUCH!!!), and told me to go upstairs to get monitored...which I did, AFTER hitting up the cart outside for a snack and hot chocolate...a pregnant girl needs her food.  Anyways, after I got my little breakfast snack, I headed upstairs to labor and delivery.

Laying on the bed getting monitored, I remember them hooking all these bands up to my gigantic belly.  Trying to monitor baby's heart rate and movement.  About 5 minutes or so into this "monitoring", I felt something.  Of course, I thought, being 9 months pregnant and just having some hot chocolate and water, I peed myself.  I called the nurse and I told her I needed to use the bathroom.  She came in, told me to wait a minute, grabbed some strip of paper, stuck it where I had "peed".  Next thing she said, completely rocked my world.  "Your water broke", let's get you moved.  I remember instantly bursting into tears.  I wasn't ready.  She was 2 weeks early.  What in the world was going on?  And, in true Kristin (the procrastinator) fashion, I hadn't even gotten her crib yet.  HA!

Everything was a blur for a while.  I'm crying, making phone calls and not even beginning to fathom what is about to happen.  I do remember my apartment complex not wanting to let my mom in to get my bag (which I'm pretty sure was packed, or semi packed) and my camera and other things.  I remember BEGGING them, while crying, to PLEASE let my mom in to my apartment.  I remember calling my Dad & Aunt who had to drive down from Los Angeles.  I called work to tell them I'd be seeing them in about six weeks.  Wow...my world is changing fast.

Luckily, my appointment was first thing in the morning.  (Like 8:00am in the morning,)  I'm pretty sure, when my doctor checked me, he "stripped my membranes".  It HURT!!!  So, let the fun begin...

I did pretty good most of the time.  I was adamant about not wanting drugs.  Mainly because of what it "does" to the baby (I don't really think it "does" anything).  Secondly, because hell, if my baby sister can give birth twice with no drugs, I sure can too.  And, lastly, and probably the real reason...I hate, hate, hate needles.  The thought of a tube being in my back absolutely freaked me out.

Well, here I am in labor.  My contractions really started at about 11:00.  My Doctor came in to check me and whatever she did, there was this HUGE gush of water and instant contraction.  My contractions at this point were pretty strong.  They were back-to-back and I wasn't getting  break.  The doctor decided to give me Pitocin to regulate my contractions.  I also had to have intravenous antibiotics because I was GBS positive.  I wasn't really progressing and they couldn't figure out why.  They gave me something in my IV to relax me.  It did relax me and it relaxed me enough to go from 5cm - 9cm, in less than 30 mins.  By the time I got to 9 cm., I was wanting that epidural.  If I remember correctly, this was about 5:00pm.  Crying, wanting the epidural the doctor knew my wishes and was GREAT about talking me out of it.  His first comment was that it would make the baby "sad and depressed", to which I replied..."I DON'T CARE, I just want the epidural."  His next comment was that it would "prolong my labor."  After already being in labor for, well, all day, I was definitely wanting this over ASAP.  Needless to say, there was no epidural.  Shortly after that conversation with my Doctor, I remember doctors and nurses checking me and asking me if I was ready to push.  UGH!  If I was ready to push, don't you think I would say something.  My girlfriend, Dani and my sister were both in the room.  They were AMAZING!  At one point, I had to throw up.  I think I told the nurse a few times I was going to be sick.  She wouldn't or didn't get me anything to throw up in, so I threw up right there.  At this point...who the "F-word" cares.  I finally just decided to start pushing because, well, honestly I was sick of the question, "Do you need to push?"  I started pushing.  This being my first baby, I had NO idea how to push.  I'm pushing with muscles that were obviously not right, because everyone was like, "bear down".  Really, what does "bear down" actually mean?  So, here I am pushing, gauging if I am doing this right by the reactions and excitement on peoples faces.  I remember if I pushed a certain way (like I was taking the biggest poop of my life) everyone in the room would get excited and start helping me along.  If I pushed another way, they would kind of, sigh, or not be so excited.  So, after a few tries of one way and then the other, I figured this out.  I pushed for just under an hour (I think) and my baby girl made her appearance at 7:19 pm on December 8.  When I held her for the first time, it was an instant bond.  I never thought that my heart could hold that much love.  Even now, ten wonderful years later, my heart is full.  I brought her home on December 10, 1999 (my Dad's birthday), and started my life with my little family. 


I'm sure there are a million things that I have forgotten or didn't put in here.  But, when you wait ten years (almost 11...OH MY GOODNESS).  You tend to forget some of the "bad" things about labor.  I guess that is why women go through this experience more than once.  What I remember is my life changing in an instant and my world as I knew it being totally and completely rocked to it's core...in the most amazing way possible.