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Birth Stories
Myles Callanta
I woke up Monday (6/4) morning and noticed the show. I realized that labor was near but I wasn't aware of how soon. I consulted my handy "What to expect" Book and read that time varied. I convinced myself that I still had a couple of weeks. My mother however said that I had 1-2 days. She showed up to take me out for lunch since she said that it would be our last lunch to spend together before the baby arrives. Mothers know best!!! I even tried to convince her that I planned to attend Yoga the next day. Monday evening I went for a walk with a girlfriend. Then my husband and I met some friends for dinner at Osaka. I had eggplant for dinner, which the labor and delivery nurses think helped start the labor. Who knows but it sounds good. We got home just in time before the thunderstorm started then settled into bed.
At 3am I woke up uncomfortable as I felt pressure below but my husband said that it was probably the baby's head pushing down (duh). I got up and did some cat poses thinking that I could relieve the pressure. After an hour I realized that I was noticing the pressure at 6 minutes apart. We decided to call my doctor who told us to go to St Mary's for them to check and they'll call him. It was a pleasant surprise to have my doctor call back since he was supposed to be in Spain till the following week.
My husband packed up the car. He found me on the floor still doing my cat poses in between contractions. Luckily the drive to the hospital was brief but I'm sure my husband would say otherwise. My husband went back for our labor bag and I told him that it was probably not necessary since I thought we were having false labor?!?!? We walked up to the elevator and headed to the Labor and Delivery arriving around 4:50am. Soon they got us in a room to check me. I was 8cm dilated when she checked. The pace in the room quickly changed. Two other nurses came in. They hooked me up to the monitor and started an IV. Paper work started flying as they asked me medical questions in between contractions. It was quite a circus in our room. The nurses assured me that they would help me get through the delivery without an epidural. My goal was to deliver without the epidural but I wasn't sure if I could handle the discomfort. (my Full Circle Lamaze instructor was very proud of the result) The urge to push came soon after but they asked me not to push. My doctor arrived 30-40 minutes later and it was like seeing God walk through the door in his white lab coat. Soon I felt relieved to have him there. The gears changed from not pushing to start pushing after he broke my water.
We had a delivery time of 6:43am. WOW!!! Luckily I remembered to ask my husband for the camera in between pushing. Just in time before the delivery. It was quick and surreal. By 9am we were in our postpartum room and I had a chance to walk and use the bathroom with very little assistance.
We couldn't have done it all without my doctor (Dr. Victor Paredes) and the two Labor and Delivery nurses (Jackie and Heather). My husband was a great coach but he admitted that their guidance helped him out.
After running marathons, I've set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon that requires a marathon time of 3 hours and 45 minutes in my age group of 35-40. I didn't get to run the marathon last fall due to my pregnancy. This delivery was my marathon. I may not be going to Boston yet but having a baby is a better reward than the medal you get at the finish line. It's still a PR (personal record) for me!!!
I definitely think Yoga and fitness helped with such a smooth delivery. I made it to week 38 after the scare we had at week 32. I was very fortunate!!!? Thank you Leslie and my fellow yoga friends. I could not have done this without your support and friendship. We're proud to introduce our son Myles Callanta.
Stats---6lbs 15oz; 19.5 inches; DOB 6/5/07 @ 6:43am
Melanie S.