Monday, November 1, 2010

From a ringing in my ear to wrapped around his finger

I was tormented by a ringing in my ear for the last two weeks of my pregnancy. I am not talking a little hum that would come and go. I had a four alarm fire alert blaring in my left ear twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I tried not to wear out my sympathy by whining about the thing, but it was interrupting my sleep and I was having trouble concentrating at work. Several doctors told me to suck it up because I couldn't take anything while I was incubating. But I was nearing the end of my patience.

Rocky meanwhile had certain deadlines in mind when planning Bennett's arrival. If I could just hold out until the 15th, he might be able to stretch his paternity leave until December. Or, could I just wait until after the election, he had big plans to go watch the return of the GOP with friends over martinis. Or if I really had to go early, could I wait until after his golf game on the 31st. Everyone heard about this golf game, coworkers, friends, doctors and the checkout lady at the grocery store. He was so looking forward to it as a last hurrah and he really didn't mind if he had to hear about my campaign for martyrhood if I could just suffer with the ringing, the exhaustion and everything else until he swung his stupid golf clubs one more time.

Thursday night I walked the dog, went to yoga and sat down to watch Thursday night tv. During a commercial break I had a little talk with Bennett. Rocky listened as I tried to reason with my baby that I was ready to be done and stop listening to your dad. I wouldn't make this up, but 45 minutes later I had my first contraction. I thought it was just a particularly annoying braxton hicks and went and got ready for bed. I laid down and noticed that the ringing was no longer constant and maybe I'd actually get some uninterrupted sleep.

But an hour later I was struggling, so I went downstairs to walk through the twenty-minute apart contractions. I was googling false labor and talking myself out of believing it was the real deal.

Three hours later Rocky came down to check on me. I was no longer questioning it and did everything I could not to punt the puppy across the room as he got under my feet during my pacing. We called the doctor at 4:30. Called my mom at 5:30 and was at the hospital by 6:00.

Mom arrived at 10:00. I started pushing at 11:00. Baby Bennett was here at 11:26.

He has beautiful dark hair. Tiny ears. And ten very long fingers, not enough for all the people that are already wrapped around his fingers and in their heart.














He listened to his mommy and now I have no more ringing in my ears!

1 comment:

  1. Congratulations and cheers on your October baby! Sophie is only 2 weeks older than Bennett (although she weighs two pounds more... my kid is a pork chop.) Clearly they should meet at some point. :) He's absolutely perfect and you look incredible for having just gone through (a very speedy) labor! :) Way to go, and I'm around if you want to commiserate over a lack of sleep... I'm in the deep throes of it right now and it's everything everyone warned me about. :)

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