For Posterity

Last April I wrote this post about Anna's arrival but for some reason I didn't post it. Maybe I forgot, since I was pretty knackered at that time. It was more about just getting it down "on paper" so I wouldn't forget anything.  Now that we're a few days away from her 1st birthday, I wanted to put it out there. So, here's the story of the night Anna Bridget Duffy arrived...

Not like you'll ever forget it, or the major points anyway, but I feel like it's important to document the day your babies were born so that they'll always know their story. I guess I got that from my Mom, since I know lots of details from the the night I arrived.

So, Wednesday, March 23rd started like a normal day. Luke and I went to the J for my spin class (yes, really), then off to his gymnastics class. That's when I started feeling less than spectacular. I was starting to have mild contractions, which continued throughout the day, though not at an alarmingly frequent pace or intensity. I was really hoping to hold out at least until 9 am on Thursday, when Pilar would arrive to watch Luke and my parents would be en route. Because even more than the anxiety about childbirth, I had been worrying about the who, what, when, where and how involved in Luke's care if the baby arrived before my parents did.

It was a lovely evening, so when Keith got home from work we went for a walk and ordered takeout pizza from our neighborhood spot. As I hobbled along through our hood, I told Keith that I thought the baby would definitely come in the next 24 hours. Starting at 8:30 pm, my contractions suddenly started coming within a few minutes and some were as painful as I remembered they could be. I realized that I wouldn't make it to the next morning and called our friends Ben & Meredith to make sure they were around and to update them on the situation.

At 9:30 pm my water broke. This was a new experience for me, as it didn't happen naturally when I had Luke. I was actually annoyed at first, because I had thoughtfully planned the outfit to wear to and from the hospital (which happened to be one of the only things that fit comfortably) and now it was trashed. Remembering how low the baby was and fearful that the process could go quickly, I told Keith that we needed to go.

I got Luke out of bed and we went right to the hospital. We arrived at 10 pm and it was like a ghost town. The empty check-in desk on the maternal services floor had a sign pointing to OB emergency services. We walked over there and a woman was directing a couple down the hall. Then she started typing on her computer as we stood there calmly. I wasn't having active contractions at that point, so, aside from having drenched pants, I was (and obviously seemed) fine. Keith finally said something to her and she responded "Oh! I thought you were with the patient," motioning to the couple she'd just helped. "No, I'm the patient," I explained. She pointed us across the hall to labor and delivery. We wandered over and found six or seven nurses and residents sitting at a desk. "Hi," I said. "I'm 39 weeks and my water just broke." I was totally calm and Keith stood there holding Luke. They looked at us like we were joking. One responded "are you sure your water broke?" I gestured down to my dripping pants and said "I'm certain." They jumped to action, ushering me into a delivery suite, while Keith got me settled and left to bring Luke to Ben & Meredith's house.

Once the residents verified that I was indeed in labor, they called for the anesthesiologist right away and I had my beloved epidural within an hour of arriving at the hospital. Around that time my contractions actually started slowing down. So, compared to my 13-hour labor experience with Luke, I experienced a very short period of painful contractions. I did, however, have terrible nausea. Even worse than I had with Luke's labor. I think they gave me the maximum dose of Zofran to get it under control, but it took a couple of hours. Since the contractions had tapered off, they started me on Pitocin to keep the things going. 


Then, at 3:17 am on Thursday, March 24th, with just two pushes, Anna Bridget made her way into the world. Unlike my experience delivering Luke (when he'd had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and grasped in his fist), they put Anna on my chest right away. It all happened so fast, but I do remember the euphoric feeling that I'd done it, she was safe, and it was over!

It was 5:17 am on the east coast when she was born and I knew that my parents would be boarding the plane for their 6 am flight to Salt Lake. Keith called and was able to let them know that their granddaughter had arrived, just as they started their journey out here to meet her. My Mom had been certain that we were having another boy, so she was very surprised.

And then we had to decide what to name our baby girl. We had a short list of girl names, but at the time I went into labor we hadn't decided on one. We were actually quite indecisive for over an hour, as we tossed around the options. It's an important choice and I was feeling a little stressed! Though I knew we were having a girl, I hadn't finalized a name in my mind. Finally it just came to me that Anna Bridget seemed right, and Keith was happy to agree. After all, my paternal grandmother's name is Anna and my late maternal grandmother Anne was born on March 26, my baby's due date. Plus, I have an Auntie Anne. It was an obvious choice, really.

Keith had a full schedule of Mohs surgery slated for Thursday the 24th, but considering that neither of us slept a wink that night, he knew he wouldn't be in the best form to operate. Since we were just two floors from the dermatology department, he was able to run around early in the morning and find a colleague to cover a few cases, while rescheduling a few. Then he went to the lobby Starbucks, got me my first full strength latte in 9 months, and excitedly informed his Starbucks friends (he's a regular there) that we had a new baby.

By 1 pm on Thursday I was in my recovery room with my parents, Keith, and Luke, all admiring Anna. And the rest is history.