I don't know nothin 'bout birthin' no babies!

You want to know what's harder than going through labor? Watching your CHILD go through labor. Let me tell you, I was just beside myself, watching my baby in pain. Even though I know millions of women go through this every day, it's not MY BABY.

Jessica was six days overdue when she mentioned to me that her face felt "funny" and that one side was not cooperating with the other side, especially when she smiled. When she blinked her eyes looked like the gates at a railroad crossing - they blinked alternately. My heart jumped into my throat - I thought that she possibly had a stroke.

"Do you think I should call the doctor?" she asked me innocently.

I immediately began to cry (ever the strong one - that's me) and answered, "YES!"

The doctor decided to admit Jessica for "observation" on Monday, 1/12. She was diagnosed with a slight case of Bell's Palsy, which is not too uncommon in the third trimester.

She was only dilated to 1 centimeter and 50% effaced so they decided to induce labor through various means. TWO days later, Wednesday, 1/14, Jess was only at 5 centimeters. Her blood pressure was going up pretty high. I was a nervous wreck. The first epideral that had been placed in on Monday wasn't working, so they yanked that one out and put a new one in. Jess was in a lot of pain and I couldn't understand what the doctor and midwife were waiting for to decide to take the baby by c-section. My eyes were filled with tears.

The midwife asked me if I knew a "Dr. Farley". I replied no.

She said, "Oh, you're not from around here."

"That's right," I said.

"Well," the midwife continued, "The doctor was a firm believer that the mother of the pregnant woman should never be in the delivery room. I never agreed with him. Now I see why he said that!"

As my twin sister would say, "Well la-de-freakin'-da lady!" That's all I wanted them to do was make a decision and get this baby out NOW!

And that's exactly what happened. Jess was wheeled into surgery, and wha-lah! A baby was born!

Introducing

Lilith (Lily) Winter Gray
8 lbs 1 oz
19 1/2 inches
11:16 a.m.
1/14/09

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