18 years ago....(the condensed version)

So Leesha is 18 today! We had a mini family party at my parents. Her boyfriend Carson was there too. We ate dinner and gave her some presents and shared “Leesha” stories. I gave myself a headache from laughing so much. But it was good to laugh! I can’t believe it’s been 18 years! And yet it seems like forever ago that I was in labor with her. (*WARNING* LABOR/BIRTH STORY TO FOLLOW)
It was Halloween and my water had “sprung a leak” and I was starting to have contractions…but wasn’t sure it was the real deal because I wasn’t due for three more weeks. So I continued to answer the door to the Trick or Treaters and give them candy as I held my breath during contractions. My mom didn’t come home until 8pm or so and when she got home we headed for the hospital. Sure enough, it was the real deal. You know the tune…….hooked up to a gazillion monitors, poked and prodded, violated during contractions by one particular nurse bitch and finally given some meds to ease the pain and get a little sleep (in a chair at the end of the bed) I’ve had the same lower back pain ever since…I think there was some kind of nerve damage or something. I’ve always heard other mom’s, almost brag, at how many hours they were in labor…as if it would win them extra jewels for their crown in Heaven…but I was thinking about this today because I’ve always just counted the time I was in the hospital…not the fact that I was having painful contractions for 8-9 hours before going to the hospital. So that would mean I was in labor for 20-21 hours before having to have an emergency c-section. Crazy.
Anyway…I remember praying, “Please God I don’t wanna push…please don’t let me have to push” etc… I’m not sure I gave any thought to how else the baby would come out if I didn’t push, but then again, I was a bit distracted by the PAIN!
My body had gone into shock and I couldn’t stop shaking, they were trying to put the epidural in and I could not control my body…I kept apologizing. I remember thinking and wondering who was going to clean up all the amniotic fluid that had burst all over the floor with a nice splash. The doctor while “checking me” at one point mentioned that she felt a nose…when Leesha was born, she had a scratch on her nose!
Leesha had turned and was coming down face first…but she wasn’t going to budge…the doctor had said that was why I was having extremely painful back labor.
I had gained 66lbs and was huge! They had ordered an extra ultra sound to make sure I wasn’t having twins! It turned out to be excess amniotic fluid…though I can’t think of the term for it right now. Leesha weighed only 5lbs 15oz.
I remember someone asking me if I wanted to see my baby, but I was shaking and crying and my arms were strapped down so I think I said no I can’t… but Dr. Sanchez brought her over and held her so I could see her…she had been cleaned up thankfully…that might of scared me to see her all bloody and cheesy…. Anyway…it was hard. It was painful. I was 19 and scared…it was all uncharted territory. But she was beautiful.