Ronin
by Brooke Moore
Ronin Jude Moore, 8.8 lbs born 12:08 AM on Thursday February 28, 2013.
I was due on March 10th. Wednesday February 27th I woke up and went to work. I started having mild cramps midway through the day and didn’t think much of them. As they slowly became more frequent, I began working faster to train my maternity leave replacement, realizing I might not be back in the office Thursday and Friday as originally planned!
Jeremy had the tub halfway full of water, only to realize the warm water had turned to cold (hot water heaters are not made to fill large birth tubs). He went about trying to drain some of the cold water, asked the neighbors to put our hose through their window and give us some of their hot water – to no avail, and ultimately started boiling pots of water on the stove. Then the power went out. Twice. All the while I labored up and down the hallway, occasionally stopping Jeremy to ask him to hurry up, or tell him “I was dying”.
The power quickly returned and Mari arrived at 9:00 PM. I climbed into the tub and OH how the water brought a soothing relief. I continued to focus on my breathing and Mari reminded me to ride my contractions like a wave. I writhed around in the tub slowly entering my own personal universe. At 10:00 PM I told my husband to call my mom and her friend to come over. At that point I knew my baby was coming soon and I had a sudden urge for them to see the miracle about to unfold.
I looked up at to meet my cats eyes penetrating me and I gained an extra ounce of courage from her. My husband and Mari gave me water which I drank furiously and they placed cool rags on my neck and forehead. I began to feel rushes powering through me fromtop to bottom. After a couple of those Mari reminded me I could push through them. I felt nauseous. I started pushing and screaming. Casandra (midwifery student) had arrived and she perched herself across from me and pushed her own voice down, inviting me to mimic her. Baby Ronin made his way down the canal through the next few pushes and with one final push (and the BLURP of my water sac breaking into the birth tub) out he came! I reached down and pulled my baby out of the water and onto my chest. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Baby Ronin, Jeremy and I spent the next week happily cuddling in our bed.