you are my sunshine my only sunshine

My due date was February 13th, 2011...my dad's birthday. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but if I would have known beforehand how Liam's presence in the world would impact my dad, I would have had a scheduled delivery that very day.

However, I didn't go into labor until February 18th sometime during the night. I didn't realize I was in labor though because the pain was nothing that I had read about or had been described to me. You hear all these explanations of "tightness in the upper belly," but I had these sharp shooting pains in the very lower part of my belly. They came every ten minutes and then got closer and closer. These pains were so bad that I went to the hospital in the AM on 2/19. Dr. Neumann came in and checked me out & said I was only 1 CM dilated. I asked about being induced and he told me it was my choice, but he would rather me wait it out. The nurse had told me that all labor pains can be different, but she didn't think I was in active labor. I decided to listen to them and wait it out. I went home and it seemed as if the pains grew further apart- up until that night. These sharp shooters came back with a vengeance and they were here every 2-5 minutes. If this wasn't active labor something had to have been wrong with the baby. I was so scared, but Nestor (daddy) was sleeping soundly (not really; he was snoring!) on the bed next to me while I was quietly crying. I didn't want to overreact and go back to the hospital, but I also didn't want my little one to be suffering. I suffered all through the night until 5AM on 2/20 when I fell over from the pain. I told Nestor to call the hospital again and tell them it had gotten worst. The nurse told him to have me wait until my water broke. At 9AM I couldn't take it anymore and checked myself in at Maui Memorial Hospital. I was 2.5 CM dilated! Finally, the pain was actually doing something! At 12pm I had the epidural. I've wrecked myself for months about the long needle that comes with accepting the epidural, and honestly, it wasn't all that bad. It was actually amazing. I just felt pressure from that point on...no pain. At 2pm I was 4 CM dilated which is where I stayed until about 8pm. The DR wanted to do a c-section, but I had the nurse up my pitocin. By 11pm I was 9 CM dilated!! This was great news and I was so excited to just meet my new buddy.

It was a long wait, but my little dude had finally made his debut.


Liam Patrick Tapuro
Born 2/21/12 @ 1:23AM
7lbs, 11oz; 20.5 inches