Baby Ryleigh

I'm an AUNT! A real aunt! To a beautiful baby girl named Ryleigh.

As you know I was at home when I got the message that Auntie Megan had gone into labor. That was at 9:47 AM. At 3:00 my mother called me to tell me she wasn't waiting for me to call her and was coming to pick me up to take me back to their place for my dad's birthday. But I had been waiting for the call to tell me that I had a niece! I didn't want to leave the house until then. But I didn't argue with my mom or I'd get the huff of impatience in my ear that always makes me feel like a bad daughter. So on her way she was.

At 3:16 I got the call from Uncle Steve. I didn't even let him talk I was so excited. So he might have been willing to tell me at the time if I had a niece or nephew but all I could ask was "Can I come!?" Once I got the ok to visit I was ready to jump in the van and leave, until I realised that my mother was still on her way and of course today of all days she didn't put any minutes on her cell phone. So I had to wait. Again.

I was in the basement checking on the laundry when she finally arrived. I could hear her through the floor boards oddly enough, and ran as fast as I could, baby belly bouncing at my chin, all the way up the stairs, leaped over the hardwood flooring piled up in the kitchen and over the dog to breathlessly yell "THEY HAD THE BABY !" my mother's arms flew up into the air and she yelled back "WHAT IS IT!?" "uh, I don't know!" I replied. I hadn't even bothered to ask!

No time was waisted. We called my dad told him to meet us there, called my grandmother, Memere to tell her we were not picking her up for dinner and we all sped off to the hospital. I drove with my mom because she wanted me to and Daddy drove up by himself because he had to come back home and finish working on the kitchen renovation. You should have seen your grandmother, she was trying to keep it cool but failed miserably. She yelled at every car that drove too slow thus keeping her from getting to her first grand baby. She cussed at the parking lots that were closed on a Saturday thus not allowing her to park closer to the hospital, and she huffed at the automatic door that used to be an entrance turned emergency exit causing us to have to walk further to another door that would allow us entrance into the hospital. She was the first one in the elevator, the first one into the room and the first one to grab the baby out of auntie Megan's arms. And then there was nothing anyone could do to wipe the big dumb grin off of her silly face.

I tried to lean over to give Auntie Megan a kiss but she couldn't move forward due to the fact that she had to have a Cesarean section which left a giant gash in her abdomen and I had a big baby belly that kept getting in the way. My mom walked away with the baby while saying, you were right Kim. Meaning I had niece.

Auntie Megan took no time at all to relay the painful story of Ryleigh's arrival. Auntie Megan, Uncle Steve and Auntie Helen arrived at the hospital late Friday night when Auntie Helen had finally convinced her that she was in labor, but was told she was only 3cm dilated and to go home and wait a little longer. So home she went, where they all jumped into the hot tub to relax and patiently wait it out, only according to Megan that's when her water decided to break, much to the dismay of Uncle Steve who had just cleaned the hot tub. And off they went to the hospital again.

Upon the arrival at the hospital Auntie Megan opted to ease her pain with an epidural which only worked for maybe an hour, so they tried to insert another and that one didn't work. The esthatician continued to try to alleviate her pain by giving her a shot of a narcotic that I can not for the life of me recall the name of, that didn't work. So they tried it again. And once again that didn't work. They say the third time is supposed to be a charm, but not for Megan because once again, it didn't work. The last straw was an oral sedative and even that didn't work.

Your tortured but tough Auntie Megan endured 12 long hours of active labor and NOTHING helped the pain, only to find that little Ryliegh's head was not dropping to the proper position to come out. They tried to turn her head several times. And that's about the time that Auntie Megan started to vomit from exhaustion, discomfort, and over heating. The vomiting caused her stomach muscles to contract, while her uterus was also busy contracting in order to push Ryleigh out, which proved to be too much pressure for little Ryleigh and much to Uncle Steve and Auntie Megan's horror her heart stopped. The mid wife only needed to tickle her head to get it going again but that was enough for Auntie Megan and it was decided that Ryleigh was going to come out a different route. Megan was prepped for the O.R. and Ryleigh was delivered VIA c-section at 12:40 AM August 15th.

An exhausted, sore and hungry Megan sat there on the bed in front of me looking more beautiful then I had ever seen her. She was a mom, and despite all the pain and lack of sleep she had a beautiful grin on her face as she told me it was worth every second. God I love that woman.

My mother of course still had baby Ryleigh in her arms with tears rolling down her cheeks. I had to actually tell her to stop "Bogarting" the baby so I could hold her. The look on her face made me giggle. She looked shocked and a little stressed at the idea of having to let go, but let go she did.

She was so cute. Her face was all puffy and swollen from being stuck in the birthing canal for so long. She had tiny scratches on her face from her long finger nails and a thin red bruise that went from her forehead, down her eye lid and onto her cheek where they must have used the forceps to turn her in an attempt to get her out. And upon first glance there was no doubt from anyone in that room, she was the spitting image of her mother.

I can't wait for you to meet her.