I started to write this on April 13^th , the perfectionist that I am took awhile to finish it. I hope you enjoy it.

It is the eve before my son’s 1^st birthday. It is crazy to think that a year ago at this time I was in labour and I didn’t even know it. I had an appointment with my OB on this day (April 13^th) and thought it would be a great idea to walk there and back. I live 6 subway stops, or a 30 min walk away from where my OB has her office. Like every appointment I had throughout my pregnancy my husband was meeting me there. Bless him; he never missed a single appointment, ultrasound…nothing. On this particular morning it took me 90 min to walk all the way up University. 90 MIN!!!! By the time I got there I could barely breathe. I had been having pains from the time I woke up. My OB assured me that it was normal since April 13^th was my due date. I, of course, took her word. After all she is the doctor, and this is my first pregnancy, so what did I know. I did know that I felt extremely uncomfortable, with all kinds of cramping and so sick.  These were things that I had never felt in 9 months. After my 90 min walk back home, I curled up splayed out as best as I could on the couch and decided that I was not going to move for the rest of the day. My husband came home sick with a migraine around 3pm. He told me “you better not go into labour today”. I laughed…..

Fast forward to 2:30am (now April 14^th) and I was not sleeping well. The cramping I had been feeling all day started to get more annoying, then it dawned on me that these must be contractions! I remember thinking that I should really start timing them and not to wake up my sick, sleeping, snoring husband. I closed my eyes and then it happened. Whoosh, warm and wet all over. I jumped out of bed faster than any woman who, is now clearly in labour, probably should have and started freaking out. That’s right. The woman who was so calm and cool and had the best pregnancy ever, was freaking out. I obviously woke up hubby. He pulled out our labour check list and we knew that we had to head to the hospital. I had other plans. I wanted to take a shower, comb my hair nice and do my make-up. Judge all you want, but I am not the first mom to want to avoid the horrific after photos taken. I’m all for capturing those precious first moments of a baby’s new life, but do you have to post them on facebook when you look like death?  Comb your hair, or better yet, save those for the personal album at home.  I mean really!  I don’t know how many other women out there decide to take their time going to the hospital once their water breaks, but let me tell you I do not recommend it. The second my water broke the pain of the contractions went from a 2 to 100 in about 5 seconds….

And then it got worse. By the time we cabbed it to the hospital (we are so urban, eh?), I was now experiencing a level of pain I didn’t know existed. All the breathing techniques that I had learned in pre natal class were gone and forgotten. All I could do was cry. Once we made it to triage I was told that I was 1cm dilated. Not the 7cm that I thought I should clearly be based on the pain I was feeling. All I could think was “my god, it will just get worse”. I decided then and there  that I wanted an epidural. I managed to get that out through my moaning (yes, I was that woman), to which I was told “we don’t give epidurals until you get to 4cm.” I responded with “I DON’T CARE! I NEED IT NOW”. I know that most people say that getting an epidural hurts, but not for one second was I freaked out that a needle was being inserted into my spine. All I could feel was the intense pain of the contractions. To all you women out there who are not sure if you want to go natural, I will tell you this. Don’t be a hero. Take the drugs.

After being in labour for 8 hours, the doctor decided that I needed to have an emergency C- section. At that moment, all I cared about was our little man arriving safe. I got to see him being pulled out, it was so surreal and the tears started flowing immediately. When they brought him to me I cried even harder and the first thing I said to my husband through my sobbing was “He…ha..ha…has your nose”.  Brady Walker Davidson was born at 12:15pm April 14^th 2011.

I have always wanted to have a son. For as long as I could remember, when all my friends talked about having little girls, I was adamant that I wanted a boy. I have my little man now and he is simply amazing. To watch him grow and learn new things each day is unreal. He is funny, mischievous, stubborn (I have no idea where he would have got that from) and loveable (he loves giving hugs and kisses). I have loved him from the first time I saw his heart beating at 8 weeks on an ultrasound. There are days that I feel worn out and just exhausted, but his little grin gives me the strength to keep going and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I love being a mom to Brady. I tell him pretty much every day that I am the luckiest mom in the world to have him as a little boy. I may have a scar from a C – section and a few stretch marks around my belly button, but I wear them with honour and pride. He was worth it.

Brady  – 1 day old                                     Me and Brady on his 1st birthday

Thanks for reading 🙂