In Other Words - What My Husband Did For Me

"A husband is a guy who tells you when you’ve got on too much lipstick and helps you with your girdle when your hips stick."~ Ogden Nash ~

I couldn't resist this quote. As I read this quote tonight and thought about my husband who I love with all my heart, one story, fits this quote to a tee.

When I was pregnant with Lucianna, I was very sick. I had high blood pressure with each pregnancy, but it was the worst with Lucianna. I was 32 weeks pregnant when I was put in the hospital and put on magnesium sulfate. Now it was just a matter of waiting as long as we could without any damage to my body. Lucianna was completely healthy.

My husband was a corporate restaurant manager at the time. He worked all hours and his restaurant was short staffed for management. It was nothing for him to work 12 10 hour days in a row. They don't call us restaurant widows for nothing.

So between his job, getting Monica to school and back and making sure Alexandra was well cared for, he was going crazy. He even brought the family to see me every other day or so. It was even more stress on him, but he knew I needed it.

The day I hit 34 weeks it was time to induce. My body couldn't take anymore. When the contractions started hurting I made the call that my husband was dreading. You see, he's one of those old fashioned wait in the waiting room and tell me when it's over types. He did not, under any circumstances, want to be in that delivery room.

My mother was in the room with me with my first daughter. My good friend was in with my second daughter. This time it was too early and I was scared. I wanted no one else but my husband with me. He reluctantly agreed.

He sat at the corner of the bed holding tight to my hands. I could see the fear in his face as each contraction came. My doctor had broke my water at 8:00 am. At 8:45 I knew the baby was coming soon. My husband went to get some juice in the little kitchenette because the nurse wanted to get me up. I didn't want too. I did not have the energy to fight even though I knew I shouldn't have gotten up at that time.

I sat up, walked around and then sat on the toilet. The nurse said that it would help the baby move down. I told her that when my husband came back I was going to tell him that he could wait outside. I didn't want him to have to be there if he really didn't want to be there. I had two nasty, long and painful contractions and wanted to go back to the bed.

What happened next was very surreal as if it were straight out of a movie. I can look back and laugh now. My husband walked in the delivery room, orange juice in hand. The nurse came to help me up so the bathroom door was open. I stood up. I screamed that the baby was coming RIGHT NOW AND RIGHT HERE! Lucianna fell out (came out bungee jumping as I like to say). The nurse was able to catch her so there was no injuries.

My husband just stood there, mouth agape, unable to move. The nurse had to tell him to help. I had so many things hooked up to me, wires from the baby monitor and iv's galore. I had to walk holding the cables, the nurse was holding the baby (it didn't help that the umbilical cord was extremely short) and Chris pushing the iv poles through the mess that he feared so much like some sort of zombie. He could not believe what he just witnessed.

Our baby was healthy. She was so healthy at 4 lbs 4 oz that she did not have to go to the NICU and she came home with me two days later. Many prayers were answered March 14th at 8:55am when Lucianna came bouncing into our world.

Later, I asked my husband why he didn't pass out. He said it was too much like watching a movie. Maybe he's not romantic but he loves me.