Ruth's Birth Story
Ruth Mathewes was born December 7, 2007 at 11 AM. 5 lbs, 12 oz., 19" long. Dark hair and dark blue eyes--sure to change!
Everything started around 1 AM. Stephen and I hadn't been in bed that long, and suddenly I realized that my contractions were starting to feel a little less like tightening and a little more like menstrual cramps. They were coming quickly, and so after a few came and went, I woke up Stephen and asked him to start timing them.
5 minutes apart, at least a minute long, they continued steadily while we lay there. We got up, puttered around for a bit. We snacked on cheese and crackers and talked between contractions. It was exciting, but we didn't want to jump in the car right away if it was a false alarm. So Steve put on some Monty Python, and I sat squatted in front of the television surrounded by pillows.
After awhile, we thought it would be good if we got in the shower--the hot water would help me relax and maybe even speed things along. So Steve ran the water and in we went--it was delightful, and definitely helped. We dried off and kept watching TV until we decided, "This is probably it."
A call to the doctor confirmed that it yes, indeed it was time to go, and so we packed up the car, called our friend Amy (who was coming to assist as a doula), and headed over.