[Here's another story from my labor that I didn't include in the original story - beware, it gets a little graphic.]

If you regular readers recall, when I was pregnant Dave and I had attended a mandatory class where we learned about childbirth and watched some really outdated videos. I was a little shocked when I watched a vid where some women were giving birth and they were completely naked. I didn't want to be naked during childbirth!

I had told a friend of mine about the video, and she looked at me and said, "I was naked when I gave birth." "Really?" I said. "Yeah, it was so hot in the room and it was just more comfortable without clothes on. Really, at that point in labor you really don't care, it doesn't even matter." I knew that I would be different. I can't be naked!

To tell the truth, I'm a bit of a prude when it comes to exposing my body. I don't know where it came from because my sisters aren't like that at all. During gym class in school I'd quickly change my clothes, trying to expose as little flesh as possible. Even when changing in front of my sisters I make them close their eyes or turn away. Even at the beach, I do wear a two piece but I usually have a towel wrapped around me because I feel weird just walking around in a bikini. (before you ask, sex is a completely different matter and no, I'm not going to talk about that here!)

So the thought of giving birth and having my vagina out there for all to see under bright lights had be a bit nervous, but I knew it had to be done. When I got to the hospital and I got that oh-so-fashionable gown that doesn't close in the back I kept on holding it closed behind me as I was walking around. My ass wasn't ready for the world to see it yet.

During my labor, I was a little out of it. I don't know if it was the hormones, the epidural or just the moment, but things were a bit fuzzy. My body was completely numb from the anesthesia, I was in and out of sleep and groggy most of the time. I was hooked up to monitors that recorded my contractions and I heard the constant "beep beep beep" of my baby's heartbeat which was also being monitored. It's a sound I remember even now - pretty much because I heard it for 6 hours straight.

I came out of one of my naps to hear the nurse hitting the call button in the room, asking for someone to come in immediately (I didn't remember exactly what she said, but I do remember that I didn't like the tone of her voice.) The quick little "beep beep" had slowed down considerably.

A gang of doctors and nurses came into the room, there were about 5 of them. One of them explained to me - "Christine, your baby's heartbeat has dropped, and we need to make it come back up again, OK? We're going to get you on all fours so we can see if that brings it up." I was only slightly comprehending what she was saying, but I could tell it was something that had to be done soon. "Can you flip over for me?" she asked. My brain told my body to flip over - only my arms followed the command. So all the people who came in helped me to flip over and get on my hands and knees.

My body was like a log, I couldn't feel anything, and I felt bad for the people who were trying to move me around - I had gained more than 50lbs during my pregnancy so I wasn't an easy woman to maneuver. Finally I was on my hands and knees, but I was exhausted. The doctors were checking the heartbeat and fortunately, it went back up again. I was exhausted and asked if I could just rest on my forearms, and they said sure.

It was then that I realized that my ass was up in the air. My naked ass, since I had on a gown that didn't open in the back. Not only my naked ass, but most of my back and my legs. And I was on all fours - come to think of it, it was a very similar position to that Britney Spears childbirth statue (because I know you were all dying for a visual). There were at least 7 strangers in the room, all withing 20 feet of my ass waving in the air.

The funny thing? I didn't care! I was so out of it and so relieved that the baby was ok, that it was almost a funny thought to me. It also helped that my ass was as numb as the rest of my body so I couldn't feel it up in the air. I'm sure if I could feel it I would have felt differently. My ass was out, waving proudly to the hospital staff and I couldn't care less.

Now that the baby has been born, I've lost those inhibitions I had before. When you're breastfeeding, you need to feed that baby or he's going to start screaming his head off (well, mine will anyway). If you're going to come into the room when I'm feeding I'm not going to hide my boob. There've been times when I've been talking to my sisters in the nursery with my boob just hanging out, saying hello to the world. I guess when you've had your ass out there for the world to see (and a lactation nurse grabbing your boob 10 different ways to show you how to breastfeed, but that will be in my breastfeeding post) then having your sisters see your boob isn't a big deal.

Who knows, maybe for the next kid I just may go without the gown.

Eh...I'll probably keep the gown.

Posted by Yano at May 12, 2006 10:51 AM

---

---

---

---

---