The day I safely gave birth to my daughter
A little while ago, I safely gave birth to a baby girl.
Both mother and baby are doing well, and I am just relieved for now.
I had imagined that childbirth would take more time and that the emotions would build up gradually, but...
When it was all over, it had unfolded at quite a rapid pace.
It progressed with a feeling of 'Wait, already?', and when she was born, my first reaction was surprise rather than being moved.
But it was a birth where the realization gradually caught up with me afterward.
Believe it or not, my daughter was born on the very day I was preparing to establish my company.
We had said it would be funny if she was born two days after her due date on that same day, and that is exactly what happened.
The timing was almost too perfect.
The flow leading up to the birth, which was so different from what I imagined
Around the due date, I did have some Braxton Hicks contractions.
But when I wondered, 'Is this the real thing?', it felt different.
The day after my due date, I went to the hospital for a checkup, and they told me, 'Your cervix is opening, so let's admit you now,' and I was hospitalized right then.
By the next morning, I still hadn't gone into active labor, so they gave me the choice of 'using a labor-inducing drug or going home,' and after consulting with my husband by phone around 9:00 AM, we decided to use the drug.
At this point, I still had some leeway, and Kage-san even said, 'Okay, I'll come at 2:00 PM during visiting hours.'
I heard later that he had even taken a short nap in his car in the hospital parking lot starting around 1:30 PM.
As for me at that time... I started the induction drug after 10:00 AM, the intervals kept getting shorter, and by noon, they were already at 2-3 minute intervals.
In the blink of an eye, I entered active labor, and it progressed all at once.
I had hoped for a painless delivery, so they prepared anesthesia, but the progress was so fast that I gave birth before it could take full effect.
In the final, most painful phase, I had just a slight sensation of, 'Maybe it's eased up a little...?'
It was a birth that felt like a sudden dash, completely different from the 'long labor' I had imagined.
My husband suddenly becomes a member of the delivery team
The rule was that the notification for the birth partner had to come 'only from the mom,' but I was in no state to do that.
Before I knew it, I was in active labor, and I didn't have the capacity to contact him...
By the time my husband arrived, my consciousness was fading, and it wasn't until we had a 'birth review meeting' together later that we were finally able to align our versions of the situation.
From my husband's perspective,
He was heading to the hospital room thinking, 'I wonder if a long time is about to start,' when he was told,
'Please come to the delivery room now!'
He was in a state of, 'Wait, right now!?'
The moment he entered the delivery room, the atmosphere was already in the final phase, and he was,
'Okay! Dad, lift Mom's upper body!'
He was given instructions and suddenly became a member of the delivery team.
Rather than the 'support role' I had imagined, he was completely part of the scene.
As a result, I gave birth about 30 minutes after he arrived.
But my daughter really is perfect for waiting to be born until my husband arrived!!
The moment we welcomed her by 'doing our best together'
'Enjoy being one body and one soul!'
During my pregnancy, people often said that to me.
At first, honestly, I didn't really get it, but as the birth approached, I began to experience the meaning little by little.
Having a show, or feeling pain like Braxton Hicks contractions.
Every time that happened, I felt, 'Oh, something is starting.'
This wasn't just a change in my own body; it was also a sign that the baby was trying to 'come out.'
At first, I would talk to her saying, 'Come on out,' but halfway through, I felt something was off, and it changed to 'Let's do our best together.'
When I focused on the pain, I would get scared, but by thinking, 'Juni👶 is doing her best too,' it shifted to a feeling of wanting to 'cheer her on.'
When I did that, strangely, that intense pain was no longer something I just had to 'endure,' and my consciousness was diverted, making it feel like I could overcome it.
(Of course, the fact that it was incredibly painful didn't change, and the final phase was beyond that anyway...!)
This was something I couldn't overcome alone.
If we didn't do our best together, this birth wouldn't progress.
It was like a feeling of being 'warriors of one body and one soul.'
But... the development was too fast.
The moment she was delivered, what came before 'cute' or 'moving!' was the surprise of, 'Wait, she really came out already.'
The fact that she came out in the form of a real human being of that size—my imagination just couldn't keep up!
After a while, she was brought close for kangaroo care, and seeing her start to breastfeed right away, I feel like the feeling of 'she's cute' finally caught up.
Because my husband was there
Looking back on this birth, what I feel most strongly is that it was because my husband was there that I was able to spend this time without any inconvenience and in happiness.
During pregnancy, at the very moment of birth, and even now.
Because we work together, I was able to continue the work I love until just before the birth, and I was able to choose my schedule and how I moved quite flexibly.
Whether to go on a business trip, how to travel.
Including the option of having my husband drive me, having an environment where I could decide for myself 'how to move' was really huge.
If I had been alone... I don't think I would have been able to move so freely.
While we each have our roles, we do what we can together.
I think it was because we had that kind of relationship that we were able to overcome even an irregular timing like this without difficulty.
It's something I think about normally, but after going through such a big event, I feel it even more than usual.
Thank you again!
And I hope we can continue to build up precious time together from here on out.