Join the Club

So last night I hosted my book club at my house. We start at 7:30 and we are almost always out the door by 8:45. Last night however, when my husband returned with Pumpkin at 9:30, we were still sitting around in a circle chatting it up. What can keep a group of women away from their kids longer, their husbands, their homes and their beds? (For a good night's sleep) Childbirth. Well not the actual act of childbirth but the reenactment of it through some pretty good stories.

At the end of our discussion about the book, one of the girls mentioned that her sister-in-law had given birth earlier that day. And little did she know, she'd opened the flood gates. For 45 minutes, with little awareness or concern for the time, we sat around and swapped "when my water broke" and "I didn't think I wanted an epidural" and "when the doctor said she weighed 9 lbs." and "32, 36, 39 hours of labor" stories. And even though we've all told the stories probably a thousand times, we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I remember telling my husband after I had my daughter "Now that I have Pumpkin, I've automatically been inducted into a club I never even knew existed." "What club is that?" he asked. So I told him. The I'VE BIRTHED A CHILD club.

It's an amazing phenomenon isn't it? And a wonderful one too. After being through something so emotional, hard, incredible and excruciating it's nearly impossible not to share and to be intrigued, awed and thrilled when others share.

We discussed the epidural vs. natural debate. For the record, my husband is flabbergasted that there even is a debate. He says its like going to the dentist for a root canal and saying "Oh I know I can have anesthesia but no thanks, I think I'll go without it." I tried to explain to him the way some women feel, wanting to be connected to the women of history who did it w/o the pain killers, those who don't want to take the risk it may have for them/the baby, the women who wanted to know they are tough enough to get through it without help. I thought I was one of those, I was going to go "as long as possible without an epidural." After I labored for an hour at home and my water broke on the way to the hospital, that was "as long as possible" and by the time we pulled into the hospital I was screaming for two things: 1) a wheelchair and 2) an epidural. I even begged my husband at one point to go pay the anesthesiologist whatever it took to get him to hurry up. (There I go, telling my story again.)

Anyway, just wanted to say what a proud member I am of this club. I was even prouder when my husband walked in with my daughter and she gave me her cheesiest grin. I realized that my participation in the club was well worth the painful membership fee! So to those of you who, like me, were unaware of even the existence of this sisterhood, we look forward to you joining us! :)