Birth Day

I ran into a good friend at the farmer's market yesterday. She remembered son's D's birthday well because she was the first person to meet him (other than us parents.)

I looked at her quizzically - I honestly didn't remember her being there. But after a moment, my memory sprang back. Minutes after son D was born, I sent husband D to get daughter D. I was alone in the room with son D and he was sleeping. I decided to take a shower. (why? I don't know.) While I was getting in the shower, I fainted. Evidently, I'd lost a lot of blood during the birth. A nurse found me.

My friend worked at the hospital, in HR, and she was the only name/number I remembered so they paged her and she dropped everything, came up and took care of me. I was in all my glory - bleeding, naked, leaking milk, and still un-showered (I fainted before I could get clean, darn it.)

Really, I forgot that whole thing until I ran into her again yesterday. I swear there is some mechanism by which you only remember the positive things about the birth of your children. I am known to proselytize on the glories of natural childbirth. I've claimed that the good hormones are so strong, you recover instantly from the pain.

Now I'm thinking that it probably hurt like hell and I just don't remember it...

Either way, I'm so glad that son D. and I made it through the blood, sweat and tears 5 years ago today.