I filled out my own insurance forms between contractions. I work in medical billing\u2014I process insurance claims for a living. So there I was, in active labor, writing down authorization codes and policy numbers because I knew exactly which ones they\u2019d need. If that isn\u2019t the most ridiculous irony of my life, I don\u2019t know what is.<\/p>\n
You know what the worst part was? Even then, even sitting in that hospital bed with monitors strapped to my belly and no husband in sight, I checked my phone. Seventeen texts to Brent, all marked as read. He had seen them. Every single one. He just hadn\u2019t responded. He was too busy watching his fishing line.<\/p>\n
Eleven hours. That\u2019s how long it took to bring my daughter into the world. Eleven hours of contractions, breathing exercises, and nurses telling me I was doing great while I contemplated every life choice that had led me to this moment.<\/p>\n
Then around hour six, everything stopped being beautiful. Lily May\u2019s heart rate dropped during a contraction\u2014not a little, a lot. Monitors started beeping. Three nurses rushed into the room. The doctor appeared, talking about fetal distress and emergency interventions and possible cesarean section.<\/p>\n
I was terrified. Not for me\u2014for my baby. For this little person I hadn\u2019t even met yet but already loved more than anything.I grabbed my phone and texted Brent: Baby in distress. Might need emergency surgery. Please come.Twenty minutes later, he responded: I\u2019m sure the docs have it handled. Dad says the bass are really biting today. Keep me posted.I read that text three times. I screenshot it. I didn\u2019t know why at the time\u2014instinct maybe. Some part of me already building a case I didn\u2019t know I\u2019d need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I filled out my own insurance forms between contractions. I work in medical billing\u2014I process insurance claims for a living. So there I was, in active labor,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n