Begin at the Beginning....
Last Thursday I was home from work. I had finished up a few things and was planning on doing the rest on Friday. I spent Thursday at home wrapping Christmas presents, finishing Christmas presents, sending off the last of the cards (well, writing them anyway), getting packages ready to be mailed, making lasagna to freeze for after Baby B's arrival etc....it was a pretty good day.
But my back was KILLING me.
I chalked it up to the fact that, duh, I was carrying an extra 30lbs on the front of my body and I was slowing down and needed to get off my feet, relax, etc.
Early labor never even crossed my mind. Not once.
So, the next morning (and here with go with the TMI for all you squeamish types out there), I got up as Steve was getting ready to leave. Gush. (that's said in a little voice because it wasn't a GUSH. "Hmmm, that's weird," I thought...but not much more of it because, well, I WASN'T in ready for labor, right? (**note - earlier in the week I noticed more, um, well, discharge....mucus...egg white consistency...DUH - textbook case anyone?**). So, being quite sure everything was not moving along, I didn't mention it to Steve and saw him off to work and laid back down. On a towel. After changing my undies twice (duh)(but thankfully I was wearing a pad due to the activity earlier in the week....).
I thought - if I lay here for 30 minutes or so and get up AGAIN and there's a gush...well, then I know something's up.
So...guess what...another gush (little) after 30 mins or so. Hmmm.....I'm sure it's nothing.
I went about my business. Tested my blood sugars, ate my eggs for breakfast, packed up my work bag, my bag to go to the post office (Laurie -sorry - your b-day gift still awaits mailing!), made a lunch and felt really crappy. I was having back pains again....sort of like menstrual cramps (duh duh duh). I decided if I was going to have a baby I should take a shower, do my hair & put on some makeup for crying out loud.
So, I did and continued to have "cramps" but didn't think much about them....got ready to head out the door for work and then thought...."well, maybe I"ll just sit down for a few minutes and see what's happening...."
I grabbed my "What to Expect Book" and all the literature I could find from our child birth classes - I looked on the internet and read everything I could find...I was starting to really hurt. I decided maybe I should call Steve.
So I did and let him know that something might be happening. Of course saying this made me burst into tears. I told him I would keep him posted. Then I started timing contractions....
9:28; 9:33; 9:38; 9:43; 9:48...... Hmmmm, those seem pretty regular. And only FIVE MINUTES APART. This went on for an hour. I was sure that if I just chilled out, drank some water and kept track they would stop. But they didn't.
I called Steve and told him I was going to call the nurse and then probably go in and get checked out. He was 25 miles north of Duluth IN THE WOODS on his new job. In the woods by SNOWMOBILE.
I called the nurse and again started crying (because I'm a big cry baby - believe me!!). I told her my symptoms and when she asked how many of these "contractions" I had had in the last hour I said "11" she said - "Okay - you need to go in. Now. Bring your stuff you might be staying."
Then I called Steve who told me to call his Mom for a ride to the hospital. I planned on calling Steve from there to let him know if they were keeping me or if it was a false alarm.
Steve's Mom responded quickly when I non-chalantly said, "what are you doing right now? Can you drive me to the hospital...?" She was on the spot - thank god - and came right away. We chatted on the way there - about what I have no idea...except for the fact that we both noticed how INCREDIBLY BUMPY THE g.d. road to the hospital was. Ay yi yi. She dropped me off and I went up to the maternity triage area while she parked. AS I walked in with my pillow & my suitcase feeling steady contractions and looking at others I thought - "hey everyone, I'm probably in labor here - probably going to have a baby soon." But not really believing any of it...
Up in the triage they had me strip down to the lovely gown and wait for a doc to come and check things out....my MIL was with me - which was actually very good because I really wouldn't have wanted to be alone then. The triage nurse was watching the monitor and having me tell her every g.d. medical thing (hello? don't they have computers?) which was annoying. I also remember her saying "wow, you're really pounding out these contractions." Um, yes. I know. They were about 2 mins apart - it was not yet noon. (we left my house at about 11:10am.
My MIL asked the nurse if she should have my husband come and the nurse replied..."yeah, he should be on his way." She called him and told him to head on in. Steve wanted to talk to me but apparently I wanted none of that! It's all a bit foggy....The nurse then asked me what kind of pain medication I wanted. I replied I thought I was going to do it naturally but I was in so much pain that I would likely want an epidural.
The doctor came in to check me out and confirmed that yes, my water had broken (I think her words were..."it's pretty wet down here." or maybe I'm making that up.... when she checked to see how dilated I was - I was at 7 cm!!
It was about noon. The nurse told my MIL that my husband needed to be there NOW.
....to be continued.....
But my back was KILLING me.
I chalked it up to the fact that, duh, I was carrying an extra 30lbs on the front of my body and I was slowing down and needed to get off my feet, relax, etc.
Early labor never even crossed my mind. Not once.
So, the next morning (and here with go with the TMI for all you squeamish types out there), I got up as Steve was getting ready to leave. Gush. (that's said in a little voice because it wasn't a GUSH. "Hmmm, that's weird," I thought...but not much more of it because, well, I WASN'T in ready for labor, right? (**note - earlier in the week I noticed more, um, well, discharge....mucus...egg white consistency...DUH - textbook case anyone?**). So, being quite sure everything was not moving along, I didn't mention it to Steve and saw him off to work and laid back down. On a towel. After changing my undies twice (duh)(but thankfully I was wearing a pad due to the activity earlier in the week....).
I thought - if I lay here for 30 minutes or so and get up AGAIN and there's a gush...well, then I know something's up.
So...guess what...another gush (little) after 30 mins or so. Hmmm.....I'm sure it's nothing.
I went about my business. Tested my blood sugars, ate my eggs for breakfast, packed up my work bag, my bag to go to the post office (Laurie -sorry - your b-day gift still awaits mailing!), made a lunch and felt really crappy. I was having back pains again....sort of like menstrual cramps (duh duh duh). I decided if I was going to have a baby I should take a shower, do my hair & put on some makeup for crying out loud.
So, I did and continued to have "cramps" but didn't think much about them....got ready to head out the door for work and then thought...."well, maybe I"ll just sit down for a few minutes and see what's happening...."
I grabbed my "What to Expect Book" and all the literature I could find from our child birth classes - I looked on the internet and read everything I could find...I was starting to really hurt. I decided maybe I should call Steve.
So I did and let him know that something might be happening. Of course saying this made me burst into tears. I told him I would keep him posted. Then I started timing contractions....
9:28; 9:33; 9:38; 9:43; 9:48...... Hmmmm, those seem pretty regular. And only FIVE MINUTES APART. This went on for an hour. I was sure that if I just chilled out, drank some water and kept track they would stop. But they didn't.
I called Steve and told him I was going to call the nurse and then probably go in and get checked out. He was 25 miles north of Duluth IN THE WOODS on his new job. In the woods by SNOWMOBILE.
I called the nurse and again started crying (because I'm a big cry baby - believe me!!). I told her my symptoms and when she asked how many of these "contractions" I had had in the last hour I said "11" she said - "Okay - you need to go in. Now. Bring your stuff you might be staying."
Then I called Steve who told me to call his Mom for a ride to the hospital. I planned on calling Steve from there to let him know if they were keeping me or if it was a false alarm.
Steve's Mom responded quickly when I non-chalantly said, "what are you doing right now? Can you drive me to the hospital...?" She was on the spot - thank god - and came right away. We chatted on the way there - about what I have no idea...except for the fact that we both noticed how INCREDIBLY BUMPY THE g.d. road to the hospital was. Ay yi yi. She dropped me off and I went up to the maternity triage area while she parked. AS I walked in with my pillow & my suitcase feeling steady contractions and looking at others I thought - "hey everyone, I'm probably in labor here - probably going to have a baby soon." But not really believing any of it...
Up in the triage they had me strip down to the lovely gown and wait for a doc to come and check things out....my MIL was with me - which was actually very good because I really wouldn't have wanted to be alone then. The triage nurse was watching the monitor and having me tell her every g.d. medical thing (hello? don't they have computers?) which was annoying. I also remember her saying "wow, you're really pounding out these contractions." Um, yes. I know. They were about 2 mins apart - it was not yet noon. (we left my house at about 11:10am.
My MIL asked the nurse if she should have my husband come and the nurse replied..."yeah, he should be on his way." She called him and told him to head on in. Steve wanted to talk to me but apparently I wanted none of that! It's all a bit foggy....The nurse then asked me what kind of pain medication I wanted. I replied I thought I was going to do it naturally but I was in so much pain that I would likely want an epidural.
The doctor came in to check me out and confirmed that yes, my water had broken (I think her words were..."it's pretty wet down here." or maybe I'm making that up.... when she checked to see how dilated I was - I was at 7 cm!!
It was about noon. The nurse told my MIL that my husband needed to be there NOW.
....to be continued.....
Comments
Early labor is tough to peg. I was up for a few hours before it even occurred to me it might be more than cramps. And I was only 4 days before my due date. Talk about Duh!
Can't wait to hear the rest - thanks for posting!
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And I also remember that "Well, I thought I wanted to go natural, but DAMN! this hurts. Stick the needle in my back, please!"
Hope things are going more smoothly today.
Give yourself some credit. How are you supposed to know what labor feels like? Apparently I was having contractions due to the 'stress' my body was under with the HELPS and I didn't fell a damn thing. Not a thing. Hooked me up to the machine and what do you know...
I dunno, being at home and getting to nearly 7 before heading in is better than laying in a hospital bed wondering WTF the nurse is and when is the damn doc going to come in and see me. Hmmm... I think I might be having a flashback.