I've broken down Sadie's birth story in to several parts. These posts are specifically for Brad and I to remember all the details of this time, but several people have asked about her birth, so we thought we would share it on the blog. It's long, I know. :)
My last OB/GYN appointment was on Monday, July 22nd. I was 38 weeks, and feeling great. After my first trimester, I had a relatively perfect pregnancy with very minimal discomfort. I was completely and totally happy with carrying on right up to 40 weeks of pregnancy. In addition, Brad and I lost our minds somewhere around week 28 of this pregnancy and decided to GUT our kitchen...and our hall bath. AND do all the work ourselves. Yes, I know - complete insanity. SO, not only was I happy with waiting a few more weeks to have Sadie, but I NEEDED to wait to finish up the last of our renovations. Our house was turned upside down - plastic hanging everywhere, all of my pots and pans sitting in our Study, no sink or appliances. Completely not ready for a baby to come! So, when I went to my OB appointment, and my doctor, Dr. Snowden, said I was only 1 1/2 cm dilated - to say Brad and I breathed a sigh of relief is a strong understatement. But, that sigh of relief was very short lived when Dr. Snowden said she wanted to help speed things along and strip my membranes. And, ladies and gentlemen, that now ranks as one of the most painful things I have experienced. Not fun!
I went home, and worked on graduate projects that were due Wednesday the rest of the day Monday and Tuesday, trying to stay off my feet and get as much done as possible before Sadie came (still anticipating that to be at least a week). Our family came and worked so hard to help Brad and I finish up the last leg of work and put the house back together. I submitted all of my graduate work Tuesday night, with the exception of one last project that I would work on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, our countertops were being installed. They had a problem with everything fitting, and I ended up calling Brad at work for him to know what was going on. I NEVER call Brad at work - I always call or text his cell phone. However, I couldn't get him to respond and we needed some direction quickly, so I called him at work. His co-workers immediately thought I was in labor (just a few more hours, guys!). The decision was made to re-do the countertops to fix the problem, and they would come back the following week to finish installing.
My mom came around noon to bring me some lunch, and she and my mother-in-law stayed for the afternoon to do some cleaning. I felt something a little different when I got up to go eat lunch. Could my water have just broke?! It was such a small amount of fluid I convinced myself that no, it didn't. I ate lunch and worked on my graduate work. Every time I would stand up though, I would feel just a trickle of fluid. I kept all this to myself because I knew telling my mother and mother-in-law would send them in complete panic mode. And, I wasn't completely sure what exactly was going on. I ended up calling my cousin Lori, who's water broke at home, and compared notes. She felt very strongly it had broke, and I needed to call my doctor. Me always being super cautious, wanted to wait a little while. While on the phone, Lori searched the Web to find "sure fire signs your water has broke" - what would we do without expert Internet advice?! HA!! I agreed that I would wait 30 minutes, and if things hadn't changed, I would call my doctor at 3:00pm. Around that time, my mother-in-law went home, and my mom left to run some errands. I ended up calling my doctor, and explaining what had been going on the past several hours, STILL convinced my water had not really broke. Much to my surprise and fear, the nurse told me to come on to Birmingham and go to Labor and Delivery. I remember saying, "Seriously?!" HA!! I was standing in my laundry room, and looked to my left and saw my kitchen - with no countertops or appliances - and felt a huge lump in my throat. How could we ever bring our precious Sadie home with our house not finished?? I picked up the phone and called Brad at work for the SECOND time that day. But, this time it was THE call. As soon as I heard his voice, I immediately burst in to tears and said MY WATER HAS BROKE! Brad was so calm on the phone, and reassured me that everything was fine, it didn't matter if the house was done or not, that our sweet Sadie was ready to come, and the time we had hoped and prayed for was finally here! Goodness, I love that man!! He always brings me back down to earth and puts things in perspective.
I went and took a shower and started getting ready. Brad got home, now in complete panic. While I thought I told him I was going to take a shower, I apparently did not. He tried calling me once he got on the road to come home (he works 30 minutes away), and I did not answer the phone...which worried him. As if in the movies, he got pulled over for speeding, but when he told the officer that my water broke, he was let go without getting a ticket. Thank you, sir!! Brad got ready, and began (literally) throwing everything in the car. By this time, I felt very confident my water had broke because I was seeing a lot more fluid. I have NEVER seen Brad as anxious and rattled before...and I was amazingly calm. For once our roles were reversed!! My mom got back from running errands and we quickly explained what was going on. She agreed to take Ellie home and wait to hear from us before coming to the hospital.
On the way to the hospital, Brad called his parents to bring them up to speed and we sent text messages out to our friends and family to let them know the news. I started having contractions while in the car, about every 20 minutes but not very intense. Brad was a nervous wreck! He was so afraid I was going to go in to active labor and have Sadie on the side of the interstate! HA!!
Part 2 coming up soon! :) :) :)
No comments:
Post a Comment