One Week

It's Wednesday, and that means I've survived being in the hospital for one week. Tomorrow, the babies will be 29 weeks old! I'll have another sonogram where they'll measure my cervix and see if there is any change. Hopefully any change will be for the better, not worse!

I asked the resident who came to see me what the difference was between being on bedrest at the hospital versus at home. He confessed there wasn't much difference, but they feel more comfortable keeping a close eye on me just in case I were to go into labor, so they would have a chance to stop it. Dr. Romberg is especially cautious because, as she says, my labor with Allison was "precipitous." I don't think I ever got around to blogging my experience with her delivery, so here it is:

At about 6:30 on Wednesday morning, June 13, 2007, I was awakened by a strange "popping" sensation. It felt like an enormous kick from the baby. I got up to use the bathroom and wondered if my water had broken. Not noticing any particular gushing, I went back to sleep. I woke up 30 or 45 minutes later and realized I was having some contractions. Maybe this is the beginning of labor, I thought. I told Phil, "I think we might be having a baby either late today or tomorrow." He didn't seem too ruffled but said, "I really hope she comes today. It would work out best for my schedule." He had a big test coming up and had been worried he might have to miss it. I called my doula to let her know that I thought I might be at the beginning of labor. She told me this could go on for a while and to call and check in with her every three hours.

It was the Wednesday before Allison's due date, so I had expected to have another week for last minute preparations. I was completely unready! So I immediately threw in a load of baby clothes in the laundry. Hmm, the contractions were getting stronger, and I wondered if I should call my doula again. I started to pack a bag for the hospital and I jumped in the shower. By this point, the contractions were taking my breath away and I had to stop and try to breathe through them. I called my doula again and she said she didn't think I was in active labor yet because even though I was out of breath, I was still able to talk/carry on a conversation with her. She told me she'd come over in about an hour to check on me. So I kept running around the house getting things ready, stopping more frequently to breathe through contractions. We were staying with my sister last summer while Phil was in school, and that morning her husband (a doctor) happened to be home because he had a 1/2 day off. He saw me downstairs doubled over from a contraction and started counting how far apart they were...about 3-4 minutes, maybe 2. He could tell I was in pain and said I should probably call the doctor.

Jun went upstairs to tell Phil to call, and Phil asked, "Why? Doesn't she have a while?" The ob's office told us to go to Maternity Observation at Baylor. Jun said he'd wait for the doula to get to their house so he could tell her we had already gone to the hospital. Then he planned on making his way down there as well, but he said, "Unless it's the fastest delivery in the world, it will probably be another hour or so till you deliver." By the time we were in the car on the way to the hospital, I was really in pain, sweating, and had the urge to push. With a panicked look Phil said, "Don't push! Hold that baby in!" He tried to hold my hand or pat me on the back for support and I said, "Don't touch me!! Drive faster!"

It was the classic movie scene: Our car came careening around the circle drive in front of the hospital entrance. I don't remember Phil parking the car, but I could hardly get out of the car and walk to Maternity Observation. They took one look at me and said, "She's obviously in pain. Go straight across the hall to Labor and Delivery." They had to push me in a wheelchair just the few yards through the double doors and into a room. I was thinking, "If this is just the beginning of labor, I think I'm going to need an epidural." It was probably around 9:30 a.m. or so.

I barely got on the bed, the nurse checked me and said, "You're fully dilated and ready to push." Everything was happening so fast, Phil was in shock and he joked, "So I guess it's too late for an epidural???" The nurse kinda laughed and said, "She's having the baby right now." Thankfully my midwife Susan was just down the hall with another patient who was laboring. Just about the time that she walked into the room and had me start pushing, my doula appeared. She stood by Phil and patted him on the back and reassured him while he was watching me struggle through the pain. I don't know how long I pushed, but it wasn't very long, and the next thing we know, at 10:02 a.m., we heard the first cries of our newborn daughter. They wrapped her up and placed her on my belly, and when Phil got his first gaze at her, he cried. Then he got to do the honors and cut her umbilical cord. He was still in shock and kept saying, "What the heck just happened?" He called Jun to let him know we just had a baby and to ask him to bring a camera, since we had forgotten it in our haste. Jun was surprised, as well as our midwife, doula, and nurses, at how fast my labor and delivery was. It wasn't until AFTER I had Allison that they officially admitted me into the hospital!

So you can see why my doctor now is a bit concerned about me going into labor. We can't wait to meet you sweet babies--just not yet!!