Birth Story Part I

Monday, May 16th, I was 41 weeks and had my "week past my due date" appointment scheduled for 3:30.

I woke up Monday morning very unhappy that I had to return to work yet again to hear the wonderful comments made by co-workers and to obviously (or maybe not as obviously as I'd thought) still be pregnant. Co-workers sure can be wonderful, can't they?

I had been having surges aka contractions that morning but nothing too crazy. Around 2pm, they started picking up where I was pretty uncomfortable but still thought nothing of it.

I went to my appointment at 3:30 with Belinda, one of my wonderful Midwives. I wanted her to check me to see if I had progressed since the week before. If you remember, I was only 1cm and 50% effaced. I just knew I had to be more than that. Luckily for me, I was. I was 4cm's and not quite 100% effaced with a bulging bag of water. This almost made me cry. I was fighting back tears.

Belinda then said "ok, hold on" and I knew what was about to come of that statement; stripping of my membranes. If you've never had this done, let me be the one to tell you that it is NOT fun. I yelled "don't do it, Belinda, don't do it" as she was already mid-strip.

She then had me hooked up the Nonstress Test to check the baby and how he was doing when contractions would hit. I got to sit in a, what looked comfy, lazy boy chair for 20 min's. This is where I knew lying on my back would not be an ideal laboring position for me. I was having quite the lower back pain during this 20 minutes.

We were on our way out when I saw my other wonderful Midwife, Janice. Janice hugged me and said "I hope you have drop to your knees contractions and that I see you later tonight."

Little did I know that this would all become so very true.

My Mom and I went to the hospital to visit my friend, Krystel, who had her baby on the 15th. Things really started picking up there. I told Krystel that I hoped to see her later that night or the next morning because I was going to be heading to the hospital soon. We all laughed but little did we know......

My Mom had to drive home as I was getting very uncomfortable. Once I got home, I went straight to the couch, ate some strawberries and pizza and they were both delicious. If I got a surge, I'd go into my hypnobirthing and breathe right through them.

We called Janice, my Midwife on call, at 7:45 letting her know we were heading to the hospital shortly.....

Stay tuned, part II coming up.......