I also stopped at Walgreens hoping to find some last minute items so that I would feel prepared to go into labor at any time. The cashier asked me when I was due and I responded the 29th but that I felt like things were moving along fast and that it seemed likely she would come sooner. Little did I know it would be that night!
When I arrived home, I had quite a bit of energy left over, so I proceeded to clean the house. In the end, I managed to clean the kitchen, fold and put away the laundry, and do some organizing in the baby's room. I was actually preparing to head out of town that weekend to my mother-in-law's, because she had put together a baby shower for me. Later I would realize how nice it was I could get the house in order just before going to the hospital. It was as though I was preparing to welcome someone home or something.
That evening there was a Relief Society activity, which was actually a swimming party. David came home just in time to see me off. As is expected, I got a lot of questions about my pregnancy and how things were progressing. My responses were positive and optimistic. I enjoyed chatting with some mothers about their experiences with pregnancy and labor, and I also took time to wade in the pool and relieve some aches and pains that I had forgotten were there. Overall the night had been well spent and I headed home.
After taking a brief shower to wash off the chlorine, I laid down on the couch while David was occupying himself on the computer. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep seeing as I had a full day. At length, I became aware of a pinching sensation down below. Following this was a warm flow of moisture. My eyes flew open and I sat up. I had heard enough stories to recognize that my water just broke, but I was still in denial. I headed to the bathroom, and sure enough, my water broke. However, I still wanted a confirmation, so I called the OB's office and told them I think my water broke. He was quick to tell me to go to the hospital right away.
This was my last belly photo from the day before.
As ridiculous as it is, instead of feeling excited, I only felt inconvenienced. How many times had David teased me to not go into labor until after the baby shower! I never actually believed I would jump the gun! However, I could at least count my blessings that I didn't go into labor while on the road, because it's an hour and a half drive to his mom's. Not to mention, I was grateful my water hadn't broken in the pool or in the shower, or I may not have recognized I was in labor. Up to this point, I couldn't even tell I was having contractions.
My things were mostly gathered already so there was not much more preparation I needed to do. I called to let them know we were coming, and then we were off to the hospital. I felt anxious, not because I feared the pain of labor but because I couldn't get over the fact that she was two weeks early and that it wasn't supposed to be like this. On the way, I remembered I hadn't asked David for a blessing before we left the house. I voiced my thoughts aloud, and he gave me one in the parking lot to the hospital.
It was midnight when they had set me up. My contractions remained painless, so the only thing that kept waking me was the constant need to use the bathroom. Other than that, I feel that I slept pretty well. At 4 o'clock, the nurse came to give me pitocin because my contractions were irregular and nothing was progressing. I wasn't looking forward to when it took effect. Sure enough, my contractions became more intense, and two hours later, I was dialated to 4 cm. It was at this time I requested an epidural and they promptly gave it to me. From that point on, I could relax, which helped the labor move along quickly. It wasn't long before I felt the need to push. The nurse checked me and basically said, "Oh crap," because the baby's head was right there.
They called for the doctor. He came in still in a white shirt, tie, and slacks. The nurse rushed him back out, saying, "You were supposed to take me seriously when I said the baby is coming!" He came back later in his scrubs. Whithin a short while, Lucy had arrived. The nurses told me to talk to her, that she would recognize my voice, but I was bawling so much, I didn't trust myself to speak at the moment.
Daddy is making phone calls. That's why he has headphones. Not because he's so bored that he has to tune out the present with music.
Lucy weighed 6 lbs 12 oz. She was smaller than I expected.
This was my favorite picture.
