It's A Baby Story {Part 1}

The road to Micah's birth was long and difficult, but well well worth it. It is as if none of it even matters now that he is here, but of course I will still tell you all about it. :)

I am going to break it up into a few parts, mostly because I want to capture every detail for myself and Micah. So please bare with me.


As you know I have been in pre-term labor for quiet sometime, since 26 weeks to be exact, but as the end of December came the contractions were getting more frequent and intense, and picking up in regularity. However, once I was finally able to really sit and rest they would subside generally in 3 hours.

Then the second week of January hit and things really started to pick up and I was getting nervous I wasn't going to get my consulting job done before I had this little man. Through all of this I can see God's hand at work, now. I was really starting to become quiet frustrated with my slow on and off again pre-term labor. While I wanted Micah to be born as healthy as possible, I also wanted my labor to end and the only way that was going to happen at this point was to give birth. So here is how it all finally went down.

Sunday Jan 9th {35 weeks}: I woke up and started having some things going on that indicated labor was getting closer, along with a few contractions. We went to church and then I came home and started getting last minute preparations done, such as packing, going to the store, getting Lo's schedule written down, etc. I kept thinking I would go into labor that night, but was secretly hoping he would wait until Tues because it was 1-11-11. :)

Monday Jan 10th: Contractions picking up and now we are in a middle of a snow storm. I am trying to rest as much as I can with a toddler, but by her nap time I am not doing so great and email Chad that I may need him to come home early or at the very least leave as soon as school was dismissed. We kept in lots of communication.

I called my OB's nurse and she said based on my symptoms it was really up to me whether I wanted to go in to the hospital or not...gee thanks for the help.

On a side note: I spent 3 hours in Peri-natal with Lo because I was only 38weeks and our hospitals policy is to do nothing to augment labor until you are 39 weeks or in "active" labor (ie at 4cm+). I was a 3 when I went in, bleeding heavily, and contracting every 45 secs for 1 minute, evidently that doesn't equal "active" labor in their books.

SO rushing into the hospital to go through that again sounded like zero fun, I decided to wait. Again by the time Chad got home things started to calm down again.

Tues Jan 11th: Nothing but a few off and on again contractions. :( Bummer it was 1-11-11.

Wednesday and Thursday: I had to work both days. More of the same, on and off again contractions but nothing very stable, just frustrating.

Wednesday--I had my OB appointment, she checked me and said I was 3cm dilated and the baby was head down. This was promising to me that at least all this wasn't for naught.

When I told Megan, my sister, who was babysitting Lo she said "Now, baby you can't come Friday, maybe Saturday, but Sunday would definitely be better." I really wanted to smack her because I am dying and all she is thinking about is herself. ;) This was TOC weekend which is a big weekend that my mom and us girls work for the high school. However, in hindsight a very fortuitous statement.

Friday Jan 14th: By the time Chad got home I wasn't doing well at all and while I wasn't dying, I felt like I should finally go in and be checked out since I was a 3 on Wednesday I could have progressed a lot more and not even know it and actually need to deliver.

So to the Peri-natal unit (PSU) we went. My MIL met us there and took Lo back home. Because I was only 35 weeks they ran a bunch of cultures to make sure my pre-term labor wasn't due to a kidney infection or BV. Then the doctor checked me he said I was only 1 and 40% effaced!

"A 1??!" I said..."My doctor just checked me Wednesday and said I was a 3, it isn't possible to go backwards is it?"

"Not generally" he said.

I have never been more frustrated then I was at that moment. I am dying, they don't care, and they are arguing with me about this. I realize I am not a doctor, but seriously a 1 to a 3 is a big difference. They said they would monitor me for an hour and if I progressed they would go from there. I just wanted to go home, I was so upset. Of course after an hour I didn't progress and they d/c me. My snotty miss know it all nurse said see you in maybe 3 weeks. I just shot her a look as we left, like thanks for nothing. But I know I will be back before then.

So home we went. I cried most of the way. I just didn't understand, why did I have to go through this?! It wasn't that I wanted Micah here, I just wanted labor to stop. I didn't sleep well that night thanks to the contractions, plus just being so aggravated about my PSU experience.

Me pretending to have a good time in the PSU Friday night. :)

Saturday Jan 15th: Got up and decided I would not be going back to PSU until my water broke or I could no longer sit, stand or walk (like in my labor with Lo). We decided to make a family day out of Saturday. It was Lo's 23 mo birthday. We wanted to take her to Exploration Place to have one last special time with just her. Nothing was going to keep me from that.

Lo at Exploration Place having a blast.

Saturday night I was contracting just some and decided to go to bed early. I told Chad he should come to bed earl(ier) too just in case. Around 130a I was contracting hard, but I couldn't see the clock so I couldn't time them. I was refusing to give into it because I didn't want to go back to PSU until at least the morning and even then it better be bad. By 2a I couldn't focus any more and woke Chad up to time them. They were coming every 5-7 minutes and lasting for 1 minute. By 3a we decided to stop timing and try to get some rest. I told Chad my goal was to wait until the morning before we go back in. I just had to see Lo one last time before I left, plus I didn't want to call anyone over to our house at 2a, just so we can get sent home again!

God intervened and slowed my contractions from 330a-445a so I could sleep! I was up by 5am packing up my little PSU bag, since the rest of it was still packed from Friday night's fun there. At this point I was still contracting but nothing regular like earlier that evening. I was ticked. So I started walking and pacing in my basement to see if that would get things going again.

Sunday Jan 16th: By 7a I called my parents to say we wouldn't be at church since I had been laboring all night and that they needed to leave their phones on, because they would be the closest to get to our house if I decided to go back in.

By 730a plans changed. I called my dad back and asked them to come now and sit with me, so when I was finally ready to go in we could.

At this point my contractions were still a little irregular, but some were off the charts strong and others we barely noticeable (by comparison). At this point my parents couldn't get here fast enough. I finally got a hold of them around 915a to see where in the world they were because in my mind it was taking too long for them to get here. They said they were 15 minutes out, and I said good because we are leaving as soon as you get here!

By 930a we are in the car and on our way to the hospital.

I am going to leave the story here. Stay tuned. :) But here's a sneak preview of what happens. ::wink wink::