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Two Years Ago
Dec. 4th, 2004 09:20 amTwo years ago I went into work to present my list to the sales staff. The next day I was to go on disability leave in anticipation of the birth of my child. Peter and I had decided early that we didn’t want to know the gender of the baby so it was still a mystery. Peter was willing to bet it was a girl. I remember coming home on the train that night and feeling more uncomfortable that I had ever felt on the train. I was glad that I was not going to be riding it for a while. My back really hurt and my gut felt funny.
That evening I had an appointment with my Doctor for a weekly check up. He was telling me that he was going to examine my cervix and this would become a regular thing until the baby was born. He felt around for a minute and stopped. Peter says he will always treasure the look on the Doctor’s face. I couldn’t see it at the time but I thought something was wrong. He said that I was dilating and 70% effaced. He looked very puzzled and said you are in labor and will be having this child with in the next 48 hours. You don’t feel it? I told him that I had felt weird all afternoon but put it down to another round of Braxston-Hicks contractions which I had been having regularly for a couple of week. He told me No, you are in the beginnings of labor. He suggested that I get to the hospital by the next morning at the latest.
Peter and I discussed what to do next. He was bowling in a league that night that met on Wednesdays. I didn’t feel that bad so I told him to go ahead to his league but take the cell phone if I needed to get in touch with him. I watched the usual Wednesday night TV with the occasional contraction making its presence known. Peter called from the bowling alley. He was tanking through his second game and just felt strange that I was at home in labor while he was bowling. I told him to finish up his game and come on home. It would make me feel better. His bowling improved after that. He came home and I was feeling the contractions a little closer together. Then about 11:30 we made the decision to go to the Hospital which we did and later were very glad of the decision. We called the neighbor who had agreed to stay with Ariel when this happened.
We got to the Hospital and checked me in. The labor nurse set me up with an IV and got me into my hospital gown. I climbed into the hospital bed and tried to go to sleep. Peter tried to make himself comfortable on the couch which seems impossible. The nurse came in and informed us that the couch folded out into a bed. So Peter had a bed and I had a bed and we both tried to get some sleep. Meanwhile outside the hospital the snow had started to fall. (To Be Continued)
I am grateful that we did decide to go to the hospital when we did.
That evening I had an appointment with my Doctor for a weekly check up. He was telling me that he was going to examine my cervix and this would become a regular thing until the baby was born. He felt around for a minute and stopped. Peter says he will always treasure the look on the Doctor’s face. I couldn’t see it at the time but I thought something was wrong. He said that I was dilating and 70% effaced. He looked very puzzled and said you are in labor and will be having this child with in the next 48 hours. You don’t feel it? I told him that I had felt weird all afternoon but put it down to another round of Braxston-Hicks contractions which I had been having regularly for a couple of week. He told me No, you are in the beginnings of labor. He suggested that I get to the hospital by the next morning at the latest.
Peter and I discussed what to do next. He was bowling in a league that night that met on Wednesdays. I didn’t feel that bad so I told him to go ahead to his league but take the cell phone if I needed to get in touch with him. I watched the usual Wednesday night TV with the occasional contraction making its presence known. Peter called from the bowling alley. He was tanking through his second game and just felt strange that I was at home in labor while he was bowling. I told him to finish up his game and come on home. It would make me feel better. His bowling improved after that. He came home and I was feeling the contractions a little closer together. Then about 11:30 we made the decision to go to the Hospital which we did and later were very glad of the decision. We called the neighbor who had agreed to stay with Ariel when this happened.
We got to the Hospital and checked me in. The labor nurse set me up with an IV and got me into my hospital gown. I climbed into the hospital bed and tried to go to sleep. Peter tried to make himself comfortable on the couch which seems impossible. The nurse came in and informed us that the couch folded out into a bed. So Peter had a bed and I had a bed and we both tried to get some sleep. Meanwhile outside the hospital the snow had started to fall. (To Be Continued)
I am grateful that we did decide to go to the hospital when we did.
