After Econ and using the restroom (did I mention the bridge was 34972978918238.39 miles long?) I started my trek across the dreaded bridge. Thinking of the things I needed to wrap up before I went on maternity leave, I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my leggings. "Well, it's happened," I thought. "I've finally reached the point where I pee myself. Cool. But wait a minute... I just went to the bathroom. This can't physically be possible. Well, I don't have any other signs of labor, so I peed myself."
I finally get inside the building to my office and explain what happened to my coworker. We got a good chuckle. I called Neil and told him, "I am either in labor, or I just peed myself. But either way, I need dry clothes. Please come and bring me some."
A lot happened in that 30 minutes it took for Neil to bring me clothes.
I started to have back cramps that were about 5ish minutes apart. I was hot. SO FREAKING HOT. Drenched in sweat. And I keep peeing myself. I called the doctors office to ask if I should come in and they told me a nurse would call me back. I wasn't going to the hospital if I didn't have to. This was going to be my third time there and damn it, I wasn't going to look like a fool again. The doctors said I would know if I was in labor. And the next time I was admitted, I wasn't leaving without a baby. Good Lord, these back cramps are coming fast.
I can't focus on my screen to send emails. By now, my female coworkers are sure I am in labor. They are checking me, comforting me. Thankfully. Neil finally steps off the elevator with my clothes. He helps me to the bathroom so I can change. I tell him we're going to the hospital, I am pretty sure it was my waters, not pee. Neil has a surprise for me. HE BROUGHT THE DOG WITH HIM. THE. DOG.
Let me paint this picture for you. There is my work building, a road, Barnhart, the UK football stadium and then our hospital. So instead of going straight to the hospital that is no more than a quarter of a mile away, we have to drive home first. To Neil's credit, he did offer to drop me off, but no. I wasn't going to check in to the hospital alone.
Neil hit every bump in the road. I was cursing him for bringing the dog. Mowgli knew something was going on, so he kept trying to sit in what little lap wasn't covered in baby belly. The back pain was VERY regular now.
We got the dog in the house and picked up our hospital bags and headed back to the hospital. The plan was to park the car and head in together. But, by the time we got close, I made him pull in to drop me off and then go park the car. I checked into the hospital by myself-exactly what I didn't want to do. In the elevator on the way to the maternity ward, I got a call from the doctors office. I said, "You're too late." The lady in the elevator giggled.
I got to the nurses station and my midwife happened to be there. I had been there a week previous with false labor pains. She looked at me and just nodded.
After checking in, things were a blur. At some point, Neil got there. My midwife checked me and I was at 4cm dilated. That was only after two hours of labor. The main nurse was asking me all of the intake questions- all three trillion of them. I eventually stopped answering and would just look at Neil to answer them. The back pains that were actually contractions were nonstop now. Nurses were rushing around, bringing carts and trays in. I asked if it is was happening now. They said no, they were just preparing. Later, I found out they were afraid it was going to happen very soon. After the nurse finally finished checking me in, they checked me again. I was at 8cm dilated. That was 45 minutes later.
They asked if I wanted an epidural and I said no. I was going to try without it. But I wanted Staydol. That stuff was the cat's meow. It took the edge off. The pain was manageable. I held Neil's hand the entire time and I would squeeze it when there was a contraction. The rest of the afternoon I stayed at an 8. Property Brothers was on in the background. Neil and I were both "sleeping" between contractions. The nurse held my hand during one contraction so Neil could eat a sandwich.
Finally, I was at a 9. I wanted to push so, so bad. They told me not to. I had had enough. I asked them to check me one more time. If I wasn't a 10, I was pushing anyway because he was right there. I just knew it. Sure enough I was a 10. YES!
From there, I remember pushing once laying down and it was terrible. They got me in the upright position. On the next contraction, I pushed and sang. Neil said he has never heard the octave come from me. My midwife said, "That's it girl, just sing him out."
The next contraction, she said, "Here we go. Just one big push and his head will be out." I sang again. And I kept singing the longest note I could muster. And then she laid him on my chest.
What? He's here? Already? I just looked down at the gooey mess on my chest. In my head, I thought wow. He looks like my Uncle Eric. But all I could do was stare at him. I was in disbelief that this little creature was mine. Neil's. Ours.
7:55 PM. All 20 inches, 8 pounds, 15 oz. of Heid Thomas Wood.
Neil cut the cord. The nurses were taking care of me. My stamina must have been impressive because I wanted to get up almost immediately and the nurses seemed to be in disbelief.
We moved from Labor and Delivery to the maternity room. Even though it was now 9:00pm, the paperwork started coming from every direction. What's his name? Sign this release for his shots. Sign this. Sign that. I just want to eat, enjoy my baby and sleep. Leave us alone until the morning? Nope.
Every two hours I had my blood pressure checked. They came to take Heid for his first shots at 2am. Neil and I finally got a little bit of rest after he got Cane's for dinner. Probably the best meal I have ever eaten. And for the first time in 9 months, NO HEARTBURN. Bless up.
About 5:30, I got up to use the restroom. We all know the ordeal it is after giving birth, so I had Neil help me. I still had an IV because they couldn't get my bleeding to stop, which meant I had to go down to the buff to use the restroom. As we finished up, the nurse came into the room. I am completely nude and Neil is holding my gown when she says, "We had an incident." FYI: Those are not the words a brand new mother wants to hear. Especially naked. The blood drained from my face.
Heid had stopped breathing in the nursery and turned blue. They were able to get him breathing again. He still had some fluid in his lungs that they were able to clear, but his body temperature had dropped. Thank the Lord above, our baby was alright. This did lead to him sleeping in our bed for the first couple of months of his life so we could check to make sure he was still breathing. Thankfully, this incident has never happened since.
Nevertheless, neither one of us went back to sleep. The nurses brought Heid back in and we cuddled him close.
And March 9, 2016 is the day that we stopped being a couple and started being a family.
