Let the waiting begin… & end.
A baby story.
Saturday, September the 13th, passed as any typical day would. The usual discomforts of pregnancy and the ever present question in the back of our minds of, ‘when would babe be coming…?’.
I washed our sheets/bedding and had Mike carry out our big feather mattress topper to air out for the day and Mike jokingly asked why I was doing this all because my water could easily break that night and it would all be for nothing.
Little did we know…😅
Bedtime neared and with it, the first real sign of the impending changes about to occur.
My water began to break around 10:30 pm (the sheets were actually fine 😉 ) and so ensued a few moments of nervous, body wracking shakes at the thought of what was to come, a prayer said and then miraculously, a pretty good nights sleep was gotten.
We didn’t tell anyone until the next morning, as it didn’t feel drastic enough to actually ‘announce’ anything that night and risk ruining anyone else’s sleep 😬
Not much else happened throughout the night or the next morning but I wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of perching upon a pew for hours at church, though I technically ‘felt’ fine.
Thus, we went to the parents house for breakfast and some casual hanging out and napping…all while overly aware of what was, or in this case, was not, happening 😜
Eventually we decided to return home and that us ladies would go for a walk, but not before I called the health line after the husband and mother persuaded me to. All the scary internet stuff was saying how it was dangerous to go ‘X’ amount of hours with your water being broken and not have contractions start so they were feeling a tad stressed. The nurse I spoke with, did say to go in to the hospital, not surprisingly.
We still wanted to get a walk in before heading into town but we didn’t get very far before there was some more action in the water department and we turned our route back around 😅 Mom returned to her house to gather some of her things and Mike and I scurried about ours, getting ready, loading the car, tidying the house, feeling scatterbrained etc.🤪
We got to the hospital around 2:30 and after getting checked in and being monitored, was told that absolutely nothing was happening but that I also wasn’t allowed to leave in case of infection. So we settled in for the duration…
Mom had stopped and gotten us all Subway and Starbucks pre coming to the hospital and those substances were enjoyed pretty early on.
Thankfully both Mom and Mike were allowed to hang out in my room and to go back and forth freely, even though technically the covid rules were that just one person was allowed in that area, since I wasn’t in active labour.
Mom and I walked the hallways for a while and Mike went out and did the odd thing around town until eventually we got the news that a medication to get things going would begin to be administered at 6:00…the next morning.
So, Mom stayed late, giving me a massage before she left and Mike went out to get us a supper of McDonald’s.
We then had to attempt to get some sleep while having to share my hospital bed… the hospitals way of encouraging couples to cherish their time together before their lives are turned upside down after baby maybe? 🤪
It was a bit of an emotional evening. The reality of how our lives were about to change, obviously more real than before and yet still feeling very unreal and uncertain…and still with no actual estimated time of arrival for the little one.
We did manage to sleep a bit but 5:30 Monday morning still came early…
Monday –
By 6:00 a.m. I was taken to another room and hooked up to monitoring for the babe and then given my first round of meds. Mom returned for the day then as well.
I had a McDonald’s iced coffee and some muffins from the sister to nibble on for breakfast but baby wasn’t waking up enough for them to end monitoring, so I was brought juice on top of my caffeine, since the nurse jokingly said he must be too accustomed to the coffee to care 🤪
That over, Mother and I took to walking the hallways once again… and also the stairs.
Climbing up and down 6 flights a few times, truly makes one realize ones limitations 😂🙈
Since our legs were starting to shake, we figured it was maybe time to take a break from that 🤪
I had my fancy hospital breakfast delivered and not long after Mike and Mom went out to try to pass some time and let me sleep.
I can’t say the hospital food was overly yummy that’s for sure but I do love the trays, little dishes and them all having their specific places 😂🙈
Just like airplane food… not overly tasty but yet so satisfyingly separated 😅
(If you didn’t already know this about me… I don’t like my foods touching and I typically eat one item at a time so these ‘foods on a tray’ situations make me oddly happy 😜)
My getting more sleep never happened, since more meds had to be administered since the appropriate 4 hours had passed and an IV was attempted to be put in, just in case I’d need antibiotics since my water had been broke for so long.
Three nurses and 6 try’s later I was left with holes in my hands and wrists but no IV.
Supposedly my veins are ‘beautiful’ but they are not easy to work with… great 💁🏻♀️🤪
Eventually the anesthesiologist came and got it in my arm in one try.
My support team returned from their break outside of the hospital walls with kapow shrimp from Montana’s and some specially made ‘birthday’ cupcakes the sister had whipped up and sent for me, and the babe who didn’t yet have a birthday to celebrate 🤪
(It’s the same cake she made me for MY birthday and if you’re a white/confetti cake lover… you really should try it 🤤👌🏻 Birthday Cake I Milk Bar. )
Around 3:40 p.m. the mumsie and I decided to try to get some sleep.
I had to be up by 4:50 ish for IV meds to be administered and upon waking, I noticed that there were some definite changes in my comfort level, or perhaps I should say my ‘fading’ comfort level.
Some cramping had begun and I was thinking I’d ask for some Tylenol or something next time a nurse came.
Supper was delivered at 5:07 and slightly eaten while I wrote Mike and told him there was a slight change but nothing to rush back to the hospital about.
He’d ended up going home for a few hours just to get some different scenery/rest.
Turns out on his drive home, my sister had passed him on the highway and she said he was going at an oddly slow pace for Mike and she passed him no problem, noting that he didn’t look overly alert. When he got back to the hospital he proceeded to tell us that he had seen HER on the highway and that she went speeding by! 😂 She later confirmed that she’d had her cruise control set, so it turns out it was for sure him that was the one lost in ‘hospital/baby’ dream land 🤪
Unbeknownst to me, as I was telling Mike that there wasn’t a huge massive rush to come, just that the pain was for sure apparent, Mom was telling him she wasn’t sure if he had time to go get Starbucks drinks 🤪😂
Along with the stronger contractions, came the body shakes that I’d momentarily experienced at home.
Nerves and adrenaline and who knows what else, were causing my body to tense up and shake and though I thought I was hot and wanted ice packs, Mother had the wisdom to get my heated blanket, which did indeed help.
It gets a little blurry here for me and maybe I should have had Mom and Mike write their experience from this span of time to fill in some gaps 😅
I just know I wanted my ice pack as well as the hospital supplied ones, constantly refreshed and that I was pushing them into my lower back with my fists, while Mom calmly sat on my bed, talking me through contractions and helping me to keep breathing calmly.
Mike was nearby, being a present comfort/ice pack refresher/Gatorade drink administer and encourager.
Except when he would talk/try to ask questions right when a contraction would begin and Mom would tell him to be quite… which is what I would have told him, had I felt like I could answer him 🤪😂
Tears gathered and hinted at welling out a time or two that I recall but were for the most part, kept at bay.
Having to stand up and get rearranged, was when the pain was the worst/least manageable.
I asked Mike to press on my lower back with the ice and his elbows, as hard as he could and I then questioned him if that was truly as hard as he could push?
His response was that yes it was and he hadn’t had to push that hard putting up a whole wall at work the week before 😅🙈
I was told the anesthesiologist was in the room next door and could come to me next if I wanted. I asked how long it had been since real labour had begun and was pretty shocked to hear it had been around three hours, as I’d thought it had been MAYBE 1 hour max and was expecting to have to endure the current pain and worse, for many hours to come.
I said something along the lines of if it was nearing an end, I didn’t know if the epidural was worth it or not, at which point Mike and Mom both said to just let the anesthesiologist come and I could decide then.
He came and between the shakes and contractions I was able to stay still enough to get the epidural.
Mike actually watched, which surprised me, knowing of his typically semi queasy nature 🙈
(He did tell me at a later date that it was for sure a creepy thing to see though 🤪.)
That needle was way less unpleasant feeling than the failed IV attempts, so that was a nice surprise too 🤓
Supposedly Dr. Williams is the guy to get… so if you’re ever in Prince Albert and need an anesthesiologist, I know a guy 💁🏻♀️🤪
Within 20 minutes or so of getting the epidural, I had relaxed and began to get drowsier and drowsier, contractions seemingly gone and heated blankets warming me into a drowsy state of almost completely pain free, recuperating rest.
This actually stressed Mike out a little bit as it seemed like all progress had stopped and the waiting game would now begin anew but he was comforted when the nurse read the monitors and confirmed that the contractions were indeed still happening 🙈
Though the shakes sporadicly continued, my talking slowed, my eyes drooped and my helpers also got a break and chance to update family and friends on the situation.
The babes hair/weight/time of birth guesses came in from the families and I guess I wrote them a little too, though I forgot almost all I had wrote and what they answered, not realizing this until I reread the chats a couple days later 😅🙈
The heated blankets had to be removed, as they were making me too warm and cozy and if my temperature went over their regulations, I’d have to be treated as a potential covid case.
I had been told by the nurse to let her know if I felt any changes or like it could be time to push. Come 12:45 a.m. I did feel a change but I didn’t want to tell the nurse, or my ‘personal staff’ because I just wanted to sleep 😂
Mich and Mom ruined that dream though, once Mike asked outright if I felt any changes and I let it out that yes, it was probably go time again 🤪
I told them that I’d say something the next time the nurse came in… which was almost immediately after that but as I was turned towards Mom, I feigned sleepiness and Mom looked on with a sceptical gaze and itching tongue, wanting to alert the nurse 😂
The nurse said she had to return right away, so I was able to ‘rest’ for another minute before telling her I felt like the babe and I were maybe more ready than before 😜
She confirmed that what I said was true and so, stage two of labour began.
I’ll put it in here, that I had SUCH a nice nurse during all of this. Nurse Jackie/Jaqueline was so pleasant and sweet and in the end, SHE thanked US for letting her be blessed with sharing the experience with us ♥️
The doctor was called and once he arrived, he stood back while his resident took over. The epidural was doing it’s job very well, so I was still feeling nearly nothing and pushing was just making it feel like my head might burst more than anything else, though I was told it was going well 😜 At one point as a contraction ended and I opened my eyes, they fell upon Mike and as I realized he was wearing his lined coat/sweater, I asked him with slight confusion and a little bit of disgust, ‘Aren’t you hot?!?’ This caused all around to laugh and Mike responded that he actually wasn’t but that he could take it off if it would make me feel better. It did 😂
The supportive staff and my two encouragers continued to hold their places and after around an hour of pushing, baby finally entered the world and our lives, at 1:41 a.m.
I could continue but I think it will be easier to end this segment and post more about the hours and days following baby H’s arrival into the world, in the coming days 🙂
We’re so very thankful that everything went smoothly and that babe arrived safely and healthily and that all was fine with me as well. Also a big thanks to all those who offered to help if they could and the stream of messaging of thoughts and prayers that came during the whole ordeal ♥️
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