On this day last year, I woke up when Tim was getting ready for work, about 4 a.m. and was having contractions. Regular contractions, about 10 minutes apart. I was so excited, 6 days past the due date, and I was ready to meet baby boy #3.
I decided to try and get some rest, as they weren’t hard contractions, just the beginning of labor, so I told Tim to turn on his cell and keep it on him since I’d be calling him, hopefully before he was done with work. I went back to sleep, a light sleep, but based on some prior experience, I know you need to keep up your strength for labor and delivery, so some sleep was better than none.
When my alarm went off, I got up, still having contractions, and put on sweats. I decided I wasn’t going in to work; I’d just labor at home where I’d be more comfortable. However I did take the boys to daycare since they weren’t going to go with us to the hospital and told everyone there I was in labor, they were excited too! By the time I got back home the contractions had fizzled out and I was disappointed. It was time for my baby to come (just ask me, I’d tell you), but it’s hard to have a baby without contractions.
I decided to take some matters into my own hands. This same thing happened when labor started with Noah and my midwife suggested using a breast pump for a few minutes to stimulate the contractions. So I tried it this time around. No luck. So then I’m just sitting at home with no more contractions feeling like a fool. Should I go in to work? I don’t want to waste vacation or maternity leave to just sit at home and do nothing. I decided to stay home and walk.
Tim came home from work and was going to split some firewood so we’d be set for when we got home with the new baby. So I bundled up and went out with him and put the smaller pieces in the truck after he split them. He kept asking, “Anything?” The answer was always no. I walked up and down the driveway to no avail. I would have vague intermitten contractions, but not real labor.
By 3:00 p.m. I was pacing the house, making laps. I had noticed if I kept up a brisk pace the contractions continued, so I walked and walked. Tim went and picked up the boys. They said Eli hadn’t been himself. I took one look at him and knew he was sick. As I lifted his shirt to put the thermometer under his arm, I see a red rash on his back. I immediately tell Tim to take him to urgent care, he’s got scarlet fever! It had gone around the previous week at the daycare, so I knew the signs.
They got back from urgent care and pharmacy and we got Eli started on the antibiotic and kept him away from Noah in hopes that he wouldn’t get it too. By that time I was too tired to continue walking so my contractions stopped. We really felt like the baby would come soon though, probably in the night, so we called Tim’s parents. His dad came and spent the night that way if it was during the night he would already be there and that way my sister could go with us to the hospital.
Then we went to bed. And that was my day a year ago today. Not exactly the birth story you thought you were going to get huh?
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