Later in the afternoon, as I was starting to work on dinner, I felt contractions. They were not painful, but they were pretty consistent and sort of had a pattern. I grew a little anxious. I wanted to know for sure if this was it. I went ahead and called my doula, Yda, who told me to call my doctor, who told me "you're an experienced mom, so you can know if this is it or not. I'm in the delivery room if you just want to come in." Thanks doc, I really had no clue.
I did not know what to do. I wanted it to be it. I wanted to know for certain. Was this all real? Was it all in my head? What if I just wanted to have my baby so bad I was making this all up? What if it was real and then I wouldn't make it to the hospital in the end? Yda and I sat in the living room, which she prepped to be only candlelit, and timed contractions - 6 minutes apart. And then, suddenly, I felt exhausted. I wanted to go to bed right then and there, which seemed so weird to me given that it was only 9 pm, and I don't ever get sleepy before midnight. So, I went to lay down, thinking "well... I'm gonna lay down, and it's all gonna go away, and then Yda is gonna have to go home." I later found out that while I was laying down, she told my brother "we need to get ready for a homebirth. This might go really quick."
Suddenly, as I was resting, contractions became painful. I stayed in bed for another 20 minutes or so, and they picked up, fast. Suddenly we were seeing them come in at 3-4 minute intervals, and it became very obvious we all needed to get in the car ASAP. So, we called the doctor, and started our one hour drive to the hospital. By the time I got to the hospital at 11:45 pm, contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. They were painful, but short and manageable. And then, they couldn't pick up a stable heart rate for the baby. So, as things grew in pain, they also grew in worry, and I was still trying to set my mind ready for a long night of laboring, still somewhat not convinced I was going to have a baby that evening. The heart rate was a little erratic, but the doctor said that since I was already in active labor, if it progressed quickly, we could proceed. If it looked like it would take too long, a c-section was gonna be necessary. But things progressed. A little over an hour later, this huge painful wave hit me. And into the delivery room I went.
Suddenly, I found myself screaming "I can't do this!" And Roy, the doctor, and Yda screaming back "There comes the head!" So, twenty minutes after going into the delivery room, I had a baby! Not even two hours after making it to the hospital. I still couldn't believe it! The first thing I asked was "IS IT A GIRL?" Because, you know... We've been getting ready for one, but there was just one ultrasound that confirmed that, so... just saying. And so arrived Elena Grace, with 7lbs. 10 oz, at 1:37 am, on February 26.
It was all very quick, and we were in our room by 2:30 am. A nurse came in at 5:30 to check on me. I wanted a bacon cheeseburger. She left some tylenol. The doctor stopped by at around 10:30 am and said I was ready for release after the pediatrician came and checked on Elena. We were on our way home by 2pm, after clearing all paperwork. Some friends had taken the boys out for ice cream, so we got home and the husband had lunch with the brother. About twenty minutes later, we got to introduce baby sister to two very excited and quickly taken older brothers. Both David and Daniel have spent the last two days kissing her every time they get a chance, and the biggest challenge has been to have them let her sleep. Both baby and mama are doing well, and we are starting to enjoy and get a glimpse of what life might be with our new little girl.
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