I held one in my arms."
By the time I announced my pregnancy, I was nearly 20 weeks along and everyone tried not to laugh as they tried to act surprised about it, as if they didn't already know. I began to make plans for myself and the baby. I was going to take time off from graduate school in order to be able to spend time with the baby. I began to save money and buy baby stuff at the store. Well, this pregnancy must have seemed the shortest to most people, because at 24 weeks gestation, I went into labor.
I was traveling with my aunt across the state, about four hours from my home, when my water broke in the car. We were in the middle of a mountain pass, and my aunt flew to the nearest hospital, knowing that she could probably get me to a hospital faster than an ambulance could get to me. We arrived at a community hospital about an hour later. By the time we reached the hospital, I was fully dialted and there was no stopping the baby from being born. Less than two hours after my arrival at the hospital, Laurie was born. She weighed only 1 lb. 5 oz. and was 10 inches long.
