I figured that I'd better write it all down before
the next baby comes and I don't have the same memory of it. So here is my recollection of
Terese's birth, which was of course, close to three years ago now.
Friday morning Jan 8th 1999 - Sent Rick off to work as usual, feeling fine but tired as
I hadn't slept for a few nights. But around 9:30 in the morning started to have very strong
BH contractions and was not able to think very well through them. So I called Rick home,
because I knew that he still needed to travel down to Marmora to get my sister Pam (a good
45 minute drive one way)
But my mom called that morning before Rick got home and decided that she would bring Pam.
So I amused myself with a shower. After getting out of the shower I had a slight leak of waters,
which to my untrained eye, seemed like a good bit to me. So off to the hospital we trotted
once everyone had arrived, to find out how far things had gotten.
So after discovering nothing (nothing?) and being told that our doctor was off on holidays for the
weekend, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the malls and grocery store.
Then Pizza hut was calling to me (which in the end is quite a funny story because I had pizza
hut pizza the night I got pregnant and the night I went into labour). So yummy it was, and it definately
distracted me from the ever increasing pains in my tummy.
Rick wanted to drive Pam back home after supper, thinking that would be better, but Pam and I
decided not to take the chance since there was a snow storm coming and I didn't want to be alone
anyway. We pretty much all hit the hay by nine o'clock that night attempting to get in some sleep
before the big moment.
9:30pm - Everyone already zonked right out and I am startled awake by a contraction that bet them all.
From this day on I will count that as the beginning of "LABOUR" just since it definately got my attention.
I got up and in the bath, just seemed natural at the time, and did my best to let everyone sleep for
awhile. At 11:30pm Pam woke up and got a call in to her husband to let him know where she was.
And discovered me in labour. I was so happy someone else was around.
After getting in and out of the tub and going pee like a million times, I decided that Rick needed to wake up.
So thus began our attempt to wake him up... It took about half an hour and screaming and yelling and shaking
and lights to rouse him from sleep. He finally got up and attempted (lol) to be useful at 2:30am
I remember being very very cold and we cranked the heat up for me, kept the bath water hot and added
lots of warm blankets and clothes. (The heat never did get turned back down for a few days - must have been busy)
The other thing that really got me thinking was that I no longer felt anything in my tummy. The pain
was all in my back. Pam, having trained as a massage therapist was very helpful for this discomfort.
Rick on the other hand was still falling asleep inbetween contractions, which were now about three minutes apart.
I told them that we needed to go to the hospital, that I had changed my mind and I wanted drugs, now!
I should have occured to me that I was in transition at this point but it didn't. We got to the hospital
at about five thirty in the morning and when checked discovered I was six to seven centimetres dilated.
They informed me I was too late for an epidural but could have some neuban if I wanted it.
After I got it I regretted getting it, but at that point could do nothing about it. I could do nothing from that point on but lay on the bed.
I remember the lights were on and were VERY bright. And I remember staring at the doctors shoes thinking they
were so very cool. (this was the back up doctor, whom I'd never met before - she was really nice though)
And they asked me about the resident and whether or not she could help. I said yes SHE could.
Around seven I said, its time to push! The nurses laughed at me saying I couldn't possibly have gotten that far.
So I said well then check! After which they said, oh yes dear its time! (No really?)
About half an hour later, Terese was born. My water burst in the residents face while I pushed and she broke it.
I guess she forgot to move out of the way. Through out the whole labour my monitoring was thankfully just once in a while
and not constant. Terese went straight to the warming bed with daddy, who cut the cord.
After I was finished being cleaned up and all her tests were done, they gave Terese to me. We started nursing
which we did wrong from the beginning (ouch ouch ouch) but figured out eventually. We were then
transferred over to the postpartum ward to spend the next two and a half days in hell with retarded nurses
and stupid people all around.
We are hoping this time to avoid all of that.