Hollis's Birth Part I

Nearly four years ago, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our third child. I planned to work up until I went into labor but not quite as close as last time. My rotation schedule was such that I could start my maternity leave earlier or later as required, and I did not have call. I passed the 38 week mark without event, and my mother arrived on Memorial Day. My bag was packed, and I had a list of last minute items to throw in - hairbrush, toothbrush, camera, etc. In the evening, I began feeling some light contractions. Because Meriel had arrived so quickly, I was a bit anxious as to how this labor would proceed. I called my friend, Barb, who was to deliver the baby to let her know that I was having regular but very light contractions. We discussed the options, and I decided that I would take a shower and try to go to bed. If I could fall asleep, it wasn't real labor. If the contractions got stronger, I should call her back. Then I asked her if she knew at what time I should go to the NICU to start my rotation the next morning; she said 8 am would be good.

My mother was tired from her trip out from Oregon, so she had gone to bed early. I notified her of our plans and told her we would wake her if we decided to go to the hospital. Then I took a nice relaxing shower and went to bed. Even though it was early, Philip decided to try to get some sleep too, so he would be more refreshed in case the baby arrived in the middle of the night. It took me awhile to get to sleep. I was nervous about laboring. Meriel had arrived so quickly and unexpectedly, I had really had time to notice the contractions. I dreaded another labor like Eris's. The contractions spaced out, and I finally drifted into sleep.

In the wee hours of the morning, I was awakened by contractions. They were still not very strong, so I thought they might dissipate again. I lay in bed, quietly timing them. When they started to get uncomfortable and were regularly 15 minutes apart, I woke Philip. We tiptoed around the house, gathering the last items for the bag. Then, we settled down to a game of Aggravation to wait and see what happened. We did not finish the game. Philip says it was because he was winning; I don't remember. It got to the point where I had to stop playing whenever I had a contraction. Then they were 5 minutes apart. They still weren't nearly as strong as the contractions with Eris, so I worried I was going into the hospital prematurely, but we decided it was time. I called Barb, and she readily agreed. This time, we just slipped upstairs to let my mom know. She came down to sleep on the couch. I dressed, and we were ready.

We arrived at hospital about 5:30, as the first hint of light was spreading over the sleepy city. I was loathe to let Philip leave me, because I really didn't want him to miss this birth nor did I want someone to whisk me off to labor and delivery without him. However, I did not want to walk across the long parking lot, stopping for contractions every few minutes. In the end, I waited in the entrance while Philip parked the car. I could see him the whole time. It seemed like a long time before he was finally back with me. We went in to register together and were not apart again.