Our due date for both pregnancy was March 27th. C and I were both feeling impatient and ready for babies to arrive a good two weeks before then. I would get text messages from C that she had been on long walks, playing in jungle gyms, and all sorts of other things trying to get labour going. I was less inventive, but did my share of kitchen dancing. C and I both discussed the pros and cons of a 'stretch and sweep'. She attempted to have one done one two occassions, but due to positioning of baby, it was not possible. I had considered it, but wanted to stay as natural as possible. It was so hard to be patient, and to anticipate which baby would come first, where it would all unfold, how we would manage with one baby already born and another arriving...
On the morning of March 25th I woke up bleeding. Blood during pregnancy, and late pregnancy, can mean a lot of things. I did not have any blood during my pregnancy with EllaGrace until delivery. My mind immediately went to a negative place - something must be wrong. The baby is going to be stillborn. What am I going to do? As much as these things cross through my mind, I am also able to remember that I need only to call the midwife and she can tell me if it is indeed something to worry about. So, I texted Lee at work and phoned the midwives. The wonderful M took my call and after a quick assessment said that there were no indications that we needed to be worried but that she would come for a home visit just to ensure everything was fine. In the mean time, she suggested I lie down and count the baby's movements.
Counting the baby's movements was stressful. I felt small movements but would second guess if it was baby or something else. First thing in the morning is not typically when the baby does gymnastics on my ribcage, so I continued two teeter between inevitable catastrophe and calm, positive thoughts. EllaGrace was with me and proved to be a helpful distraction, though difficult to stay lying down when she wanted breakfast!
M arrived a couple of hours later, mid-morning, and did a quick assessment. She indicated that baby sounded healthy and happy and that she was confident there were no signs of danger. She offered to check for dilation - something I refused with EllaGrace, but thought it might be worth it this time. She indicated that I was 3 - 4 centimeter dilated and completed a stretch and sweep. She assessed my cervix and said that in many measures it was appearing to be prepared for labour, save for positioning. We chatted for a while. She suggested letting my body doing what it needed to, but as we both got caught up in the excitement of a potential baby that day, she suggested vigirous walking, yoga balls, etc. She left, reminding me that I could stay at this dilation for days or could go into labour, only time would tell but that she is ready when I am.
Luckily my mother-in-law phoned that day so we decided to go for a brisk walk. During the walk I had one or two strong contractions, but nothing to write home about. Then I went home and resumed normal daily activities. Lee worked his full day, came home, and we had a family dinner. We spoke about potential for a baby to be arriving - so near the due date, we were getting more and more likely to meet at least one of the babies! We were excited but nothing was happening to suggest that tonight was the night. I had been in contact with C, my best friend CB, and my doula. I told each of them that tonight was not the night and to carry on with their lives and Lee and I headed to the basement for a little TV time. I sat on a yoga ball while he gave me a lovely massage for the entirety of the show, ending around 10.
It was when the show ended that Lee cautioiusly observed that it had been about every ten minutes during the television show that I had been rocking side to side and taking deep breaths. I, of course, was aware of some discomfort and had thought little of it - chalk of the delightfulness to Braxton Hicks contractions. I assured Lee it had nothing to do with labour, but another wave came. He said that he recalls having the same conversation four years ago with EllaGrace's birth - a conversation in which he has to tell me that I am in labour! I assured him this was not the case and that simply lying down would slow the contractions - so I did, and it did. It was during this exchange that I had my first reality check: I might be going into labour. Ummm, no thank you! Not tonight! I am tired. Too much work. In fact, I've changed my mind altogether, the baby can stay in there. I shared these thoughts with Lee and he laughed, looking rather excited. I maintained that this was not real labour and that we ought to go to bed.
As a compromise, I agreed to prepare the space planned for birthing, just in case we needed it. A round play room, surrounded by windows, close to our family room is where we planned to put the pool. So we removed excess toys, tidied surfaces, hung inspirational quotes, and put out the beads and other mementos to remind me of my support circle and natural abilities. Then we went to bed, around 11pm.
As luck would have it, EllaGrace was having a tough night and could not sleep. She moved into our bed and the three of us snuggled down for some rest. It was then that I started to think that, yes, maybe I was in labour. Every ten minutes I was breathing deeply, loudly. I was not able to sleep. I spent about one hour in bed doing this, but was finding it difficult to stay still and quiet while EllaGrace slept. I assumed that Lee, just the other side of our daughter, was awake and aware but I was mistaken. So, I woke him and said that I needed him to come downstairs to help me. I am not sure that he fully grasped what was happening and why I needed help. I made my way downstairs, but noticed that EllaGrace had woken up, so Lee was some time behind me.
Once downstairs I curled up on the couch, allowing myself to be a bit noisier during contractions - some ooos and aaahs - as I looked for an App to download in order to track my contractions. Once I did this it appeared that they were about every five minutes, give or take. Lee, between visits to EllaGrace, suggested that we better call the midwives. I love my midwives. So much. So much, in fact, that I do not like to wake them in the night. I resisted calling, but thought I best just offer a heads up that I do appear to be going into labour.
To reach a midwife, there is a pager service, to which operators answer. On this night, around midnight - just March 26th, a man answered my call. He asked who I wanted to page and I told him the midwives. He asked my name, and I began to have a contraction. This is awkward. While I am sure I am not the first woman to have a contraction on the phone with the pager service, it still seemed... weird. So, he politely listened to be moan my way through a contraction, and then we finished our conversation. Within moments, the wonderful M phoned me. I assured her that this was just a 'heads up', that she needn't rush, and I apologized for waking her. I had a contraction when we spoke, at which point she said "okay, I am coming now".
When we hung up the phone, and after a consultation with Lee we decided:
1) I am probably in labour, and we should finish getting the house ready
2) If M is on her way, then we should probably get our doula, J, and CB on the road as well.
Our doula was unsurprised by the call and was quickly on her way. CB had not yet slept and said she would begin driving in a few hours to be safe. I continued labouring on my own, while Lee cared for EllaGrace and prepared the house.
xx
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