Justus' Birth Story-Part One

I awoke on August 16th at 4 a.m. with strong contractions. I had had some contractions the night before that we were hoping would turn into labor so we had stayed up until midnight before I decided it was false labor AGAIN and that I really needed sleep. I was grateful to have had a good four hours of solid sleep. I got up and began surfing the internet, writing some e-mails, and waiting to see if the hard contractions would continue. They continued for 2 hours at exactly 8 minutes apart and were as strong as being an average of 60 seconds long. I was sure this was it! I decided to try laying down again and see if that would stop them, just in case it was going to be a hopeless case again. I laid down and had just gotten to sleep when one hit and jolted me awake. So, just like in the movies when the woman sits up in bed and shakes her husband awake, I grabbed my hubby’s arm and said, “I think we will be having a baby today!” He got up and showered and I made a pancake breakfast and continued to time contractions. They were now coming only 10 minutes apart. The kids got up at 7 as usual and ate breakfast. The contractions were slowing a bit and only 30 seconds long so I didn’t know if I should call Mom or our friends who were going to watch the kids. I called Mom around 9 and told her to be on alert and that we were going to go for a long walk with the kids and see if anything panned out. We headed to the video rental a few blocks away to return our weekend movies and then I decided we should keep walking a few more blocks to the yard sale corner. (Maybe a future post should be entitled, “You might just be a Yard Sale-ing Addict If…..You’ve ever gone yard sale-ing while in labor before!) There were lots of yard sales going that morning (everyone puts a box with their address on it on the 9th St. corner) but there were 4-5 particular ones a few blocks away and all on the same street so I suggested we hit that street on foot! The kids did great and were having fun. I scored some brand new packs of scrapbook page protectors for Justus’ scrapbook at 20% of the retail price and on our way home we walked past the house of some friends and stopped to chat with them for nearly an hour. It was so funny that my friend, whom I hardly see any more, had read my blog (which I had updated at 5a.m. to say that it might just be “the day”) before we got there so she was really wondering what I was doing out walking if I was possibly in labor! Throughout the walk and the yard sale-ing I had been having 30 second or less contractions every 10-20 minutes. I would merely stop, bend over slightly and breathe through and then start walking again. I doubt anyone driving down the street noticed I was having one.

I got slower and slower on the walk home and started feeling really heavy and like I really needed to go potty and eat. But the contractions still weren’t very close. About 2 blocks from our house is a grocery store and as we passed I thought it would be fun for the kids to get free balloons since every Saturday they give them to kids. So we grabbed some bananas and donut holes (my pregnancy weakness) and the kids got balloons. The sun was shining brightly and yet it wasn’t swelteringly hot. I was hungry and so we decided to take a breather and sit at the picnic table in the grocery parking lot and eat our food; like a picnic brunch. I remember thinking that it was a beautiful day and that it had been a really fun family excursion no matter what happened after it. I thought, “If our baby was born today it would be fun to look back and remember the pretty day and the family togetherness we shared on this long walk.”

We made it home and I called my friend to say that we might need her to watch the kids in the afternoon but I wasn’t sure. She told me about an awesome yard sale they had hit that I had missed where there were tons of teaching supplies my mom would like and tons of educational toys and yard toys since it was at a daycare. My mom arrived just when I was on the phone with us as she wanted to stop by and check on whether or not things were happening. So, I got off the phone with my friend and told my mom I thought things were still happening but wasn’t sure but that we should drive to this yard sale together. We headed over to it while Josiah stayed home with the kids and we scored some really, really great deals on stuff. My mom got lots of fun stuff for her classroom next year and the prices were amazing. At the sale, I had a few really long, hard contractions that started scaring me so I was glad to get home and starting to wonder about calling the hospital. I suggested we feed the kids first and mom headed home quickly to eat, grab her stuff for the hospital, and take her stuff from the yard sale home.

When we were feeding the kids lunch, they of course were crying, whining, fighting, and being typical demanding toddlers and I couldn’t handle it. I got very snappy and told King Jo that I couldn’t take it and I needed them out of there FAST. At one point (I’m not proud of this) I even told King Jo to shut up! They were hardly done eating but hubby hustled them out as soon as he could and we threw their bags in the car and we didn’t even call our friends; we knew they were on stand-by and so he rushed over there. I didn’t want my kids thinking Mommy was mad at them and of course I had thoughts of “this could be the last time I ever see them if I die in childbirth” (I know, I’m terribly dramatic) so I tried to be positive as I told them goodbye and told them I loved them and told them they would be getting a new baby brother soon. They were just excited to be going to their friend’s house. I waited tearily in the front yard, hoping my kids would be okay and praying for God to be with me whatever transpired next.

Soon my mom arrived back and King Jo too. He called his folks to let them know we would probably be heading to the hospital soon. We called the hospital and told them to pull my charts. I knew they would probably think I was some crazy mom who thought she was in labor but really wasn’t since the contractions were still so far apart but I was getting nervous. I knew I wanted pain medicine this time, in the worst way, and my contractions stayed 7-10 minutes apart the ENTIRE labor with Jer until about the last 10 minutes before he was born. I had gone into the hospital before after 8 hours of labor at home and been declared an 8 or 9cm. So, since 9 hours of fairly regular labor had transpired I wasn’t sure how dilated I’d be but wanted to make it up there in time for some drugs. Hearing my history, the nurse told me I’d better come up. So, we loaded up and headed up there. I wavered constantly between excitement that this was FINALLY it and saying, “I can’t do this!” to my hubby.

To be continued……..