In my last pregnancy update I left you getting ready to go begrudgingly make a dinner that I didn't want to make because I wanted to be in the hospital having a baby. All of the start and stop labor I'd had over the last week had left me exhausted and I snapped at my husband when he first got home from work and was a little too short with my toddler when she woke up from her nap. Thankfully God's grace penetrated my dark attitude and I was able to turn the evening around and enjoy it with my little family. After we put Reaghan to bed that night, Mark and I sat on the couch talking and I told him we should just start planning the Super Bowl party because I was pretty sure I was going to be pregnant through the weekend. I wasn't upset saying it either, just resigned to the likely fact. Erin called me around the same time to ask how I was doing and encourage me to just be patient and let it be. She encouraged me to rest and stop trying so hard and maybe even go get a massage or visit a Chiropractor the next day to help relieve stress and relax so my body could work. I was all for the massage idea so when I got off the phone I told Mark that I was going to try and make that happen the next day. I went to bed feeling more content and repeating a verse that God had put on my heart the week before... "He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast on him..." Perfect peace. No contractions since before my nap, but falling asleep with perfect peace.
Only a few hours later I was woken up by a contraction around 3am. Nothing crazy and I was able to fall back asleep. About 4am I was awakened by another contraction and this time this one was MUCH stronger. I could feel it in my low back and thighs and it lasted a good while. I could tell this one was different. This was the intensity level that I had been waiting for. I told myself if I had another one that strong I would wake Mark up and let him know... sure enough 11 minutes later it came again and was even a little stronger than the one before. I stayed laying on my side and breathed my way through it and then woke Mark up. I told him if one more came like that then it was go time! A little less than 10 minutes later the third one came and was so strong I had to get up on my hands and knees to breathe through it. We got up to start getting ready and I noticed it was 5am - I smiled remembering how my water had broken with Reaghan at 5 in the morning! Funny how I was starting labor at the same time of the day! I called Erin to come sit with Reaghan and when I called she said she was actually already awake and didn't know why but hadn't been able to fall back asleep. (I love including these little details because I feel like they are the intimate ways that God takes care of us. He had her prepared.) Before we left the house I had 2 more contractions that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to lean on something for support or get on my hands and knees. I'll admit I was getting a little nervous that I was going to start feeling the urge to push before we got to the hospital, thats how strong and painful these puppies were coming on and they seemed to be getting a little closer together each time! It was hard to breathe through them sitting in the front seat of the car on the way to the hospital and we had to wait for one to pass after we parked before walking inside.
It was 5:55 when we stopped at the desk to check in. I was so frustrated that they wanted me to fill out some paperwork because I had already pre-registered. Isn't that the point of pre-registering? Mark said I was little short with them and I'm sure they thought I was being overly dramatic as I leaned on their counter to breathe through a contraction while a lady holding out a clipboard waited for me to sign the papers, but they didn't know I was already towards the end! When they finally got me into a gown and in the triage room the nurse checked me at 8cm dilated and 100% effaced and little miss Lilly already at the +1 position! You should've seen Mark's face when they said 8cm. Eyes as wide as saucers! He came over to hold my hand, shaking his head and said "we're having this baby soon, aren't we?" He was so relieved to be at the hospital. With all of my prodromal labor he was afraid I was going to wait too long to go in and have the baby in the car or something haha I just told him "See? I knew exactly when to come!" He just rolled his eyes. : )
