My Toddler This Week

How many of you get these emails from Baby Center? My email popped up in my inbox today and said
Your 1-year-old followed by my toddler this week
Tears - literally. I started crying. No more messages saying my baby this week. Am I ready for this?

But my intention for this post was to start telling my birthing story. I had grand plans to write and publish a whole book on the subject, but someone overestimated the amount of free time she would have in the coming weeks years!

My birthing story is a little different and may be inspiring to you or it may totally freak you out. You'll have to let me know.

Last year, April 18th was on a Sunday. I was 38 weeks pregnant. I remember vividly walking into church at 8:15 am and joining the praise team. Lisa looked at me and said, "You look so ready to have that baby." Well, yeah! I can't breathe, she's sitting on my sciatic nerve, nothing's comfortable. You know the drill. But I was not due for another 2 weeks and seeing as it was my first babe AND the midwife had said I would probably be overdue, I wasn't expecting the Bug to come for at least 4 more weeks. The thought was excruciating.

My sister and niece were in town. We went to the park where I played like a child - going down the slide, trying to pull myself across the monkey bars, swinging. Those poor people who had to look at the HUGELY pregnant woman! After the sister and niece left, I decided to take an epsom salt bath because I was feeling sore and swollen. The midwife said I could take as many epsom salt baths as I wanted. It was nice despite the beached whale feeling! I went to bed early (7:30 pm or so) as had become the norm. I woke up around 9 pm to use the bathroom (also the norm!) and hmmm...that's different...lots of water. I called for David and told him that I thought my water had broken and to call the midwife. I was shaking too badly to try to maneuver a phone. David explained the situation to Pamela, the midwife, and she said to get in the car and get down there ASAP.

Okay, so "down there" was The Farm in Summertown, TN. We were delivering with the Farm midwives, renowned for there expertise in all things baby-bearing. "Down there" was 1.5 hours away! This was NOT the plan. I wasn't done packing the boxes for our extended stay in our cabin in the woods. (We were staying for at least a week.) Our cabin wasn't even going to be ready for another 2 weeks! Where would they put us? We have to drive while I'm in labor? I was freaking out a little!

I called to my mother, who was in her room, "Mom, I need a little help." She came out fully expecting to help me bend down to pick something up or make a cup of tea, something "normal." I said, "My water just broke and I need a little help packing." Haha! She sprung into action, grabbing the list of things that needed to come with us and packing a suitcase for us. David's still on the phone with Pamela who's now telling him that we need to get in the car NOW and start driving. We decided that Mom could bring anything else we needed when she came later. We got in the car.

Now the good news was I was NOT having contractions of any significance yet, so the drive was not painful or scary, but really exciting. David and I chatted all the way down about what was to come. I mean, we were giddy! I called my sister - remember, the one who had just left to drive back to her home 3 hours away! - and told her that I was in labor. She had been planning on being there for the birth. She quick packed up and bag, turned around, and headed for Summertown. What a good sister!

This was our cabin

We made it to The Farm by about 11:45 pm and Pamela showed us the little cabin that we were going to have our little Bug in. It was her cabin just a few steps away from the door to her own house! We got settled in, waited for the sister (who got there around 2 am, I think) and tried to get some sleep!

Stay tuned for the next installment. It gets good - I promise.