Eli's Journey Part 1

Hello All,
It has been a long time since I have been able to get on the computer and update my blog! First of all, who knew I'd be having Eli an entire week early? That of course threw everything off for me! Now here we are 3 weeks later and finally getting adjusted to our new life as a family of 3 (well 4 if you count Jack who is super depressed about not getting all the attention like before). I have so much to write about that I don't know where to begin! Let's go back to Tuesday, Dec. 9th...

On Tues. the 9th I went for my weekly doctor's appt. I was 38 weeks and still almost two weeks from my due date. My doctor asked me if I was having any contractions yet and I told him no. Not that I knew what contractions even felt like but I didn't think I was having any. I told him I felt "weird". I didn't know any other word to describe how I was feeling. He just laughed and said my body was getting ready. I said ready for what? I'm two weeks away still! When I left the office he said see you next week unless your baby wants to come early. Wink wink. In my mind Eli's birthday wouldn't be until after Christmas. Boy, little did I know!

As I am driving home from the doctor's office I felt my first contraction. They tell you in class you'll know a contraction when it happens. Yep, it was obviously a contraction. It felt like someone was pressing my hips together and pushing as hard as they could. Again, who knew that's what it would feel like? I expected it to be across my belly not under and certainly not in my hips! I was so excited that I called my doula and told her so she would be prepared for me to have a baby soon. I should have known by her reaction that just because I had a contraction didn't mean Eli was coming anytime soon! In class we are taught that you are in true labor when your contractions are 4-1-1. Basically meaning they need to be 4 minutes apart lasting for a minute each consistently for one hour. My contractions that day were really inconsistent which was fine with me because I was entering denial zone anyway. I was not ready to have a baby yet. I was going to be late remember? I think I predicted Dec. 27 or 28.

Tuesday rolled into Wednesday which rolled into Thursday. I was having contractions all day every day but they had no rhyme or reason to them. Some were 20 minutes apart and only lasted 15 seconds and then others were 7 minutes apart lasting for 30 seconds. I was getting so accustom to the feeling that it was as if I always walked around having my hips squeezed together until they broke. No biggie. I went shopping. I went to the gym! I scrubbed the wood work and tile in our bathroom. I cooked and cleaned. By Friday morning I decided I shouldn't go to work anymore. I woke up that day feeling like maybe I should be home just in case. As a side note, Milan's vacation started on Dec. 13th so when he came home on Friday the 12th he was officially off of work. For a month prior to this he had been talking to my belly daily. He would ask Eli to come on Sun. Dec. 14th so that they could spend 3 weeks together before Milan had to go back to work. I kept telling Milan not to get his hopes up because I knew Eli was going to be late.

So Friday wore on and my contractions continued to be inconsistent. We went to the library so I could get some books to read for the following week as I waited for my due date. I'm pretty sure I looked funny leaning over the library counter breathing through my contractions. Looking back now they were a lot stronger than I was allowing myself to believe. Then we were off to Blockbuster to rent some movies to get us through the weekend. I figured I'd be antsy all weekend dealing with the contractions. As we walked through the video store I would stop every few minutes to breathe my way through the waves of pain. I'm sure I looked odd there as well. Finally we got home and I remember thinking I need to eat a good meal tonight just in case I have this baby. I know I will need as much energy as I can get if I am going to do this without medication. Too bad I couldn't eat my dinner that night because I had no appetite. Another sign I chose to ignore. Denial, denial, denial.

At 9pm Milan put on the movie The Dark Knight. I couldn't focus on it at all. I started timing my contractions and they were finally becoming consistent. Milan asked me several times if I thought this was "it" and I kept saying no. I paced the house and bounced on my exercise ball for hours thinking how am I going to do this for at least another week until my due date? I had heard stories of woman who were in false labor for up to 2 weeks before they gave birth. I knew that was going to be me! At midnight I snapped out of denial because my contractions were painful and getting closer together. I called my doula and told her tonight is the night. Now I didn't tell Milan this of course. I asked him to get some rest just in case. I let him sleep from 12-4am. During this 4 hour window I took a bath, two showers, emailed people, searched the internet, paced the house with the dog, and went through a million different scenarios in my head.

At 4am I called the doctor and let him know my contractions were 4-1-1. Hooray for me! I finally reached 4-1-1. I called my doula and we talked about what I should do next. This is where all my birth class education comes into play. Women who want to avoid meds usually labor at home as long as possible so when they get to the hospital they are close to transition (8-10 cm dilated). We live 35 minutes from the hospital which made me a little nervous. I went from denial to almost panic mode because I couldn't tell if I was ready to leave the house or not and I worried it might be too soon. I decided we should go just in case. I didn't want to have Eli in the car. Although we were prepared for that with our car delivery gear in the trunk just in case! Can't you just see Milan delivering Eli in the car! So, at 5am we calmly leave the house en route to the hospital. Those scenes in the movies are so dramatic! There's no running around or driving like a maniac. I was worried about dealing with the contractions in the car because I'd be strapped in by the seatbelt and unable to move freely. Luckily for me, I talked myself into relaxing and staying calm. I kept my eyes closed the entire time. Milan would update me from time to time as to which intersection we were passing through. Looking back now it was so surreal driving to the hospital to have the baby. You wait for that day for 9 months and once it arrives it is so hard to grasp.

Stay tuned for part 2- Eli's Birthday