For the last week or two of Ali’s pregnancy we spent every
day wondering if today was going to
be the day. Not knowing turned us
into loonies as we began trolling the universe looking for signs. Our car was
nearing the 100k-mile mark. As the miles passed by, the odometer screamed
increasingly louder – signaling to me the impending reality: Baby’s on the way.
Eventually, 100,000 miles came and went. Our best guess came
and went. Baby’s due date came and went.
The 283rd day of the pregnancy (40 weeks 3 days)
was a Sunday. At this point, we felt like we were on borrowed time. Which meant
that both Ali and I were working lots of extra hours and trying our best to get
ahead of our workload and put ourselves in a good position to take extended
leave.
Ali was doing email at the computer desk and I on the couch
round about 5p when she turned to me and said, “my stomach doesn’t feel real
well.” And that was it: the beginning of labor. We didn’t know it yet but we
were in for an exciting night.
Around 6p, Ali still wasn’t feeling well but the feeling
would come and go. She was the first one to wonder aloud, “do you think this
is…labor?” I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure I responded dismissively from
behind my Outlook, “Darlin’, if it were
labor, there would be no mistaking it.”
Then, back to my email. Ha! My bad!
By 7p, there was no mistaking it. We settled-in and waited
for the one thing that I clearly recall from the parenting classes: 5-1-1. Money
well spent! At 1a we called the doctor and doula. The doctor said, “how’s about
you bring her into the hospital and we’ll try to figure out what’s going on.” I
wondered quietly to myself, “they didn’t teach how to interpret these symptoms
in medical school?”
Labor bag? Check. Overnight bag? Check. Clean the house so
that Matthew will be comfortable while dog-sitting? Umm…not so much. Very sorry
about that one, Matthew. But thanks for taking care of Jake!
It was pouring rain on our way to the hospital. We walked
from the parking garage to the emergency room and stopped twice for
contractions. Once we got into the emergency room, no one had to say a word.
They just smiled knowingly and pointed towards the Labor wing.
Ali was a champ. All. Labor. Long.
I can’t sit in one position on the couch for more than 30
minutes. Ali held terribly awkward positions for 4x that long and by the time Baby
arrived at 7:42am on Monday, April 20th, I was convinced that
balancing upright on epidural-ed legs is her superhuman power.
Baby weighed-in at 7lbs 11oz. We
haven’t made the final decision on his name so he’ll have to be “Baby Mills”
for a little bit longer.
Shortly thereafter, the new mom, the new dad and their new baby were moved into a Mother/Baby Room. Our emotions were all over
the place (in a very good way). By this time the rain had stopped and the sun was
welcoming all of us to a new day and the next chapter of our lives.
It turns out the it's a slow day in the Labor & Delivery Unit (and that news travels fast). The nurses and doctors have been pouring into our room to see and hold the adorable new baby with red hair. :-)