It was Wednesday, June 17th, and I had my 37 weeks check up with my family doctor. Jon was in Clarenville, an hour and a half away, working. It was going to be our last night away from each other before I moved fully to Clarenville. Jon wasn't comfortable with me driving back and forth from Clarenville to Gander on my own so late in the pregnancy, so he had dropped me off in Gander the night before. My good friend Alicia took me to my appointment, where they checked me out and told me everything looked good. For the rest of that day I slowly packed a few boxes, and read the manual of our new fancy camera that had just arrived in the mail. The above pic was taken with the self timer on the new camera that afternoon. A few people came to pick stuff up that we were selling on Kijiji. That night I talked to Jon on the phone for a while, then went to bed early, at around 10 pm.
I woke up at around 2:30 am to use the washroom. Something felt a little different, but I went to the washroom as usual. When I was flushing I realized there was water everywhere, to the point where I was standing in a huge puddle! My adrenaline started pumping. I knew this must be my water breaking. I debated calling Jon. Our physician friend had recently told me that sometimes labour doesn't really start up for a day or two after your water breaks. Two seconds later, I realized I had to call Jon. I tried to act really calm. I told him I was sure it's not a big deal, but I thought my water broke. He was like, I'm on my way. I told him he might as well bring the baby car seat, even if this is not the real thing. He told me to go to the hospital. I threw on some leggings under the dress I was sleeping in, and ran downstairs and to the driveway. When I got to the driveway I realized I didn't have a vehicle, so I went back inside to call a cab. I texted my friend Alicia. I figured if she was up, she could come keep me company until Jon arrived.
The cab dropped me off at the hospital. At admissions, the young girl said I was the second woman in labour that night. She made some calls to try to find me a bed. She asked if I had planned on a private room or a ward room. At that point I had really no idea what the difference was, and had not thought about it. I told her I didn't care, just give me whatever you have. She took me up to labour and delivery. A nurse settled me into a bed in a room with one other bed. She examined me and told me I was 2.5 cm dilated. I was not feeling anything except my usual back pain that had been with me since week 35.
As I waited for Jon to show up, I tried to distract myself. I played solitaire on the ipad. I listened to the sounds of the nurses working. I listened while a woman in a room nearby laboured hard for an hour, then I listened to the sweet sound of her baby crying. It brought tears to my eyes. I was starting to feel like we were really going to meet our baby soon.
The resident who I had met at my 36 weeks checkup came in. He was very young, and very kind. He told me I would probably have slow contractions for many hours, and that we expected to head into active labour sometime in the late afternoon/early evening. It was 3 am. So at least 12 more hours. I asked him if I had done anything wrong to make my water break three weeks early. I had been packing up our house, but been sure to avoid lifting anything heavy. He assured me that I did nothing to make it happen. He said 37 weeks is full term, and baby is ready, which is why my water broke. Made me feel so much better
Jon arrived a little after 4 am. I was so relieved to see him. I had been updating him every 15 minutes. He had realized he was out of gas when he left Clarenville, and had to go to three gas stations to find one that was open. He said it was the most intense drive of his life. When he arrived, the nurse gave us a tour of the ward. She showed us where Jon could get me ice chips and unlimited popsicles. She showed us where the delivery room was. It was big and bright with a huge bed in the middle. I made a note to myself that I didn't want to spend too much time in there. It wasn't very inviting to me. Jon requested we switch to a private room.
We were in our own room (228, I will never forget) around 5 am. There was a view of the Gander river, which was nice. For the next 5 hours or so, Jon and I hung out, texted with friends and family, called our parents. I talked to my brother and sister, and my best friend Shannon on her way to work. I texted with Alicia (who got my texts from the night before when she got up for work at 7 am) and my friend Sarah. Jon called work to tell them he couldn't make it in that day. The nurses told me to call them if the contractions got out of hand. I was only feeling the contractions in my back, and the nurses told me they would slowly wrap around to my belly. The back pain continued to get intense. Sometimes Jon timed them, just to give us something to do. They slowly got more close together.
Around 6:30 am I called the nurse. I wanted something for the pain. My options: hot shower, demerol, nitrous gas. I ruled out nitrous because it meant going to the big bright delivery room. The nurse decided to check my dilation at that time. I was only 3 cm, but she could feel the head very low in the canal, so she recommended demerol. She gave me a shot. It might have taken the edge off, though things were getting pretty intense by then, so I am not sure. By then, I was dealing with the contractions by walking back and forth in the room, or having Jon massage my back while I was on all fours on the bed. I was still only feeling them in my back.
At 9:30 am, I sent my last text. I told Alicia that things were getting intense. At that point I decided to call the nurses again. I knew I wanted an epidural, so I thought maybe it was time for that. The nurse said she would check on me soon. I went into the washroom, and suddenly got an intense urge to push. I couldn't fight it, and began the moaning that I had always heard about and seen in movies. I became so focused on how I was feeling, I felt like I was almost in a trance. I couldn't get out of the washroom, and told Jon I needed the epidural.
Around 10:30 am the nurse came in. She was not convinced I was very far along. She told me to come lay on the bed so she could have a look. I actually could not get out of the washroom. The next moments are a blur to me, but I do remember a few nurses helping me to the bed. I remember the nurse examining me and then calling to the other nurses that I was fully dilated. She told the other nurses to call the doctor, and told me it was much too late for an epidural. She said she could see baby's hair! The nurses helped me on to a wheelchair, and took my dress off, and wheeled me into the delivery room.
When we made it into the delivery room, I was so focused on what the nurses were telling me. I had to keep from pushing until the doctor arrived. It was so hard! The urge to push was very hard to resist. When the doctors arrived, they started talking to me, and explaining that I needed to push for 10 seconds whenever I felt the urge. The doctor said to expect to push for 2 hours. I was so ready. I tried to listen very carefully to what everyone was telling me. At one point I told Jon I didn't think I could do it. Maybe every woman in labour thinks they can't do it for at least a moment? The doctor said I could do it, that I was doing it. Everyone in the room seemed totally focused on me, giving me positive feedback. I pushed through four contractions. Every time, the doctor told me how great I was doing. The doctor told me I should look down to see the baby coming. I couldn't. I was so in the zone.
Something that surprised me about labour is that I wasn't hooked up to anything. I didn't have any monitors on, and no IVs in my arm. It was just me lying naked in the big bed, with one nurse holding one heel, and Jon holding the other heel. I think part of the reason I wasn't hooked up to any machines is because my labour moved so fast. I actually loved the feeling that it was just me, Jon, the staff, and the baby working together.
Suddenly I felt a huge sense of relief, and then the doctor lay the baby on my chest. He was purplish and crying and tiny and beautiful. I felt shocked. I had been expecting hours of pushing, but it felt like I had only been pushing for 10 minutes. It turned out that I had been pushing for 45 minutes. I held him and immediately felt so close to him. So in love. Jon cut the cord, then got to hold the baby. Jon says the look on my face was priceless. He said I looked so thrilled and amazed. Jon also told me later that I seemed so strong, determined, serious in the delivery room. He kept telling me how proud he was of me, and thanking me for being so strong. Such an incredible moment in our relationship. Cohen Jon was born at 11:35 am.
The few hours that followed are also a bit of a blur for me. There were some complications that I won't get into writing about, because they are super rare. The main thing is that Cohen is perfectly healthy, and so am I. We got to leave the delivery room around 2:30 pm, and quickly called our family members to announce that we had a boy!
