So here's the story (or as much as I can get down right now) for those who are interested in it and haven't heard.
My water broke at 2:45 in the morning on Monday. So not like the big Niagara Falls you see in the movies. Anyways, I wasn't having any contractions yet but you're supposed to go to the hospital to get checked in case something is wrong. I must mention how nice it was to live close to the hospital through this whole process. So off we went, all excited but wondering when it was really going to start happening. Adam thought that it was pretty funny to be woken up by me both times, first nine months ago with "I'm pregnant" and now with "my water broke!". So they checked us out and we got to hear Olan's heart thumping away, seemingly undisturbed by the change in gravity. After it was established that all was well, we went back home and tucked ourselves back into bed. We were scheduled in for an induction the next morning if things didn't progress on their own. The idea that we might not be getting much sleep in the near future made us both veeery tired and we passed out.
By the time I woke up a few hours later I was having teensy contractions... teensy. We decided to go off and have a nice breakfast together, take a walk, try to get this baby moving! We ran into a friend after breakfast in the Gardens and he was commenting on how I must be ready to go at any time. It was fun to say "yup, I'm actually in labour RIGHT now" :)
So we went about our day, lots of lazing about getting excited but trying to stay calm. Lots of phone calls updating the fam. Adam made a big pot of chicken noodle soup (from scratch!) to keep me going through the night ahead. Luckily I had time to eat it before eating became something I wasn't interested in at all. Anyone who tells you to bring all these snacks and things to the hospital is CRAZY, I simply cannot imagine snacking once things get serious.
So, I was in the tub, out of the tub, pacing around... Adam started timing contractions and we headed off the hospital when they were about 4 minutes apart. This was at about 11 at night. They checked me out and I was about 2-3 cm dilated. The hospital was really busy so they told us they could find us a room or we could go for a walk to try to speed things up. We decided to leave our suitcase and come back home where I would be most comfortable. We stayed at home until 2am, which may have been pushing it since I could barely walk back when it was time to go :) It was nice to splash around in our own tub and roll around in my own bed though.
When we got back they moved us right into a labour/delivery room. We were in room 5, so fitting for a girl who was born in the 5th month on the 30th day at 10:55. The rooms are great and I made it through the next couple of hours by sitting on the birthing ball, lying in the tub and my favourite spot, scrunched up in a ball on the recliner.
Then it was all a blur... our doctor arrived, and after much pushing (almost five hours!), little Olan came into our world at 7:31. I will never ever forget the moment that I saw him. I knew that there was a baby but when I SAW him, an actual baby coming out of my body... man, nothing prepares you for that... nothing.
I have to say that I had no idea how Adam would deal with all this. He freaks if he has to have his blood taken. Well let me tell you, the boy was a freakin' superstar. A superstar. He took such good care of me. He didn't let me lose me head and freak out, he kept me supplied with the buckets of icy water I so desperately needed to drink, he was right there head to head with our doctor keeping me updated on the progression and coaching me along. The nursing staff totally fell in love with him and told us that we did such a good job that we should be hired out as a husband/wife doula team. I was so proud of us, I wouldn't change anything.
What an experience. I'll never ever forget it. I had no idea that it would be like that.
