Mr. Magoo, Yoda, and Elmer Fudd Part I

PART I

I couldn't sleep at 4am. They were coming every 10 minutes apart and were intense enough that whatever position that I was in wasn't a help. I woke Trav up and told him if they were still going at 7am, I wasn't going to work. They were still going.

I called in, "Not coming in today."

I kept thinking "today's the day". Well....they stopped being intense around 9am. With my hopes dashed I went into work in the afternoon facing everyone and their "you're still pregnant!" and "what, no baby?" comments. During the 2:30pm break I took a walk with my fellow co workers. The contractions were still there and still regular, but I could still function through them. Not yet.

3:50pm
I started timing them, not that this helped make labor happen during any other time that I was having regular contractions in the previous weeks. Needless to say, they started getting closer and I was feeling them getting stronger.

4:45pm
I'm home. I continued to time them for another 3 hours. I didn't want them to go away. Trav asked if today was the day. "I don't know?!?" I didn't want to say yes for fear of being disappointed again.

8:30pm
Called Clarice (our midwife) and told her I thought that I was in labor. She said to meet her at the birth center at 9:30pm (She was actually already there teaching one of the many birthing classes.)

10pm
We arrived at the birth center a little late due to getting through construction and packing the car with the goodies we had prepared for our stay at the birth center. Clarice checked me and I was 2 cm dialated. "You're in early labor." Yes, no turning back. This is it!

We were given a couple options. Stay and get comfortable at the birth center or go home and go through the early labor there. I decided that I wanted to labor at home.

Clarice was going to nap at the birth center instead of going home. She provided us with the phone number for the phone in one of the birthing rooms.

Figuring we would have time to charge some batteries at home, Trav decided to go to the Okemos Meijer and pick up some up and as well as some juice cause he was thirsty. I decided to wait in the car. 30 min later Trav returned to the car carrying his purchase. "I couldn't find the batteries." By this time the contractions were getting pretty intense and I was ready to return to the birth center. We informed Clarice that we were heading back.

11pm
Clarice checked me again and I was at 3cm. Cool I thought to myself. I'm dialating 1 cm an hour so by 9am we'll have this baby.

I can't tell you how fast time flew by after that point.