It just dawned on me that 19 years ago today I was in pre-term labor. I was having contractions and taking meds to keep things in check. After all, my very first bundle of joy wasn't due until August 12th. These were just Braxton Hicks, right? I called the ob/gyn to make an appointment because the contractions were about 15 minutes apart, but when I lay down they seemed to calm down. Being a first timer, however, I didn't want to take any chances. Sure, we did our
Gamper classes (sort of like the Bradley method) and we were pretty well educated on what to expect (or so we thought), but I worked in Itasca, a north-western suburb of Chicago, and lived in Marengo (not a north-western suburb). The drive between the two was an hour in good traffic. I needed to be sure these were Braxton Hicks. The ob's office called me back and told me to come in the next morning. I put on my work clothes and headed to the doctor's office, fully intending to drive out to work after my exam. The doc checked me and told me that it was just Braxton Hicks. He said I wasn't dilated past 2 and but that I had to call work because he was putting me on bed rest. I was to go straight home and put my feet up. On the way back home to Marengo, while driving down Rt. 176, my water broke. All over the place. It was gross and I was not happy. Yuck! Hello, panic!! I guess my little bundle had other plans!
This was pre-cell phone era, so I had to rely on a public payphone to contact my husband and to call the doctor's office back. The closest phone was at a golf course in the middle of a corn field. After being questioned by the old guy behind the desk if it was a long distance call, I was given permission to use the club house phone (he was a bit oblivious to the fact that I was in labor and leaking all over his pro-shop floor!). I called the doctor's office and Joe. Needless to say, the receptionists at both locations were a lot more panicked than I seemed to be. The doctor's office told me to come back in immediately and Joe only had 5 minutes to get on the next train out of the city or he'd have to wait another hour. Time was ticking and the baby was kicking :) When I got to the doctor's office his staff was literally waiting for me outside in the parking lot. They then told me to drive to the ER. Um, hello? Drive? So, as a Gamper mom, off I drove! Needless to say, I was whizzed into the hospital and checked, rechecked and placed onto a gurney in an ER pod. After about 45 minutes and a lot of blood pressure checking, they rolled me into the helicopter (headed for Rockford Memorial) as Joe drove up into the parking lot. I think the helicopter ride scared me a lot more than the idea of pre-term labor! What a trip (too bad I didn't get to see anything - I was laying on my side with a huge helmet on my head).
Luckily for me, Emy was not so determined to leave the warmth and comfort of her pre-birth home that afternoon and she held in there. Rockford Memorial was convinced that I was going to stay on bed rest for 3 -4 more weeks while Emy percolated inside my womb, but that girl was anxious to make a grand entrance. At 11:31 the next morning, my 4# beautiful baby girl entered this world and life hasn't been the same since. Although I tested negative for Group B strep during my pregnancy, Miss Emily was apparently covered in it from head to toe and the lab discovered that it had been inside my placenta. I was told by the nurse that if we had gone full term her chances of being born alive were very slim. She spent some time in the NICU, but she overcame the obstacles and was a little trooper. God's hand was on her and He was (is) so good to us!
As I look back on the last 19 years of her life, I am so overjoyed at the woman she has become. She loves the Lord, she is loyal and trustworthy, she works hard and loves deeply. She has high hopes and dreams and big big goals for her life. I know that she will be everything that God created her to be, and I am so honored and blessed to be her mom. Happy Birthday to my beautiful princess! I pray and truly hope that this year is your best one yet <3
Luckily for me, Emy was not so determined to leave the warmth and comfort of her pre-birth home that afternoon and she held in there. Rockford Memorial was convinced that I was going to stay on bed rest for 3 -4 more weeks while Emy percolated inside my womb, but that girl was anxious to make a grand entrance. At 11:31 the next morning, my 4# beautiful baby girl entered this world and life hasn't been the same since. Although I tested negative for Group B strep during my pregnancy, Miss Emily was apparently covered in it from head to toe and the lab discovered that it had been inside my placenta. I was told by the nurse that if we had gone full term her chances of being born alive were very slim. She spent some time in the NICU, but she overcame the obstacles and was a little trooper. God's hand was on her and He was (is) so good to us!