Thursday, November 17, 2011

Birth Story Part I: Honey, My Water Just Broke

Thursday, November 10, 2011 started like any normal day. I got up, had breakfast and went to my hour-long cardio kickboxing class. At this point, one day shy of my due date, I don't think the other women were too shocked to see me walk in the door.

Kickboxing was great and I didn't feel any different when I left the rec center. Besides I had been carrying around a beach towel {in my tote bag} all week just in case my water did break. In all honesty I wasn't expecting anything to happen.

After kickboxing I went home and enjoyed a cup of coffee on the back porch with Daniel {he was home for a 4-day weekend}. We talked about how this could be one of our last mornings on the porch together and that we should enjoy this time. We had no clue that this was in fact our last day as a family of two.

After a late lunch we decided that it was too nice of a day to stay home. Initially we considered driving to Huntsville to go hiking at Monte Sano State Park, but in the end decided a leisurely walk {locally} at Goose Pond Colony made more sense. So we loaded Sophie into the Subaru and made our way to town. 

It was the perfect fall day for a walk. We managed to get in about 2.5 miles next to the lake and Sophie was thrilled to be walking somewhere new – lots of new smells to investigate. A couple of times during our walk I felt like I had a stitch in my side, but nothing major. The paved path we were on was next to the main road, so I knew Daniel could go pick up the car and come get me if I actually went into labor.

After our walk we went home and dropped Sophie off and then returned to Scottsboro to see the movie Courageous. While the acting in the movie is so so, the message is an excellent one. It was a bit surreal to be sitting in a movie theater watching a movie about the importance of parenting {particularly the role of fathers}, knowing that we would become parents sometime in the next week or so.

On our drive home we joked about the full moon and how we might go into labor. I had several Braxton Hicks-like contractions during the drive, but didn't think too much of it at the time.

When we were finally home Daniel went outside to start up the grill and I put potatoes in the microwave to bake and started prepping our steaks. All of a sudden I felt a little pop and some water. I opened the door to the garage door and told Daniel that I thought my water had just broken. He asked if I was sure. About that time I felt a gush and said, "My water definitely just broke."

I ran to the bathroom while Daniel called my sister {a labor and delivery nurse}...

Stay tuned for Part II.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Word for the Year: Reframe

For fifteen years now, I have been starting my year with intention. Last year I hoped to find contentment in my life, and I believe I did. T...