If you missed it, be sure to read the introduction to our birth story here.
It was a dark and stormy night… That’s how all good stories begin right?
But first, let’s rewind. Thursday afternoon, July 7th, 2016, I had my regular weekly checkup with my doctor and he told me I wasn’t dilated at all. In his words I was “thinning a little bit” and the only thing he could guarantee is that I wouldn’t be having a baby that day. I was honestly a little disappointed since I was just a few days away from our due date and was hoping for a bit more of a sign that Baby Kroll was about to make his or her appearance.
My parents were arriving back from a three week road trip that Thursday afternoon and Tim’s parents had the following week off of work and would be arriving on Friday around lunch time. I had my final commitment before our due date scheduled for that Friday morning – teaching a handlettering demo with Skillpop at Charlotte’s Creative Mornings gathering.
When I woke up Friday morning for our event I was feeling so good that I decided it wasn’t necessary to pack our hospital bags in the car. I had a feeling it was going to be another week or so before baby was ready to meet the world. Oops. Tim and I set our alarms for 5:45 am on Friday and drove into Charlotte early for Creative Mornings.
That afternoon, around 5pm, I started noticing a low backache along with my regular Braxton Hicks contractions. I’d been having Braxton Hicks for several weeks, so this new ache wrapping around to my back definitely felt different to me. It got stronger as Tim and I prepped dinner for our families, and he was great about stepping in and chopping all the veggies for the dish we were making (it was this pasta salad if you want to know! It was completely delicious!!) Even though the discomfort I was feeling felt different, I had a difficult time deciding if my back was just achey because I’d been on my feet all morning, or if the feeling coming with my contractions was actually something different.
I began timing my contractions around 6pm and found that they were pretty sporadic. I played it cool and tried not to let everyone know what was happening. Tim was in the loop, but he and I both thought it might be a false alarm. I felt like it was a little dramatic to tell our families, “Woe is me! Now that you’ve all arrived, I’m suddenly going into labor!”
As we sat down to have dinner, however, I started getting more and more uncomfortable. We were a little short on chairs at our dinner table, so I opted to sit on a yoga ball so no one else would have to – it just helped that it also made me a lot more comfortable than sitting on a stationary chair. Looking back now I’m sure that was a good move to encourage baby to keep moving in the right direction.
In the weeks leading up to our delivery, I kept wondering what our birth story would look like. I imagined a few scenarios, but really couldn’t picture how it might turn out. One idea I’d had for months involved our parents praying for us as I was going into labor. In my head I imagined us being at the hospital, Tim’s parents and mine gathering around my hospital bed as I experienced some minor contractions, and praying for a safe labor and delivery for the three of us.
Our parents had prayed over us at our wedding rehearsal and ceremony, so I thought it would be really special to have them do that again at this new life transition. When we finished dinner that Friday evening, I decided I’d rather have them pray for me right then and there. It seemed to me that things were progressing rapidly enough that if I waited for my idealized hospital room scenario, it might not actually happen.
A massive thunderstorm had rolled through as we were finishing dinner and cleaning up, and we could hear the remnant rumbles of thunder as our parents laid hands on us and prayed for our baby’s safe delivery. That was truly a moment I’ll never forget. It was extraordinary hearing words of truth and peace spoken over us as we were on the edge of so much change.
We said goodnight to everyone, told them we’d let them know if we decided to go to the hospital, and sent them on their way. I decided to lay down to see if my contractions would subside at all. When they didn’t, and instead felt like they were getting stronger, I decided it was time to call the hospital. At this point my contractions were still fairly irregular – lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute, and coming every five minutes to every minute and a half. Since it didn’t quite fit the 5-1-1 model (contractions arriving 5 min apart or less, lasting at least 1 minute, occurring for 1 hour or more) for when you’re supposed to head to the hospital, I figured it was best to just call in.
Here’s where I need to stand up on a little soapbox. When you’re in labor, and are having contractions that are strong enough to take your breath away, the last thing you want to do is listen to a lengthy automated phone menu. I was ready to curse the makers of the automated messaging system by the time I finally reached a real person on the other end of the line. And unfortunately the poor girl I got first probably thought I was crazy. “What is your pain, on a scale of 1-10?” Me: “Right now? I’m feeling pretty good right now. Maybe like a 1? I figured I’d call in between contractions. Oh wait, do you mean when I’m having a contraction? Because those are getting pretty strong. That would be like a 4 or 5… What are you asking me again?”
Pretty sure I could hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone line. Luckily she transferred me and the second nurse I talked to was so friendly that he made up for my annoyance with the phone menu and the confusing questions. I explained to him that I was having contractions that were stronger than the usual Braxton Hicks. His response? “Riiiight onnnn!” I had to smile. When I told him they were lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute and arriving 5 minutes to a minute and a half apart, he got quiet for a moment and then firmly said, “Don’t panic. I want you to get in the car and come to the hospital right now.“
You can read the next part of the story here.
