Walking = Baby is On the Way

Just a typical day....work, walk and work some more. On Thursday, 6/4 I was feverishly trying to get as much done before my official maternity leave began. In between dinner and another round of emails, I decided to go for a walk. No worries....

About 8:30 pm I started cramping up. No big deal, I'll keep working and then go to bed. The cramping continued. For about four hours I continued to cramp and needed to get up in the middle of the night to 'walk it out'. I did NOT want to be one of those women who showed up at the hospital only to be sent home because this was not the real deal. I am tough, I thought and I can master this. Again for a few more hours I would try to rest and then when the cramping began I would walk circles around the kitchen/living room/dining room as I worked on my breathing. These were period cramps, I thought, not what everyone said contractions felt like so why make a fuss?

At 2:45 I called the hospital with this comment.....'let me tell you how I am feeling and you let me know what you think'. The nurse instructed me to begin timing the 'cramps' and if they continued at 3-5 intervals for another hour then come in. Behold the timing (please note how shaky the numbers toward the end become.....haha):

At 4 am we arrived at the hospital....two contractions in the car and one as I plastered myself against the wall outside of the hospital as we waited for them to answer the middle of the night intercom to let us in. When I got upstairs I didn't know what to say other than.....'I think I'm having a baby.' Hahaha....Within two seconds of them taking a look they got big bug eyes and instructed me that I was 9 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced...it was GO time and I was NOT one of those women who would be sent home.

Seems like lots of ladies had checked themselves in and I was whisked away to an OR room or something like that....basically a flat metal surgery table was where I delivered. It was obvious they didn't use this room often because I went through two contractions as they fumbled with putting the stirrups on the bed. Epidural guy showed up, but the nurses said it wouldn't make a lick of difference...it was too late. Awesome, old fashion style! Not many pushes after the doctor got there, we heard the sound of life! At 5:42 am, we heard the cry of our little girl, Madison Blake DuBois.