Kay’s Birth Story Continued …

At first, I wondered if the contractions were the “real” kind because they climbed, reached a peak, and decreased in intensity, causing pain in my back and stomach, which was caused to tighten. Other types of “contractions” I had felt before were Braxton-Hicks which were merely the tightening of the stomach (no pain) and menstrual like cramps in the lower abdomen (some pain).

These were real alright! And out of curiosity we made note of the time. I had 4 in one hour.

Duncan was so tired. He fell asleep quickly, having given me the directions to wake him up if they were super progressive. [Oh brother.]

August 2, 1993

Between around 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. they were consistently 4-8 minutes apart. I had given up on sleeping and was reading on the floor by the AC vent with the clock off the wall propped in front of me. (I found the contractions were more intense if I slept on my side.) None-the-less they were growing in such intensity I was really wanting some support and some help in relaxing and breathing. [We didn’t take those Lamaze classes for nothing, did we?]

I woke up Duncan, who said a few words of advise and then went back to bed thinking I was okay. (Wouldn’t you know that the last few contractions had been spaced more apart.) Unfortunately for him, but thank goodness for me, he couldn’t fall back asleep and helped me keep track of contractions while I tried different positions, wrote addresses for the upcoming shower invitations, and he read. It was such a relief to have him with me.

We took a walk to speed up the contractions, which was also helpful because it took my mind off the pain. The sunrise and full moon were SO BEAUTIFUL this morning around 5:00 a.m. when we took our first walk. Though the contractions were between 8 and 12 minutes apart, we went to the apartment and gathered up the “hospital bag.” Duncan asked, “Is it really time to get this out?” with a smile on his face. You know, I had imagined the time of our departure to the hospital many times. Would it be rushed? Would it be in the day or night? Will my water already be broken?

(Unfortunately that was far in the future.)

I slept for about an hour late in the morning. This little baby (We chose to have a surprise) of ours has been a mover and a shaker between contractions until now. I feel nauseous, then hungry, but dare not eat hardly anything. I’ve been cleaned out on the inside and have taken a shower. I’ve lost my mucus plug too. I feel most comfortable during a contraction sitting straight up or walking. Breathing is laborious and takes quite a bit of concentration. The intensity stays pretty consistent – BAD.

Mom called this morning and I couldn’t lie, so she knows I’ve been having contractions… We wanted to wait till we went to the hospital before we called her.

Duncan made me macaroni and cheese but after only a few slow bites, I was getting sick to my stomach. (All I had before was a glass of orange juice and a small bowl of cornflakes).

Our idea to walk around the mall was a good but painful one. We got to see my sister Lori at work, Baby Gap, who was surprised I wasn’t in the hospital. Mom was spreading the news that I was having contractions like wild fire!

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