Prairie's Birth Story

Prairie's birth story actually begins the day before she was born on Saturday, October 30, 2010. I had gone to the city to do some shopping, run some errands and do some visiting. I was supposed to stay in the city for longer than I actually did, but I was exhausted and just wanted to get home. By the time I got home that evening, my back was aching and I just felt generally "blah." Crashing at 11:30pm I figured I would feel better in the morning.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

I woke up at 2:30am due to some mild cramping. Obviously it wasn't that mild if it woke me up, but I say mild because it was nowhere near as painful as my PMS cramps. I tossed and turned and fell back asleep until 5:30am. This time when I woke up I noticed that the cramps were coming quite regularly. I shrugged it off and decided to get up. Puttering around the house working on a secret project I kept one eye on the clock. At 9:30am I mentioned to the Sperm Donor that they were coming quite regularly. I decided to shower and see if that stopped them.

In the shower they appeared to stop so I just assumed it was Braxton Hicks and settled down to chat with the Sperm Donor as he played a video game. I kept asking him for the time and the cramps were consistently 5 mins apart. I was slowly thinking this may be it, but didn't want to go to the hospital in false labour. At 11:30am I went to the washroom and noticed some blood. Panic quickly set in. With shaking hands I threw some clothes into a bag, the dogs into the car and told the Sperm Donor I was heading into the city to get checked out.

Many people have asked me why I didn't have the Sperm Donor drive me in. The simple answer is that he tends to be...a drama queen (for lack of a better term). He was already saying things like "you can't be in labour" and "it's too early." The last thing I needed was to hear that for the entire two hour drive! As the cramps/contractions were still bearable I had hopes that I could make it to the city. I figured worst case scenario I stop in one of the towns along the way that had a hospital.

Shortly into the drive the contractions moved to 2-3 minutes apart. That's when I knew that this was probably it. They were getting a little more painful, but were still bearable. I called my sister and Y to give them a heads up. Both said exactly what I needed to hear. They didn't panic, just asked to be kept updated.

I made it to the city and was still feeling moderately OK. I met up with my dad and gave him the dogs to take care of then continued on to the hospital. Walking into the emergency room I think I gave the security guard a panic attack. He took one look at me (walking in mid contraction) and shoved a wheelchair at me saying "sit in this." Really, I would have preferred to stand and walk around, but decided to not force the issue. They rushed me through the admitting process and while they were finishing up the paperwork, I had an interesting exchange with the male admitting clerk. He asked me how I got to the hospital and I explained I drove myself in from out of town. He arrogantly informed me "you can't be in labour then. If you were, there is no way you would be able to drive yourself." Yup, I showed him!

Y and my mom met me at the hospital and I was quickly hooked up to some monitors. The doctor arrived to check me and informed me I was 4-5cm dilated and fully effaced. Baby girl was coming and coming quickly! This was at 3:15pm. Y called the Sperm Donor to let him know I was in labour and he had better start driving. How I would have loved to listen in to that phone call! My sis also got in her vehicle and started driving (a 6 hour drive). I was moved to the delivery room and once again hooked up to monitors. As I was progressing so quickly, the room quickly filled with a ton of people asking me all kinds of questions.

As I was 33 weeks and 3 days gestation I asked the doctor what I was looking at in terms of survivability. Although I knew it was pretty good, I just needed the reassurance. She told me "as of 32 weeks, they're as good out as they are in but she may have a short stay in the NICU." That instantly made me feel better and I was ready to get down to the business of delivering my rainbow baby!

At 5:30pm my water still hadn't broken so they broke it for me. One word...OUCH! I had wanted a natural labour and had so far turned down all pain medication. Y was doing a great job keeping me focused and relaxed. Thanks for the 45min straight shoulder rub Y!!!

At 6pm things were starting to get dicey. Baby girl's heart rate was dropping during each contraction. There was a cord wrapped somewhere and the doctor's couldn't reach it. By 7:30pm they told me I had one hour to get her out naturally before they took her by c-section.

Shortly after that my body started pushing involuntarily. I had absolutely no control over it. They checked me again and although I was 9-10cm dilated, I still had an anterior lip that needed to move. I took an epidural at that point to stop the involuntary pushing. Shortly after that I was ready to push and I think I only had to push through two or three contractions. They did use the vacuum and forceps however.

At 8:11pm, my beautiful little girl entered the world! She was whisked across the room by the NICU team so they could check her breathing. Thankfully we heard her cry fairly quickly. I was even able to hold her for a minute or so before they took her down to the NICU. A quick shower, room change, and sandwich for me and we were told we could go to the NICU to see our daughter. I think I was still in shock that she had arrived...on Halloween...on the anniversary of Kaycie's first EDD (estimated due date). So surreal! Added to all of this, the Sperm Donor's brother's girlfriend also had her baby 45 mins after me. Cousins born 45 minutes apart!

So much of that day is a blur. I wish I could remember it more clearly, but ultimately the only thing that mattered to me was that my rainbow baby had arrived safely. The rest was icing on the cake.

There are no words strong enough to convey my feelings of being able to hold my daughter for the first time. I was flooded with emotions. Joy of welcoming her, mingled with sadness and grieving for my angel daughter Kaycie. Each day is a miracle that I celebrate and treasure. I will never take these little moments for granted. Thank you Kaycie for another gift you have given me...your sister and gratitude for everything in my life!