Friday, April 2, 2010

Chronicles of Bennett's Birth: Part 1

Saturday, I was 2 days overdue and anticipating an induction that had been set for 5 a.m. Tuesday March 30th. I had been at home all week with little to do except wait, so I decided I would join Sam on Saturday morning for "Paint Your Heart Out Clearwater." (Paint your Heart Out Clearwater is a "program [that] is a comprehensive effort uniting the City of Clearwater, the business community and the volunteers of the community to provide house painting assistance to low income, elderly homeowners.") We arrived and began painting the outside of a house around 8:30 a.m. along with several other KCA employees (Sam's work). I took the long roller and began priming the upper portion of the house, so that I could avoid bending over and squatting. I worked slowly and took rest breaks, but overall I felt good about the assistance I was able to provide. I began feeling fatigued and a little dizzy around 11:30, so I sat while the others finished. We then went to a cookout given to thank all of those who participated in "Paint Your Heart Out Clearwater." After sitting out in the hot sun for a few hours I was beat.



We had planned to go to the beach to hang out with Jon Charles (Sam's college friend/roommate), who was in town from Loiusville. However, I sent him alone and I drove a short distance to my in-laws for a much needed nap. I was able to rest for a little over an hour before Sam's brother and his kids arrived. It was good to see the kids, but I was still feeling very tired. While sitting on the couch, I thought, "Hmmmmm, did my water just break?" After several checks I was still uncertain, so I waited for about an hour before I said anything. By that time Sam and Jon had arrived at my in-laws, Sam had wrestled with the kids, the first of two basketball games had begun, and my mother-in-law had returned home from the grocery store. Eventually I said, "Sam, I am ready to go home." As we were walking to the car I told Sam I thought my water had broken. During our 45 minute drive home I began experiencing inconsistent contractions, but they definitely felt different than the Braxton-Hicks contractions I had been experiencing.

After arriving home I called the doctor who advised me to go to the hospital to be further examined, as she was unsure if I was in labor according to my explanation of current happenings. I added a few items to my hospital bag, we each took a shower, washed the dishes, took out the trash, and went to Chic-fil-A before heading to the hospital. We ate our dinner in the car while driving to University Community Hospital, which took about 25 minutes....................TO BE CONTINUED

4 comments:

JCo said...

Ahhh, a cliff hanger. :-) Looking forward to reading more.

majorfam said...

So cruel:) I can't wait to hear the rest!

katy said...

Yay! I was hoping you would post your story! You'd better catch us up soon. :)

Mama Smors said...

no.... i need to hear more!! you look oh so cute painting that house :) and that is just like you to be volunteering your time for others THE DAY you have your first child!! :)