With my 8 year old son, I was due just after Christmas. Christmas Eve, I stayed up until 5am wrapping presents, 9 months pregnant. In full nesting mode, each gift had a pretty bow, tag placed just right. Of course Christmas was a nightmare, going from our house to parents’ houses, suddenly feeling flu-ish, back killing me from sitting criss-cross-applesauce all night wrapping.
Needless to say, December 26th I woke up with a horrible sore throat and fever (101-ish). Fearing I had strep, we went to the emergency room, which was the only thing open during the holiday.
6+ hours after arriving, sitting amongst a packed waiting room of people sick from their aunt Tammy’s special Christmas dish, or with the flu, strep, or whatever else, I was told my rapid strep test was clear for me to go get monitored in Labor and Delivery, something they had been unable to do up ’til then until it was indicated that I wasn’t a strep risk.
But 6+ hours had done enough, it put me into labor, and my ‘check’ in Labor and Delivery became my check-in.
Needless to say, when my water broke, there was meconium. They pushed pitocin. I stayed at 3-4, despite their attempts. I just would not progress, and his heart rate was through the roof, indicating further distress, and they didn’t want to take the chance of anything happening to him, or me. So just after 1am, they delivered him via c-section. 6lbs, 12 ounces, 19 inches of pure perfection, despite the dramatic way he had to come about. My dear sweet child was ok.
I am reminded of his birth imparticular, at the moment, because it’s here I sit, due in 5-ish days, contractions doubling every day, my body gearing up for the big day, and I woke up with a sore throat. While I wasn’t up all night wrapping Christmas gifts or anything (despite my having Christmas on my mind), my toddler, as of late, hasn’t allowed me to sleep through the night. It feels very similar to how I felt then, that whole getting-no-sleep thing only compounded it.
I hope this birth isn’t complicated, that perhaps its just a dry throat. Perhaps I’m just run down. Regardless I’m doing all I can to relieve it at the moment. Complicated by multiple child obligations and my husband working, but I’m doing it, as best I can.
I just hope I’m not over-doing it.
