Backstory part 1

This is a picture on the way to the hospital to have Nolan. It's 4pm, and he was born just after midnight....

Why talk about this now? Well, someone asked about another baby for us (not surprisingly, as some people with babies Nolan age that I know are due again in April. Ummmm- yikes?)
Well, yep - probably want another, nope- not one in progress now as I have to meet with my obstretrician first anyway re: future risks preterm wise (although I am not planning to give any gory details here, relax.)

The question did make me think of the birth experience though- and I realized that I don't remember it all. This is clearly an evolutionary protection thing so moms, by the time it's agood idea to have another one, have forgotten what it was like the first time (perhaps because of a haze of postdelivery endorphins followed by 6 weeks of sleeplessness.)

So, before I utterly forget
- I was on bedrest from 29 weeks (augh) but as was "safely" past 34 weeks I had been doing a few errands, and stopped at work to pick up my mail on the way home from groceries. Took elevator and sat at my desk for a bit. Stood up, and water broke (weird gushy feeling) but not messily, just "warning-ly". Sat down and dictated my request for maternity leave to the Chair. Gave it to Janet and said it could go without review, and that I was going home because my water had broken.
- Stan, entering his office at that point, asked how it was going (maybe joked about my size? Probably though I can't remember)- so I told him too. He endearingly got a bit discombobulated about it - do I want a ride? should we call someone? - until I pointed out no contractions so it'd be a few hours before anything anyway, but I'd have to go in and get antibiotics within a few hours, etc etc.
- Drove home, where water broke messily (sploosh! How very weird!) in the garage. Called Mike, changes clothed, packed bag, watered plants, called OBGYN office to tell them, and they said go to L and D at the Alec.
- We drove there with Mike acting rather nervous and me feeling dissociatively calm. Dr. Tataryn met me at the ward (after I'd changed, peed in a cup, had IV started, told my medical history to about 7 different people) and decided after looking at the monitor- some unexciting contractions that I could read my novel through- ordered Syntocinon augmentation.
- First nurse was really nice until I asked about epidurals in case I wanted one. She gave me a truly biased viewpoint "well, you could have one of course but then we'll still be here at this time tomorrow pushing". As a knowledgeable health care consumer, though, I replied "Well, on metanalysis of multiple trials epidurals have been shown to slow the second stage of labor by 20 minutes, which I am completely fine with if I am having problems with pain." She was rather less cordial after that, and she also dialled up my Syntocinon and went on break (against Dr. T's suggestion to go easy overnight and hope for a nice delivery in the morning).
- Mike went to the house (under construction then) to check something, as I was just lying there reading a book with a monitor on, and they said dilated 3 cm. He bumped into some friends on the street and ended up at a potluck at a neighbors (Dan and Doreen).
- Contractions got a lot more - well, let's just say 'mind focusing' then, and as I was balled up on the bed unable to move in between contractions, I couldn't reach the call bell. After a while I managed to get my phone...

GTG, Nolan is waking up-