05/09/2020
September is also NICU AWARENESS month. Our little rainbow baby decided that we had waited long enough for her arrival and came 6 weeks early....
the morning of what was supposed to be my baby shower. She crashed her own party. I was in full blown labor after a shocking and dramatic water breaking at 4 am, just like in the movies, I watched my belly shrink by nearly half its size as I lost almost all my amniotic fluid.
In an amazing collision of events my mom and sister happened to be sleeping over at my house that night preparing for the party the next day, and thank goodness they were, because... after my attempts at waking my husband failed, he had just got home from our brother in laws bachelor party....needless to say he was in no condition to process that his wife was in preterm labor, a quick sternal rub cofirmed that.... I was 6 weeks till my due date....no ill feelings! While I was getting ready, packing bags, for both my husband and I, on the phone with my doctor, my sister woke up and realized what was happening. She began pacing the hallway saying, "holy s*it, holy s*it, what do we do!" She was the dad in every sitcom when his wife is in labor, and it again lighten the mood for me. I was ready, I had no choice, I had worked in OB for long enough to know this was happening and there was no stopping it.We made our way to the hospital after my sister was put on husband duty, got him up, in the car, shoes on in attempt number two to leave the neighborhood. Talking him out of stopping for tacos when I called ahead to ask my coworkers to meet us in triage with a breakfast burrito for my husband. There we were baby on the way. I heard the voice of my incredible nurse and friend running down the hall saying she was coming to help. A sign was put on my front door saying party canceled, baby is on the way.I could go on and on about the details of that day. I really should write a book on it, the story is that good. Then she was born. I expect the NICU team to whisk her off quickly and it would be awhile before i could see or touch her. I braced myself for it. When the NICU doc handed her to me I lost it, I have never felt such incredible emotions before.
