The Story

I promised that I would write it up for any of you who haven't heard the story yet...
This is what I finally got written in my journal.

Over the last month, I have gotten in the habit of getting up in the middle of the night to stretch, drink or just shift a little. When I got up on Friday night, I could tell I was getting “real” contractions. I was optimistic that they would return in the morning. Roland rolled over in bed and said, “Are you having contractions?” Sure enough, I was trying to breathe through them! He was so excited that he did all the Saturday chore stuff that morning! Of course I knew that it would take time to amount to sooner than 20- 30 minutes apart, sometimes longer! I sewed two bears that day, an order I wanted to complete. Roland quizzed me all day to see if when they were coming sooner.
Close to 5 p.m. I realized that the contractions were getting harder, so I called my mom for a pep talk. I was worried that my current pain tolerance wasn’t going to let me go for the natural birthing experience I wanted. After stopping our conversation to breathe through some contractions, mom pointed out that my contractions were coming 5 minutes apart. At Roland and mom’s insistence, I had made sure my toiletries were packed in my bag. I told mom that I needed to go and see how dinner was coming along. I didn’t feel good, so it was just chicken nuggets. I had heated the oven, but passed the job over to Roland.
“Five minutes apart? We are going to the hospital!” was what Roland said when he realized how fast they suddenly were coming. I figured we’d go to the hospital as soon as the kids’ had eaten their dinner. We’d have the neighbor come over to get them.…………………

Mom, (Chris Kitchen) added this part:
“My mom is so proud of how well that I handled the next 20 minutes and that she was able to see the actual spot of where Gwen was born. Especially since she had just brought Eve to the hospital because of a fall at the playground that resulted in an actual fractured wrist. (more on that later…)
My mom loves me so very much!!!”


During dinner, I didn’t feel good, so I just tried to deal with the contractions. I decided to email the lady whose bears I had sewn and listed in the shop that day. After I emailed her, I started to get another contraction. I stood up, thinking that I needed to walk around to deal with the pain, when “Pop” and “Whoosh”, my water broke in the living room. I called for Roland to bring me a towel. I may have sounded a little panicked since this has NEVER happened to me before at home! He come running in, getting a towel and I made it to the bathroom to clean up.
At this point, Roland went into warp speed and I didn’t. I stood in the bathroom, dealing with contractions that had me crying, half undressed, because I hurt too bad to get dressed! Each time the contractions came, I leaked more water. Roland ran to the neighbor and she came over to take control. He also got more towels, had Eve jump on a towel over the water in the living room to soak it up, loaded my bags in the car, started the car, brought me clothes to change into, etc. I heard Samantha say, “I’ll get a towel, Daddy!”
Finally he said that we had to go, I forced myself to get dressed and out the door we went. Eve’s excited face was saying “I’ll help out!” and the boys were both trying to give me loves and wish me well. I had to stop outside the front door, another contraction and more water was coming. We made it to the van. ANOTHER contraction held me still for a minute, crying because it hurt.
“Should I call the ambulance?” Roland wanted to know.
“No, you are here with the van and can drive me NOW, I don’t want to wait.” So, at my insistence, we were off, and of course I had to yell, “Drive safe, I don’t want to get pulled over!” He still drove too fast.
I could no longer breathe through the pain of the contractions, so I resorted to full lung screaming through each pain. This was not one of my bravest and calmest moments of dealing with stress. With one hand gripping the armrest and the other pressing the roof of our van, (I was sitting a little crooked), we drove through town. From Roland’s later telling, I learned that while sitting at a red light, I didn’t notice them because I mostly kept my eyes closed, a pizza delivery guy looked over at me. Mostly likely he was scared that a woman would be yelling so loud that he could hear her in the next car over. I guess I am a little surprised I was that loud too. Roland asked me if I wanted to hold his hand, I reached out, started to and then said no! At least he offered.
Half way to the hospital I started to really get panicked that I wouldn’t make it there. I could tell that delivery was getting closer and I was fighting my body. Part of me wanted to bear down and ease the pain, the other part of me was trying NOT to, we were still driving!
As we pulled rapidly into the parking lot I pleaded with Roland to get help. I could fell the baby crowning and knew that I would not be able to get out and walk into the hospital. He ran in and hollered that his wife was having the baby right now. As he got back, I told him that the baby’s head had just been born. I didn’t know what to do! He ran back in, yelled that the head was out, and then came back to me. Thankfully he was there to help me with my pants, lean back my seat, and hold her head until the nurse came out. I looked down at her and thought two things, “She has a lot of dark hair! and Is she okay?” The nurse arrived, Roland stepped back and she told me that I could push. Right outside the doors, in my van and in the rain, my sweet girl was born! I am actually glad that there was rain and it was dark, there may have been more people outdoors to witness this event if it hadn’t been raining.
Of course they were calling for blankets to wrap her in, and luckily Roland thought of the two we had in the carseat to bring her home in. He grabbed them. (He went home and let everything soak afterward. What a good man, he knew I’d be worried about them.)
Appearing in the driver’s seat was the doctor as they decided that separating us would be the easiest. They clipped her cord, and carefully, awkwardly, helped me onto a gurney. In we went, Roland parked the van, and followed. I delivered the placenta inside, thankfully. So, was it a mess? Not as bad as we thought it would have been. Most of the fluid was in towels or clothes and there was little for Roland to clean up. You can’t even tell by looking at the seat. I won’t let the kids have French fries and messy food in the van, but I had a baby! The nurses thought that was pretty funny, even laughed out loud, when I mentioned the food rule in the recovery room.
We were in shock. Too much adrenaline, too fast, and the physical aspects for me. We would just look at each other and laugh. “I can’t believe that happened to us!” Sure we’ve heard of it happening to others, but never thought it would happen to us. Hour and a half labor pretty much FLEW by!
However, we were just fine! No problems, she is healthy, was healthy from the start (8 and 9 apgar scores). I was lucky that there were no complications other than the location. In fact this happens to be the easiest recovery for me of all my babies!
She was pretty mad in the recovery room and happily settled down when they brought her to me. We figured that she deserved a good scream after that kind of entry!
Gwen was born at 7 lb. 14 oz. and 19 ¾ inches long; her arrival at 6:37 p.m. At least as best as was guessed by the nurses and staff when admitting me.
The good news is that although she had a little jaundice, she has my blood type, O pos, so NO ABO incompatibility issues! She is now over the jaundice and at 11 days old weighed in at 8 lb. 2 oz.

Riley wrote me a note that night and Roland read it to me over the phone the next day. This is what the note read: Congratulations, Aunt Cami. You scared me last night in the living room. Love Riley p.s. What happened in the living room?
I got a good laugh over that one, the water breaking surprised more than just me! He also told me that when he went to school, he told his best friend that there was only one word to describe his new cousin, “adorable”.

Tucker said that I screamed when I was having the baby. I asked him what I screamed. He replied: Get me a towel!

The girls have been completely enamored also. Eve noted the other day while I was holding Gwen up on my shoulder: Mom, look, she’s trying to give you a hug but she can’t because you are too big!
Her arms were stretched out across my shoulder and chest, and no, she can’t quite give me a full hug yet.

Gwen had us ooh-ing and ahh-ing over something sweet the other day. (Actually every day we ooh and ahh) I was holding her and she was asleep. She started to giggle. I thought maybe it was a cry, but we looked down and she was smiling and had about a 7 second giggle. It was too cute! She was 5 days old.