I told Kate, who has her own phone line/number in her room to "call Grandma to come and get TJ." (my MIL)
At this point I'm standing in the kitchen pantless, wearing only this shirt.
~A little story on this shirt.~
The night before, my best friend came over and surprised me with it. I had been telling her for the last week or so, how ready I was to deliver the twins, and how uncomfortable I was getting. Of course she knew the whole story about how Carly wanted me to go "naturally" and if that meant 40 weeks, so be it. My BF saw this shirt, and bought it for me on Wed night. Thursday night we went out to Walmart together (the beginning of this story) and I wore it out while we were shopping. Then I wore it to bed. I woke up, and my water broke. We now call it the "magic shirt."
Ok. So I'm standing pantless in the kitchen, water still trickling down my legs, onto the kitchen floor. Kate is calling my MIL from her phone. Hubby is on his way from work to come and get me. Carly and Ben have been notified. OB has been notified. The only other call I needed to make was to my best friend Brenda. I called her and told her that my had water broke, and about how I worn the shirt she bought me to bed etc. We had a laugh over that. She was very excited that the babies were on their way. She asked me if I needed a ride to the hospital. I say "no, Allen is on his way." (insert forshadowing music here)
I hung up with her, and asked Kate to run upstairs and grab my hospital bags.
I grabbed a disposable plastic cup put it between my legs and caught 1/2 inch or so of the pinky amniotic fluid, so I could show the nurses/Dr at the hospital.
My front door opened and I looked up expecting to see my MIL. She only lives 5 minutes away. Nope. It's my 20 year old nephew, who lives with my MIL. My MIL had sent him to pick up TJ.
Thank God I was standing behind the kitchen island, blocking me from the waist down.
"Stay there!" I hollered at him. "I'm not wearing any pants!"
"Ok!" He said laughing.
(my husband later said that it didn't matter matter anyway. Our 6'2, 260lb nephew is gay. He couldn't care less about seeing my 'gina.)
So TJ and Robbie left. I went and put on a pad and some dry pants. I left the shirt on. What could be more fitting?
I called Allen to see how close he was to home. His work is 25-30 minutes away, I figured he was about half way home by now.
"Ummm, I'm on the freeway, but I'm at a dead stand still. And it looks like traffic is backed up for miles."
Ok, this freeway is never at a dead stop. Even if there's an accident or construction it will at least creep along.
"What the hell?" I said.
"I can't go anywhere, it'll be a bit before I can get to the next exit ramp...I'll take another way once I get to one..."
I cut him off. "Don't worry about it. Meet me at the hospital. I love you."
and I hung up.
Kate threw my bags in the car. I grabbed a glass of cold water to sip on the way to the hospital. Since I had just woke up, and had been running around ever since, I hadn't felt the babies move yet. I wanted to wake them up for reassurance for myself.
I grabbed a towel in case I flooded the pad I had on. At this time the leakage had slowed to a small trickle here and there.
I put the towel on the car seat seat. Kate was out side as I backed down the driveway. I realized that I had told Carly I would call her back to let her know what the OB had said. I hollered at Kate to call her, and tell them I was on my way and for them to head to the hospital.
As I was driving I sipped on my water, willing the babies to wake up for the day.
I didn't turn on the radio, I remember driving in silence paying attention to the road, and my body at the same time. I wasn't having contractions yet, but I knew that they would be starting any time.
Finally, after about 10 minutes, I felt the babies start moving. I remember tearing up, knowing that they were OK in there. I quit drinking the cold water because I knew that I was probably going to have a c-section (Boy had been breech all along, and still felt like he was in the same position.) and I should have an empty stomach if possible.
About 15 minutes into the drive I felt my first contraction, and they continued about every 7-10 minutes
When I got to the hospital I was flustered, and missed the birth center emergency parking spaces close to the doors. I ended up driving past them to the parking garage that I normally park in for appointments. So I ended up on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. I grabbed my luggage bag, thank God it's on wheels, and walked my contracting, amniotic fluid dripping self into the hospital.
I got off at the labor and delivery floor, and went to the reception desk to check in. The was one girl ahead of me. The receptionist/secretary slid me a form. I filled it out. I wrote my name, my Dr's name, the date, the amount of weeks pregnant, and I checked boxes to indicate that it was a twin pregnancy and that my membranes had ruptured and that I was having contractions. In the notes part I wrote that there was blood in my amniotic fluid. I slid the paper back to the secretary.
I stood there with my bag at my feet and my plastic cup of amniotic fluid in my hand.
I overheard the secretary tell the girl in front of me that the Triage/Assessment area was full, she would get her back there as soon as she could. That she could "have a seat in the Family Waiting area" and she would come and get her.
Oh Boy.
When it was my turn, she asked me if I had pre-registered. I said yes. I made sure to tell her while she was pulling up my info, my current status. Twins, pre-term, membranes had ruptured, blood in it.
She was unfazed.
I was told to "take a seat in the family waiting room."
Holy shit.
I felt like people should be falling over themselves to get me in there! Guess not.
While sitting in the waiting room, I spoke to the other girl who had checked in ahead of me. This was her first baby, and her water had broke also. At least I knew I wasn't the only one they were making wait!
I had assumed that Carly and Ben would be there ahead of me, but they were not. Interesting, because I live 35 minutes from the hospital, and they only live 15 minutes away.
Then I noticed the TV hanging up above me. There was a breaking news story on. It was about a fatal accident involving a semi-truck and a smaller vehicle. The semi and the car were blocking all the lanes of the freeway and the helicopter showed that traffic was backed up for miles and miles. That was the freeway that Allen had been on.
Next, they cut to a story about a local hospital building that had been evacuated because someone "put a hazardous chemical in a toilet" or something to that effect.
They showed the building. Guess whose it was? My Ob's office, about 5 miles away.
I guess that's why his answering service took the call instead of his secretaries.
So I sat there for a bit- 10 minutes? 20? And then I saw my husband go walking by the door. I went and stood with him in the hall way.This is where he took the picture of me in the shirt-waiting...and I eyeballed the intake secretary, reminding her of my laboring self.
He told me that he had managed to get off of the freeway at the next exit (I think he drove on the shoulder) and took an alternate route to the hospital.
Allen and I waited another 20 minutes or so. Eventually we wandered over in front of the intake desk, where I grabbed an empty wheelchair. I continued to sit right in front of the desk, and eyeball the secretary. We called my Mom in Montana to let her know that I was in labor. My contractions were a steady 7 minutes apart by this time, and were getting stronger.
Finally, a nurse came out of the triage area and asked if I was Dee Lastname. I said "yes" and I was wheeled through the triage doors.
Finally! I was on my way.
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