From Wombie to Roomie Part 1 - Nora Cate's Arrival

Nora Cate's birth was what is known as a precipitous labor. A precipitous labor is define as labor lasting less than 3 hours from first contraction to birth. I was holding Nora Cate about 1 hr 56 min after labor began.

But, let's back up just a bit.

Monday and Tuesday I had resigned that baby girl was never coming and that I might as well keep myself busy and distracted. I made a couple returns, ran errands, cleaned the refrigerator, and even baked a cake Tuesday night, i.e. major nesting. I should have realized labor was imminent. I specifically baked the cake for baby girl's birthday, but decided instead of writing "Happy Birthday Baby Girl", I should ice it with "We're Waiting!" So that we could go ahead and eat it before it went stale.


Note to self: If you find yourself baking a baby birthday cake watch out! Notice I didn't get a chance to write anything. I baked the cake at 9pm Tuesday night and was too tired to frost it. I went to bed deciding I would frost and decorate it the next day. Turned out Nora couldn't wait until then.

Tuesday, I also told Rob that I thought it was a romantic idea to have a baby in the middle of the night - the world is still with a cover of darkness for protection. And, I debated all day whether or not to call my mom back up to Knoxville to be with Eli. She'd already come and gone once for a false alarm, so I decided to wait. All these things should have tipped me off that something was brewing in my belly.

Rob and I went to bed Tuesday watching the Biggest Loser Finale. Rob said we should have ordered me a biggest loser t-shirt for before and an evening dress for the after picture to wear to the hospital and he could dress up like Bob. I told him I didn't think I'd be in a joking mood once we went to the hospital.

I woke up somewhere around 2am because I heard Eli stir. I told Rob to go cover Elijah back up.
Rob did though he doesn't remember this request. I laid awake in bed and noticed a few contractions. I got up and went to the bathroom. I had another contraction there. I came back in our room and debated whether or not to wake Rob up. He got mad at me a couple weeks ago after I had a couple hours of contractions before I woke him up, so I decided to go ahead and wake him up around 2:17 am. I said, "Rob". "Hmmm"...quickly followed by a "yeah, baby?" He had been on high alert for a week or so. "I may be in labor" I replied. "Probably not, but I thought you'd want to know. Help me time a few, but I'm probably not in labor and will just go back to bed"

We laid awake for what seemed like forever before I had another contraction. Then one came. It was 8 long minutes before I had another one. They were strong. But I thought too far apart to mean anything serious so I told Rob I was going back to bed and we probably wouldn't need to leave for the hospital - if this even was labor- until 7 or 8 am. Rob suggested I get a snack. He knew I was in labor and also thought we'd be leaving for the hospital before 8am. The snack didn't sound like a bad idea so I went to the kitchen and got a bowl of yogurt and banana. Without a single contraction along the way. I got back to the bedroom and ate my snack. Finishing it without any contractions as well. This further convinced me that this was like every other night and that I'd go to bed and wake up still very pregnant.

As I had my snack though, Rob and I talked about who would take Elijah, when we'd call the midwife, and when we'd let my mom know to head up to Knoxville. All hypothetically in my mind however, because I'm convinced I'm not really in labor.

We turned the light out and I started to settle back in to go back to sleep. Rob got up and got dressed saying he was going to have breakfast - and then get ready for us to leave. I didn't catch that last part and thought he just wanted breakfast because I had woke him up in the middle of the night. He, however, was apparently much more convinced that I was in labor. It's now around 3am.

Before Rob gets out of the bedroom doorway, I gasp, "Rob! - ohhhhh" I had a huge contraction where I could almost feel myself dilating. Rob was by my side in an instant. I had another major contraction. "Okay," I said, "I'll call my mom now." My mom and I had a deal that if I went into labor in the middle of the night, she would wait until 5am to come if I told her as soon as I knew. I don't like people to know when I'm in labor. I didn't want her to be on the road in the middle of the night. I had 3 contractions on the phone with her, one right after the other. I told her it was a good day to head up to Knoxville.

After that Rob asked when we should call the midwife. My contractions spaced out once again. I said not yet, I'm not far enough in labor and it's so early in the morning to wake her. My midwife, however, had told me to call her with my first contraction because she thought I'd go fast. Of course, I didn't listen. I'm very private when labor starts and knew I'd never call her that early. Then I had another big contraction and decided okay, it's time to call. By the end of our short conversation, I went from - "we're going to labor at home for a few more hours" to "Oh, my we've got to leave now, I feel kinda pushy!"

Rob was getting dressed and loaded the car before I knew what was happening. He asked who we should call to get Eli and I said, "I don't know- I'm so confused, I can't think!" "Oh no!" I thought, "I'm in transition and we're not yet to the hospital". With the next contraction my legs started shaking. "Oh no!" I thought "I am in transition, we're not going to get there in time." Rob dashed out to get out next door neighbor while I tried to call her on the phone. She answered and I groaned, "Can you come NOOOOOWWW!" The NOW being my first really big pushing contraction. Rob raced back into the bedroom hearing our neighbor on my speakerphone and I told him to call 9-1-1 we weren't going to make it to the hospital. I had to stay up on my tippy toes to not push through contractions now. After I said that though, I thought, "it will take them just as long to get to us as it will for us to get to St. Mary's" - "And, I don't want EMT's to deliver my baby." I retracted my plea for 9-1-1 and said we'd have to leave right now.

Rob flew out the door to pull the Tahoe up to the street and our neighbor came in the door to me having another contraction leaning over the kitchen island. I talked through it trying not to push. I told her all about Eli, gave her a list of phone numbers, and showed her the notes I had for instructions about him that I'd left on the fridge. Later, she said she had no idea I was that close to having a baby. We left the house around 3:40am. I asked Rob to let me set in the back. He refused saying he wanted me up in the front seat with him. I told him I'd be more comfortable in the back. He refused. I learned later it was because he knew I'd have the baby in the backseat if he let me lie down. He was right. I spent the entire ride to the hospital hanging on to the hand rail with one hand and propping myself up with the other hand on my side. Rob flew (safely) through our neighborhood about 60mph to St. Mary's. I kept saying "we're not going to make it." And Rob kept thinking "should I pull over?"