I was 38 weeks pregnant, this was the week! I woke up everyday, wondering if my baby would be born that day. I had my checkup- I was 5+ centimeters dilated. I had been for two weeks! This baby was practically falling out. (In truth, this was nothing new. I was dilated like this with each of the other kids too, except for Jayne, only a three with her). Everyday ticked by. No baby. Finally at 38 weeks 5 days, I decided to do something to help her along. It was a Tuesday, and my mom and dad were in town to help. So they watched the other babes for the day while I went to the BYUI campus. They have an indoor track there. I walked 5 miles. By the end of it, I had to pee every 7 minutes or so. Was having consistent pressure waves (10-15 mins apart) and was soooooo tired. Then Darick met up with me and we decided to go bowling. We bowled three games.
I was ready to go home. When we got home, I sat on the bed. I FREAKED out. What if the baby died? What if I died? What if I needed an epidural. What if I couldn’t breathe. Ah!!!! Darick was a champ. He told me to calm down, that I just needed to sleep. Everything would be fine. My pressure waves were steady, and I expected a baby by morning. I fell asleep.
Morning came, and I was still very much pregnant. I was having ZERO pressure waves. My mom asked how I was. I was still pregnant. But today was going to be a great day. I listened to my fear releasing hypnobabies Audio. I could do this. The baby would be perfect. Her birth would be perfect. I would be calm and happy. I wasn’t nervous anymore, I felt at peace.
My parents had been at my house for two and a half weeks. It was winter and traveling from Washington is an adventure. They were so helpful, but I wanted them to have a break. Darick and I got them movie tickets and told them not to come back until dinner. They left, Darick was at work, and I was all alone with my two littles. Charlie and Penny are great friends. When Charlie gets home from school, they eat lunch and watch a movie. I take a nap. It’s perfect. NOT TODAY! Winter wiggles have settled in. Between the playing chase and jumping off furniture, no nap was to be had. Soon Max and Jayne got home. I was so tired! But I am a mom, and have responsibilities. I made dinner. My mom and dad and Darick got home. Hallelujah! We ate and I clocked out for the day!
I went to my room and laid down. I watched a movie. At 8:30pm, I went downstairs to watch my dad hook up my ham radio for its maiden voyage. We connected to the web. I checked in with my call sign. (During this two+ weeks my dad has been here, he has built me an antenna.). I was tired and counting down the minutes to rest, but also trying to show my gratitude for all the hard work dad put into my radio set up). As soon as I could, I went back to my room.
I want to sleep, but needed to take a bath and wash my hair. I would regret it tomorrow if I didn’t. After finishing up, Darick and I were watching a comedy show. It’s now 11:00pm. This guy is funny. He made my laugh so hard I choked. I started coughing. Then I coughed so hard I threw up. I threw up for 10 minutes. What a jerk. Exhausted, I knew I should eat something. (I had gestational diabetes. Instead of high blood sugar, I had low. I would often be close to fainting because my sugars were too low). But I was too tired and just fell asleep, listening to my fear releasing Audio once again.
At 1:45am I felt a sudden jerk in my tummy. It woke me straight up. This wasn’t the baby moving. It felt like a rubber band snap! What the heck... did my water break? Well, no leakage. Just Incase gravity was the reason I hadn’t felt a gush, I jimmy slid off the side of the bed. I stood up, expecting a waterfall. Nothing. But I did have to pee. So I took care of business. While sitting on my toilet, I was sure my water broke. There’s a certain smell, the only thing missing was with stream of water. I went back to bed. I woke up Darick. I told him my suspensions. He asked what we should do. First, let’s get some towels to put under me. That way the bed wouldn’t get wet, when the waters eventually came out. Then, we’ll get the kids off to school in the morning, and after they were all gone, we would go to the hospital. I was now 39 weeks, the longest I have ever been pregnant (Faye beat Charlie by 6 hours). Hopefully the pressure waves would start soon.
Then it happened, I huge pressure wave! It was incredibly strong. I had to completely relax through it. Then, out went a ton of water. It did break! Faye was just plugging the exit. I soaked all of my towels. And now I needed to pee again. Sitting on the toilet, another incredible pressure wave came. I put a rolled up towel between my legs, and sat back on the bed, just in time. Another pressure wave. They were less than 5 minutes apart. Or every time I moved. Darick got me some black sweat pants. Time to call the midwife. We were going to head to the hospital. The midwife said she would meet us there. I asked Darick to get me an apple, I was feeling a little weak. I tried to do my hair(I’m so vain). We grabbed the hospital bag and started packing things like my toothbrush and soap. Darick ran everywhere. He woke up my parents. He put the bag in the car. He made phone calls. I asked him to grab me a cardigan. He picked the ugliest warmest one a owned. I was about to argue with him, but I had a distinct thought override any argument, “Yes! That sweater!” Whatever I thought, I didn’t even care. I was having so many pressure waves, I couldn’t worry about anything around me. Where was Darick?! My mom came in. She was wearing her blue nightgown, the one she had though my whole childhood. She sat in a chair at the end of my bed. “Be nice, be nice, be nice” I thought. I don’t want to be one of those crazy pregnant ladies you see in TV, so I’m extra polite when I’m in labor. My mom asked me some questions about how close my pressure waves were.... I couldn’t do it. I replied “no thank you, I can’t talk to you right now.” I should have known then how close I was. Yay! Darick is back! He asked if I wanted a blessing (a special prayer) yes, I do want that. Where is my dad? Downstairs. “Downstairs?! Why is he downstairs?! “ I thought. Darick asked my mom why she wasn’t dressed. She gasped! “Oh! Am I invited!” Darick answered yes, while I laugh yelled in my head “why are you here if you aren’t invited?!” Mom left the room to get dressed. My pressure waves were now almost constant. As soon as the one I was having ended, I got up and quickly walked down the stairs. On the way, I passed my dad. I sat at the kitchen table. We needed to go. I couldn’t stay relaxed and calm much longer. I needed to lay down and relax. Darick found me. “Where is my dad?” He’s upstairs, that’s where he thought I wanted him to be. Darick went up to get him. Now everyone is in the kitchen. Where is the oil(special, set aside for blessings) we can’t find it. My dad has some! He goes back upstairs to get it out of his bag. Oh man! We really need to leave. Dad comes back, empty handed. It’s fine! Heavenly Father understands we don’t have oil. My dad and Darick give me a blessing. This birth will go well. Everyone in my life knows what they are doing. The kids will be fine at home. I feel calm. But we need to leave. As soon as my pressure waves end, I walk out to the car. I leave through the mud room. Where is the car?! Darick pulled it out of the garage. (To make it easier to get into, he’s so sweet) Why?! It’s so far away! I can’t make it before the next pressure wave hits. I get to the door. Then the wave is so strong.
“Awe!” I say. (I am silent during labor, the pressure wave before the baby is born, with every baby, I make a noise. Then the next wave I meet my baby). “Ah!!!!!! I need to push, no baby! No baby! No baby!” I chant. This is not good. It’s February. In the middle of the night, in my driveway. Darick knows what that little yelp meant, “we need to go back inside, don’t have the baby outside!” I know, but I cannot move. It’s taking everything I have to hold this baby in and not push. I just need to make it through this pressure wave. I am coming up with a plan. When the wave ends I have three options. 1. Climb in the car and have the baby. But the door is closed and I forgot how to open it. 2. Sit down and have the baby on the concrete, outside in the winter. 3. Run back into the house, but it’s so far away.
The pressure wave starts to end, but oh no! The next one has already started. I won’t be able to not push again. I run to the house. I made it into the garage, up the two steps, I open the mud room door. I drop to my hands and knees. “Darick! Pull down my pants and catch this baby!” I push, the baby is born, Darick has her. It’s 2:50 am. My mom is there too. The baby is out. Darick says “you have her mom?!” She says “yes!” Now Darick jumps over me to get some kitchen towels. I start to crawl into the house. My only thought is that we have to make sure the baby is breathing and warm. Darick is back. He closes the garage door. I tell him to take off my ugly warm sweater and wrap it around the baby. It’s warm from being up against my body. Dad shows up, what a surprise he stumbles into. I command him to go get the nose sucker from my room. He does and they clear out the baby’s airways. I tell dad to go get towels, he does. Darick, my mom and I together move further into the kitchen. I kick off my pants, and flip my body around to get the baby in front of me. “That yoga sure paid off” mom says. The baby is now in-front if me, still connected. What do we do now? Darick calls the midwife. “We didn’t make it” he says “Sharon’s had the baby”. She tells us to come in. Darick wraps a towel around my waist. Helps me stand. The baby is in my arms. I waddle to the the car, barefoot with no pants. He opens the door and helps my in. My only thought is to keep the baby alive and warm. The car has been running, so it is warm. On the way to the hospital, I nurse the baby. If she’s eating, she breathing. We get there. It was a very uncomfortable drive. I am out of my relaxed state, and I feel every contraction. Every bump in the road hurts. The midwife and a few nurses are waiting. They roll me upstairs. I get in hospital bed. They cut the cord and take the baby. She’s perfect. No problems at all! I push the placenta out. It’s huge! We are all safe. We name the baby Faye Linda (I grew up on a street named Fea, and Linda is my mom’s name). She was 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 1/3 inches long. It’s been one year, and we still laugh about Faye being born in the laundry room. It all seems crazy. We love our little Faye Berry!
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