The events leading up to me in the hospital read like spoiler alerts, so I will begin by telling you the biggest spoiler of all: I make it to the hospital.
And a Baby is born.
Eventually.
Finding a doctor for Wes' mom back in November felt hopeless. It felt like online dating/matchmaking, constantly poring over the internet for a compatible AND available fit. By the time we found "the one," the waitlist was three months. "Unfortunately the soonest appointment is February 15," Wes told me. I groaned. My due date was February 19, but we need this appointment, we needed Jeanne to get a refill on prescriptions, we needed professional help. "Can you hang in there, little guy?" I asked my belly. We prayed so hard, God PLEASE don't let him come before this appointment! Spoiler #1: God is faithful. Baby didn't come before the appointment. HOWEVER:
Forward to appointment day, February 15 (also my dad's birthday. Also Ron, Wes' stepdad's, birthday). It was just two hours after Wes and Jeanne came home from that long-awaited doctor's visit that I found myself lying in bed, nauseous. I'd been sick the whole week, battling dizziness and a lingering cough. "But thank God it's not the flu!" I wrote in my journal THAT VERY afternoon. Spoiler #2: it was absolutely the flu. We just didn't know it yet.
And neither did my midwife. In fact, just the day before, Wes and I met with her and my only symptom of illness was a stuffy head. "Mint tea for congestion, netti pot for your sinuses," she offered. "And maybe the flu shot..?" she asked per protocol, as she did every week. "Nope," I coughed. "I hate needles." Spoiler #3: many needles will be had.
Like a script, she went over the benefits, telling me about her other patients who've had the flu during their pregnancy. I asked her if a she's ever tended to a mom who had the flu during delivery. "Never had one," she said. Spoiler #4: she checks that off her list.
Back to Feb 15, after Jeanne's appointment + nauseous me. I woke up from a nap I didn't know I took, chills all over my body. "101," Wes said, taking my temperature. Anxiety over baby's health triggered a phone call to the hospital. "They said I should go in to be safe," I told Wes. "You think the next time you'll be home you'll be holding a baby?" he asked. I shuddered. "I don't think so," I said. Spoiler #5: I thought wrong. The next time I came home, I was holding a squishy baby.
Were we ready? Absolutely not! Just the night before, I finally packed my hospital bag and Wes finally installed the car seat. And those are imperative! But even though I let procrastination get the best of me, there was only one thing I was always adamant about...
A week or two prior, Wes and I were in a heated argument, but had to keep our squalor at bay because we were riding in the car with Jeanne in the back seat. Our thoughts, plotting how to win the argument once we got home, were soon interrupted as Jeanne inched her head between us. "Hey Wes," she whispered loudly. "What's that orange light on your dashboard?" Of course it was the ONE THING I was adamant about. Of course I glared at him. Of course it was the gas light. "You better have gas when it's time to go to the hospital," I quietly scolded (and quietly thanked Jeanne). Spoiler alert #6: there was no gas in the car that night.
And so we stopped to get gas. "At least it's night and no traffic," we said. Spoiler alert #7: yeah of course there was traffic. Four lanes closed. What should've been 20 minutes lasted over an hour. I was baking this kid.
Indeed, it was a blessing that Jeanne had her appointment before we went to the hospital (she will need that doctor one week later), and that we had the hospital bag and car seat ready, and that we had enough gas to get us there. It was also a blessing that I had the flu, because without that unexpected trip to the hospital, we would've never known his heart rate was dropping. But back to the original spoiler: I make it to the hospital. And a baby is born. Eventually.
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Bonus spoiler: that week at work I got a paper cut. I hate paper cuts. They make me nauseous. Spoiler alert #8: I end up with the biggest paper cut of them all.
Also that photo was a little treat from my baby shower, which happened to be the same day All of Hawaii got an accidental alert about a missile threat.