12 weeks later – looking back – Part 1

12 weeks ago today everything started, 19 days earlier than expected. The Saturday night before I felt weird, out of place in my own body and I had this niggly feeling that there was a leak, I was running to the bathroom every 30 minutes instead of every hour or so and this carried on while I was attempting to sleep. My heart raced a little and I tweeted my feelings. Most people told me to relax and that I would know for sure if it was time. The next day my mom told me that if I could hold it in it wasn’t my water. This coupled with “What to expect” informing me that only 15% of the time the water breaks before contractions start…remember that number, it comes up again.

I spent Sunday strolling around Canal Walk searching for pajamas, feeding bras and a bath mat. My mother, my gran and I left the shopping center empty handed, my gran and I ready to collapse from exhaustion. In the back of my mind the little voices were at it again “good Hila, walk more, it’s a great way to self induce”.

Hold on! I need to rewind to the Wednesday before for just a moment. I had been at my OB/Gyn for my now weekly appointment and we had found him engaged and my cervix at 2cm. Great, now we can continue with you having a greater understanding of the root of my mild paranoia.

The Sunday night was much like the Saturday only that, by the 5am pee run, I had managed to convince myself the it was just paranoia, that women on forums I was reading had been at 2cm for a while, one woman was stuck there for going on 4 weeks, what was I worried about and then…I got up. You know how “they” say Hollywood exaggerates? That water doesn’t woosh down between your legs like a dam breaking? That all that is for dramatic effect? Well “they” lie! It even SPLASHED. I started giggling like a mad woman. I giggled because of the drama of it, I giggled because I was right, I giggled because in the infancy of TheHusband and my relationship, at 5am I called him to come take me to the hospital for a tummy bug, I giggled because I was scared. Then I did the rational thing and got a pad and underwear, called my sister (TheConcierge) to come babysit me (TheHusband had to go work, he is a tourist guide so not exactly something you can take compassionate leave for) and called my boss to tell him I wouldn’t be able to come in.

I informed my Doula, who was in Sun City on conference and she told em to do exactly what I planned to do. Stay home and wait it out until you absolutely have to go to the hospital. I was overwelmed by the love and luck wishing on Twitter. Facebook too but Facebook is full of friends I had already and they are meant to be supportive, Twitter was full of friends I made only recently. I got up for some or other reason and again WOOSH. I went to go change my pad and noticed something slightly disturbing, there was a green tinge to the fluid coming out. I knew from ante natal classes that my baby was pooing in his swimming pool and the best thing to do was head to hospital to be monitored. So TheConcierge helped me down, the hospital bag already in her car (which I had been driving for a while since her steering wheel sat further back) and off we went, calling my mom, my dad, my Doula and my husband as we went. Still calm, still tweeting away, still grinning like a mad woman.

To be continued…

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