abigail marie

Because Derrick was born at 38 weeks, once I hit that point with Abigail I felt overdue. I had been blessed with a relatively easy labor and delivery the first time around, but was worried that lightning wouldn't strike twice or that if it did, I wouldn't be aware of what was happening. You think that once you have been through the process it becomes easier to tell when it is happening the next time. Not with me. At 38 weeks I was only 2 cm dilated. I was not feeling any pain or contractions at that time, but worried that even if I was I wouldn't know it, given my first birth experience. At our 39 week appointment, I was still a 2. I determined that I would be pregnant forever. Within a day or so, I began to think that I might be having contractions, so we decided to go to the hospital to be checked instead of risking it. I was a 2 and they sent me home. Several days later, I thought again that we'd better go get checked, just to be safe. Same result, 2 cm and come back when it is for real. It was embarrassing. I'd done this before, I should know. We went home pretty discouraged and the day proceeded normally. I went to bed that night feeling nothing out of the ordinary. Then, around 3:30 am I woke up with mild crampiness and so I decided to take a bath. Around 4:30 am I figured that I should probably wake Jon up and have him call his sister to come watch Derrick, again. She arrived around 5:00 am and we took off in hopes that this wouldn't be false alarm number 3. I wasn't sure that we needed to be going until about half way to the hospital, when I made Jon start running red lights. When we got there, he pulled up to the door and I got out. I had to double over for a contraction after a few steps and then made my way inside. They got me situated in a room and then checked me, I was 8 cm. Keep in mind that less than 2 hours earlier I was sleeping comfortably thinking I was never going to have this baby. A little more than 1 hour after arriving at the hospital, Abigail made her grand entrance. The hospital was very busy that day and I was the last person to get a room to deliver in. If I had been 1 person behind me, Abbie would have been born in the hallway. It's funny how Abbie's birth reflects her personality. She wasn't going to come before she was good and ready, but when she decided it was time, she didn't waste any time! That stubborn streak has been quite a challenge over the last four and a half years, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.