Welcome to the world Axel!
Friday was officially my last day of work, but I still had a bunch of loose ends to tie up so I was planning on going in over the weekend to clean off my desk and wrap stuff up. Chris was out of town for a wedding and I was looking forward to having the weekend to get stuff done around the house before we jumped back into the kitchen renovations. I remember thinking on Saturday morning how great it was that I would have the next month to focus on getting everything ready for our baby since we were so unprepared.
Like many mornings over the last 7 months, Saturday started with me eating breakfast and then promptly throwing it up. I was feeling pretty miserable about still dealing with morning sickness at that point, and without Chris to complain to, I turned to facebook for a little sympathy.
I really should have known better than to write "the baby can't get here soon enough" when Chris was halfway across the country.
Sure enough, I was about to wrap up for the day at my office around 2 pm when my water broke. In our prenatal class they told us that it's not really like on tv, but that's exactly what happened. Just 'Whoosh!' and I was drenched down to my socks.
So there I was, soaking wet, alone in an empty office on a Saturday.
I called Chris but he didn't answer because he had shut his phone off for the wedding ceremony. Then I called an amazing coworker who had told me to call her if anything happened while Chris was away. She rushed to my rescue. I wasn't having any contractions so I tried to convince her to take me home so I could change, but she insisted on driving me straight to the hospital, pantless. I'm really glad I wore a long coat that day.
At the hospital they immediately checked me in to the last available maternity room. Whitehorse averages only one baby born a day, but all 8 rooms were full (ultimately 7 babies were born October 4, 2014!).
The nurses and doctors were quick to set me up on antibiotics and told me I was 2cm dilated and mostly effaced. They'd give me until 2am and then they would have to induce, but if Chris could change his flight, there was still a chance he could make it in time.
They asked me if I had a birth plan or go bag they could get for me, but no, Chris and I hadn't gotten that far. We had just set up an appointment to meet a doula the following week!
I wasn't having much in the way of contractions or pain, so I hung out in my hospital room with my incredible coworker. Eventually I got through to Chris on his cell phone. He got the news while in the wedding receiving line and held up the whole line while he got over the shock.
Just before 8pm our friend Fawn came to the hospital to keep me company and relieve my coworker. Fawn is amazing. She's a mom and knew exactly what to expect, so she came prepared with snacks, movies and even candles.
The baby must have know that Fawn would make an excellent doula because not long after she arrived, things started happening very quickly. She rubbed my back, mopped my brow and fed me ice water all while keeping Chris updated on our progress. Chris got a ticket for the quickest available flight, but he wouldn't land in Whitehorse until noon the next day, so having Fawn there for me (for us both) was so wonderful.
Before my labour, I wasn't really sure where I stood on pain medication, but in the end there wasn't time for an epidural. I am however grateful for the laughing gas, even if only because it forced me to focus on my breathing (which was much better than my natural desire to scream through the whole process).
At 11:01 pm on Saturday October 4, 2014, baby Axel was born, weighing 5 lbs and measuring 18" long.
While he caught us by surprise, Chris and I couldn't be happier with our healthy little boy.
Chris met his son the next day and it was love at first sight. The proud father has been doing a fantastic job of looking after us. Because he's premature, the doctors and nurses have been keeping a close watch on Axel and we'll be staying at the hospital for another few days.
Some photos from our hospital stay:
Like many mornings over the last 7 months, Saturday started with me eating breakfast and then promptly throwing it up. I was feeling pretty miserable about still dealing with morning sickness at that point, and without Chris to complain to, I turned to facebook for a little sympathy.
I really should have known better than to write "the baby can't get here soon enough" when Chris was halfway across the country.
Sure enough, I was about to wrap up for the day at my office around 2 pm when my water broke. In our prenatal class they told us that it's not really like on tv, but that's exactly what happened. Just 'Whoosh!' and I was drenched down to my socks.
So there I was, soaking wet, alone in an empty office on a Saturday.
I called Chris but he didn't answer because he had shut his phone off for the wedding ceremony. Then I called an amazing coworker who had told me to call her if anything happened while Chris was away. She rushed to my rescue. I wasn't having any contractions so I tried to convince her to take me home so I could change, but she insisted on driving me straight to the hospital, pantless. I'm really glad I wore a long coat that day.
At the hospital they immediately checked me in to the last available maternity room. Whitehorse averages only one baby born a day, but all 8 rooms were full (ultimately 7 babies were born October 4, 2014!).
The nurses and doctors were quick to set me up on antibiotics and told me I was 2cm dilated and mostly effaced. They'd give me until 2am and then they would have to induce, but if Chris could change his flight, there was still a chance he could make it in time.
They asked me if I had a birth plan or go bag they could get for me, but no, Chris and I hadn't gotten that far. We had just set up an appointment to meet a doula the following week!
I wasn't having much in the way of contractions or pain, so I hung out in my hospital room with my incredible coworker. Eventually I got through to Chris on his cell phone. He got the news while in the wedding receiving line and held up the whole line while he got over the shock.
Just before 8pm our friend Fawn came to the hospital to keep me company and relieve my coworker. Fawn is amazing. She's a mom and knew exactly what to expect, so she came prepared with snacks, movies and even candles.
 |
| my last text to Chris before the birth |
The baby must have know that Fawn would make an excellent doula because not long after she arrived, things started happening very quickly. She rubbed my back, mopped my brow and fed me ice water all while keeping Chris updated on our progress. Chris got a ticket for the quickest available flight, but he wouldn't land in Whitehorse until noon the next day, so having Fawn there for me (for us both) was so wonderful.
Before my labour, I wasn't really sure where I stood on pain medication, but in the end there wasn't time for an epidural. I am however grateful for the laughing gas, even if only because it forced me to focus on my breathing (which was much better than my natural desire to scream through the whole process).
At 11:01 pm on Saturday October 4, 2014, baby Axel was born, weighing 5 lbs and measuring 18" long.
While he caught us by surprise, Chris and I couldn't be happier with our healthy little boy.
 |
| Chris meeting Axel |
Some photos from our hospital stay:
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