Alabama Tracks

Provervbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

There needs to be a disclaimer here. It reads “Paths will be made straight regardless of whether or not you want them straightened or even if you want to be on said path”. Our path was made straight and it was done so without our consent. That having been said I’m not sure I would change a thing.

The Plan, as it existed, consisted of numerous planned events. While we never kidded ourselves about playing God or setting our own timeline (given our choice of natural childbirth, setting a timetable was an oxymoron) we did have it set where Christmas would be with my mother and sister, Tuesday would be some very brief shopping and relaxation, Wed we would return to work and Tia would drive down, and Thurs we would see the doctor for the last time and hopefully get some labor going.

Our path was straightened at approximately 1:45pm. We had done the shopping and Erin went to take a nap. 15 mins later I hear “Honey… HONEY!!!!!” with that pang of panic dripping. I caught a glimpse of Erin as I ran into the room and I followed her into the bathroom where she told me “My water’s broken. This isn’t pee dripping”. Uhm… yeah. Not good. The Plan didn’t have this. Wasn’t even a scenario we had envisioned (Erin’s a planner, I’m a disaster bunker realist). So I improvise Plan B. After realizing that running around like a madman solves nothing I improvised Plan C. I called Tia (still some 24 hours from her scheduled departure date) and get voicemail. I don’t need voicemail, I need someone who knows something about birthing babies. So I leave a message and suddenly Erin’s cell rings. It’s Tia and the conversation went like this

“I saw you called. What’s up?”
“Erin’s water just broke”
“…oh CRAP”

So now Tia’s racing to leave, like, 10 mins ago and the back bedroom isn’t made, there’s laundry to be done, gear to be assembled and a wife to keep in bed. So I set about doing these things as best as I can. After all, sitting down at this point is not an option. Erin stayed put, stuff got done and Tia made it without any real movement in labor. So now we need labor because, well, water breaking isn’t the best way to start… After a while of no real movement Tia sends Erin and I to bed. It’s roughly midnight on the 27th at this point. Erin gets up at 2:30 feeling serious contractions now. She goes into the living room and tells me to go back to sleep. I awake again around 5:30 and labor has set in now. Contractions are harder and more consistent. I get dressed, say a prayer and call Gerry, a coworker who has agreed to watch Tia’s kids (God bless him for watching Rowan the Terror +2 others). He arrives around 6:30 to take them.

Tia thinks we should wait until 7:45 to head to the hospital. Erin wants to wait until after rush hour. Her stomach wins the argument. She tells me she needs a bowl NOW. I am not a person who works all that well under pressure. Specifically recall of facts. Bowl leads me to think cereal (which I just finished) so I grab one quickly. Good for cereal, bad for barf. The first wave runs in and up the sloped sides and half splashes out onto the table. Enough remains to hold waves 2 and 3 but the bowl is brimming with barf. I toss it in the toilet and Tia goes “OK, maybe now IS a good time after all”. So we pile in the car and head to the hospital.

Preregistration is another oxymoron. Preregistration means they have a file on you. All the serious stuff? Yeah, that has to be done at time of check in. Even more bizarre is that they send Erin off to do all this while in labor and tell Tia and I to wait in the waiting room. Tia stews, I wonder what they’re thinking and after 25 mins we’re allowed to come back. The rooms are generously spaced and share only a common room to heat the baby. Tia and I set up shop and the nurse we get says she understands what a doula is because her daughter is involved in home birthing. So maybe straight paths aren’t so bad after all. She warns Erin of what the vast majority of natural women endure. They get to transition and suddenly want to back out.

Erin seems poised to have a super labor at this point. She is in “the zone” and breathing through the contractions. Our OB is on vacation still but the nurse tries him anyways. No luck. So his partner comes in and, alas, doesn’t seem able to help us. He has more patients at another hospital who need him so yet another partner is supposed to fill in. The nurse seems concerned that she and another nurse might have to do the delivery.

She dilates well but things seems to snag. They think she’s caught on a lip and only at 9cm. Now things are becoming harder and the pain begins to build. The nurse calls the doctor and we’re told he’ll be in in 20 mins. The nurse, who has been trying to forestall pushing, now begins Erin in it. Since her legs don’t bend far enough for stirrups we have to improvise to open enough room for her to push the baby out. Tia takes one leg, I take the other. She lays on her side and we have her push. It takes her some time to figure out how to push but eventually it happens. I watch as, inch by inch, a creamy white thing begins to move out. It’s a long, arduous process. Finally the head is visible in the opening. I figure a few more rounds of pushing but the next one pops out a head. And shoulders, and butt. A whole baby!

They stick her on Erin’s chest while I cut the cord. Alas, there was some tearing but there is nothing but elation there as we welcome her into the world. 6 lbs 9 oz, 19.75″ long. We called whom we could call and I let my mother and sister come back. I had to take Tia to get her kids and returned to move both ladies to the postpartum room.

Alas, things are not as smooth as books or classes lead you to believe. Ruthie isn’t adept at nursing and it frustrates Erin and I. There’s little I can do while this is going on. We try cooing Ruthie and taking turns holding her but Erin is in the driver’s seat and I can’t do much but watch and occasionally hold. We’re both afraid but we know we must press on. After all, God has made the path straight this far. Eventually mother and daughter get on the same page so slowly Ruthie nurses. She’s still not quite there but Auntie Tia and she are working on that in our bedroom as I write this. I have no doubts in my beloved or the path. Morning finally came and our new nurse for Erin is a Brit who knows quite a bit about natural birth. I knew our path was straightened again when she said, “Here in the U.S. they treat pregnancy like a disease”. Too true. She gets on board with us trying to check out early and does what she can to help Erin along with nursing. Our OB-of-the-day comes in and says “Oh, I’ve heard all about your birth and the great job you did”. Apparently nobody in Alabama has ever had a baby before without anesthesia or something.

After some finessing and working with our doctors we manage to check out early and return home with our new daughter. Thank God for straight paths.

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