Beertje's birth story (II)

(part I: here)

While we had been at the hospital in vain the previous night, I didn't feel the stress as I had felt the evening before when the alarm clock went off at the insane early hour.  Either I was just relieved that the date had come and that all doubt on this was gone, either I was simply still too sleepy.

Jan and I got up in silence, got ourselves ready again, grabbed the suitcase and backpack again and we drove through the deserted streets to the hospital once again. My worry that I'd go into labour and that we'd not find parking spot "nearby" the walkway that would still require me to wobble another 300m to the hospital entrance was totally irrelevant at this time of the day: we parked at the very nearest parking spot possible. But since I was not in labour, I could wobble with ease the familiar road I had walked so often the last weeks, straight to the delivery department.

The nurses let us into the same delivery room as our short visit the evening before, where we could install ourselves. I got some medication and we got the message that they'd come and check again in 2 hours.  I eagerly answered 'yes' to the question whether I still wanted to receive some breakfast and I received a very sad tray of bread with some diet jam and tea.

And then the waiting game started.  Early in the morning we snoozed a bit but at 8 AM we expected a doctor's visit and I thought they'd break my water by then.  But nobody showed up until 9 and then they decided to give me another 2 hours.

On one hand I was grateful they weren't forcing anything and gave my body the chance to take over  but it was so booooooorrrring.  We were watching day-time tv, were reading some magazines until all our brought magazines were completed, we snoozed, ... There was a computer in the room that was showing an operating error on its screen. It drove me nuts and I was so tempted to phone the reception to send in IT support.

After a while I had received my patient bracelet that also gave me a wifi code but it felt so wrong to be online.  Friends popped up in Facebook messenger to ask how I was doing but I ignored them.  I was supposed to get into labour and wanted to focus on that. Having a little chat seemed to trivial. This was our moment: Jan, myself and the baby and allowing too many external conversations into the room would invade what should be an intimate moment.
But then again...fiddling your thumbs for hours and hours. I had feared that getting induced would be strange to wait for contractions to come but I had never thought it would take so many hours.

The nurse popped in and our boredom must have been obvious.  "You are allowed to go for a walk but we'll probably break your water in half an hour or so".  And so we got up, left our stuff behind in the delivery room and started to wobble around in the hallways of this enormous hospital up to the little gift store at the entrance hall. We bought some extra magazines to read in the coming hours and a little silly toy for Kabouter. I wondered if we'd run into some aquantainces who would ask why we are in the hospital "oh I'm having a baby right now, just waiting until I get into labour." But we didn't meet anyone we knew.  After all we didn't really know what to do more on our little walk so we concluded our little excursion and wobbled back to the basement where the delivery department is situated.

Finally a bit before lunch time they came to break my water. A very weird awkward feeling that you can't control.  They figured they had it all finished but when they were gone I still felt warm fluids flowing and soon my entire bed and clothes were wet.  Fortunately I had brought spare comfy clothes to get changed again.

And then we were waiting again to check how my body would respond to the breaking of my water. Once again the doctor seemed to take the time without forcing anything and gave my body the chance to pick up the labour process naturally. I appreciated that they had listened to my wishes and opposing to getting induced and that they didn't do anything too fast too quickly and didn't fill me with medication in a rush.  But it was booooooorrrrrrriiiiiing. I did not feel anything and we had been in the room now for more than 7 hours. Family already sent some sms's if they could come tonight for a first visit of the baby...

At 2 PM I finally got some more medication to launch contractions.  And sure enough within 20 minutes, my back muscles started to contract and the first pain became noticeable.  Things were finally happening...Beertje was on his way. Despite the pain, it was such a relief to feel those first contractions.


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