Labor Day Came a Week Early

So the Eggplant Parmigiana was scheduled for dinner Sunday night. But, eager to get this party started, Tracy moved it up to Sunday lunch. I suppose the recipe’s effect is just an old wives tale, but we are now two-for-two.



Contractions started late Sunday afternoon, and continued on-and-off through the evening. When we had Carter, we had two nights of false labor before the real show. We know, of course, that every labor is different, but we expected that these contractions would pass and that we’d have at least another day or two. We headed to bed with plans to finish up work and chores on Monday. Maybe I would come home from work a little early.

Around 2 a.m. the contractions woke Tracy, and Tracy, in turn, woke me. The contractions were regular and increasingly intense.

In the first of a series of “Too Nice” moments, Tracy was hesitant to call the hospital. She didn’t want to wake the doctor (Nevermind that the doctor is paid big bucks to be on call and receive calls from folks like us). Tracy was hoping we could make it until morning (just like with Carter), but as we timed the contractions it was clear that they were getting closer together. We called the doctor around 4 a.m. and began to pack.

Yes, yes. We should have had our bags packed. We’d been meaning to for, oh, nine months or so. But we pushed it down the to-do list and figured we could just throw stuff together during those early hours of labor. Ha! As we were gathering items from the nursery, Tracy had a contraction that was plainly longer and more intense than the previous contractions. In a rare moment of clarity I told her that it was time to grab the essentials and get moving. Tracy concurred.

Downstairs I was gathering the bags to go. Tracy braced herself on the arm of the couch for yet another contraction. “Uh oh,” she exclaimed. “My water just broke.” Sure enough. Just like in the movies. It was 4:45 and things were getting were serious. Mimi was kind enough to help us get out the door and give us the comfort of knowing that Carter was in good hands.

After a quick drive (Accords have surprising pick-up when you really gun it), we made it to the hospital. When we pulled in to the hospital, by pure coincidence the CD player in the car was playing a song with the refrain “I can’t wait to hold your little hand. Hold your hand, child, hold your hand.” (As an aside, check out the album Dear Companion from Daniel Martin Moore and Ben Sollee.) We checked in through the ER since it was too early for general admittance. In another Too Nice moment, in between contractions Tracy was complimenting the admitting nurse’s typing skills and efficiency. We were escorted to a room and Tracy was hooked up to the monitors by 5:28.

Just like when Carter was born, Tracy went into the labor process planning to deliver naturally, but recognizing that an epidural may be necessary. When we arrived at the hospital, Tracy had already worked through some benchmarks for the epidural decision. If she had not reached 5 cm, Hello Anesthesia. At her first check she was 8.5 cm. 8.5!

In between contractions, the Too Nice moments continued. Tracy complimented the nurse on her shoes; she apologized to the doctor for the early wake-up call; and when the doc asked Tracy to shift positions, Tracy calmly and politely asked if she could let the contraction pass first.

I joke about these Too Nice moments, but they are simple signs of how Tracy handled the whole experience. Throughout labor—and throughout pregnancy—Tracy displayed her quiet strength and unbelievable poise. She calmly worked through the contractions. She focused on the work to be done. She was amazing. After 30 minutes of labor and 30 minutes of pushing, Ben made his debut. It was 6:24. Less than an hour from when we were admitted.

The doctor immediately handed Ben to Tracy. We were blessed to have a healthy son and mother.