Jared's Birth Story

We are so happy and blessed to have Jared enter our world. This is his arrival story. I had a doctors appointment on Wednesday. The doctor informed me that I was 2 cm dilated and that I would be having this baby by the weekend, which would mean I would be at 38 weeks. She talked about it with such certainty that I rushed home and did any last minute packing and preparation. I was at first very anxious but as the days wore on I became more at peace and excited about the up coming arrival. Ryan and I decided that we would make plans for the weekend. We did not want to be stuck at home just waiting. So we had a wonderful weekend, having a picnic with our neighbours, going to church, and playing at the park. However, by the time Sunday night came I was feeling discouraged… still no baby. The doctor was so certain that the baby would come by the weekend and now the weekend had come and gone…

I woke up around 4:30 – 5 am Monday morning needing to go to the bathroom, which was not usual. I felt some minor cramping, I tried to go back to sleep but the cramping would not go away. Around 5:30am I woke Ryan and we phoned my doula. She suggested to time them for half an hour. They were three minutes apart but they still didn’t feel real (like I remembered with Micah); however, they were becoming stronger, so I told Ryan that I think we should go to the hospital and to call our friend to come look after Micah. She arrived at 6:45am and by then the contractions were coming on strong. Ryan and I made the slow trek to the car and by the time we reached the car I didn’t know how I would survive a car ride. The idea of sitting for twenty minutes seemed awful. Ryan was so wonderful during the ride and amidst the painful contractions he even made me laugh and I felt so loved. We made it to the hospital and by the main entrance our doula was waiting for us. She took my hand I helped me walk as Ryan quickly parked to car. I had just entered the hospital when my water broke in a big gush… it actually provided a few moments of relief. Ryan joined us shortly after and we had to wait for the slowest elevator ever. We finally made it to the maternity floor and by the time we reached triage (the nurses desk), I was feeling the need to push. The nurses scrambled to get a bed ready at triage because at that point it was obvious that I would not make it to the labour and delivery room (so much for being able to soak in their fancy new Jacuzzi tubs). The obstetrician on call was paged and Ryan stated that she came huffing and puffing and just in time to ‘catch’ Jared. Jared was born at 7:38 am Monday morning, July 18, 2011, only ten minutes after arriving at the hospital.

Needless to say we have so much to be thankful for. We are so thankful that Jared coming into this world screaming and healthy. We are grateful that we actually made it to the hospital and did not have a car delivery. We are thankful for the medical system in Canada and the good care that we received. It was also so wonderful to see the supportive face of our doula, Amanda, when we arrived at the hospital. We are appreciative of her support before, during and after Jared’s birth. We are so appreciative of our friend, Lara’s willingness to look after Micah when we went to the hospital, Jared came one day before she was leaving for holidays.

We are enjoying getting to know our newest addition to our family and look forward to many new family memories.