Birth Story - Part 1

Another Braxton hicks contraction. Only this time it felt different. I tried not to panic as the cramping became more frequent, intense, lasted longer and could even be described as painful. I was only 34 weeks along. But not only that, the very next day I was supposed to embark on an international flight to have this baby — next month, not this month! These contractions lasted several hours and did not dissipate with changes of position, eating or drinking. I finally asked for prayer and settled down to try to sleep. They lasted for a while before I was finally able to fall asleep. The next morning, I prepared for my flight, armed with my doctor’s note (where he guaranteed I would not give birth mid-flight) as well as screenshots of emergency birth scenarios “just in case.” I felt like a hypocrite, but preferred to feel prepared. The flights passed uneventfully and it wasn’t until several days later that these ominous cramps struck again. Because this was my second child, I had initially brushed them off as Braxton hicks, which I had heard could come sooner and more intensely with subsequent pregnancies. But unlike Braxton hicks, which are typically painless, these felt different. I ended up going to the hospital, where they measured the tightening I was experiencing as contractions…a few were intense enough for them to call the doctor to come in. Thankfully, the baby seemed stable, and they were able to relieve the contractions with iv fluid overnight. Several more weeks passed, and then these cramps came back. I learned that I was experiencing neither Braxton hicks nor labour contractions, but rather something called prodromal labour. These are real contractions, except they do not result in labour. Their intensity can mimic active labour. Unlike Braxton hicks, they can ramp up, lasting longer, coming closer together and more painful…and then suddenly disappear. I kept thinking, “This is it!” It would start in the evening or even wake me up in the night. I would get all keyed up for labour, only to have them disappear. I was physically exhausted and sleep-deprived, while feeling like I was on a constant emotional roller coaster. 

I felt like my body was ready to have this baby, but it was as if it was waiting for my husband to be there. I knew he couldn’t be…but it was as if my body was waiting for the safety of having him there. I remember waking up around midnight one night and thinking… I can’t control the fact that he’s not here. There were several other things out of my control — including this prodromal labour and when this baby would ever come. One by one, I surrendered them to the Lord. Then I went back to bed, more peaceful than I had felt for a long time…