It's March 4th 2014, 9:27pm. Ian and I were supposed to work today but the whole time we were getting ready I was screaming in pain. Today my stomach had been killing me. So, Ian called Julie and told her what was going on, of course she gave us today off. The whole day we spent watching movies and eating snacks. I would get pain here and there but it was nothing horrific.
Now, Ian was more than fast asleep. We've been in bed for an hour but since I got here I haven't even closed my eyes for a second. I've just been tossing and turning but what I noticed is that every time I shifted it would hurt painfully. During my whole pregnancy I haven't felt pain this bad. I tried to tame it and hope that it would go away but it didn't. Something was wrong, really wrong.
I finally muster up the strength to slowly sit up. I glance at Ian and smile at him there shirtless sleeping like a little baby. I let out a deep breath before pulling the bed sheets off of me and I carefully twist my body until my feet hit the ground and I stand up. Right away it felt like a brick falling on top of my uterus. I lightly gasp but quickly cover my mouth not to wake up Ian. I slowly walk over to the bathroom, each step hurting more and more.
That's when it happened.
Splash.
I hold onto the doorway and fall to my knees. "Ah!" I scream in pain. Water flooded all around me.
Oh my God!
"Ian." I wince out. "My water broke. Ian!"
"Tess?" I hear him groggily say from the bed.
"Help me Ian, please." I hold my stomach. "My water broke, we have to go to the hospital." Suddenly a contraction hit and I screamed again. "Agh!"
Immediately I hear the bed sheets swoosh and footsteps rushing towards me. "Here." He grabs me under my thigh and my back, picking me up bridal style. He carries me down the stairs slowly and into the living room. He places me on the couch steadily. "Let me get your shoes."
He runs over to the door and picks up some slippers I had laying beside it. Ian also doesn't forget to grab my coat hanging on the coat hanger and makes his way towards me.
"Agh!" I shout, clenching my stomach as a contraction hits again.
"Okay." Ian says clearly worried. He puts the slippers on my feet and helps me put each of my arms in the jacket. Once I'm all set. He grabs a white t-shirt he had laid on the armchair and quickly puts it on. I watch, rubbing my stomach.
"I'm gonna go get the hospital bag and then we're out of here, okay?" He assures me.
I nod my head thankfully as he sprints up stairs to get the babies things.
I can't believe this is happening.
It's too early.
But once the water breaks that's it.
By tomorrow my baby will surely be in my arms and I will be a mom.
He zooms down the stairs, almost tripping over himself with the hospital bag in hand. I pet my dog Ira as she had say herself beside me on the couch.
"Take care of the doggies and kitties okay, Ira?" I ask my oldest dog. Even though she obviously can't physically take care of the animals like a human can, I like to treat her like one.
She licks my cheek in return and I laugh which soon turned into a cry of pain. "Oh my God!"
"Okay, let's go." Ian says in panic, taking my hand and slowly helping me up. He takes my hand in his and wraps his other arm around my body to secure me. We carefully walk over to the door and head over to the car.
Ian opens the car door for me and slowly puts me in my seat. He runs all the way to the other side and turns on the engine, leaving with the car almost immediately.
The whole way there was filled with me huffing and puffing in pain, Ian going slightly over the speed limit and a 24 minute car drive.
Right when we got to the hospital Ian parked right in front of the doors and helped me out, leading me carefully inside the hospital.
"Excuse me? Can someone take my fiancé, her water broke!" Ian says loudly as we walk into the entrance.
"How many centimetres dilated are you, ma'am." A short blonde haired girl in what seems like her mid thirties asks me behind the front desk.
"I'm not sure." I sigh out heavily. I moan out in agony as my head leans itself into Ian's shoulder, another contraction hitting. "Pleeease! Get me into a room, this is so painful!"
A nurse comes rushing over to me with a wheelchair. "Can I get a name ma'am?"
"Tessa." I breathe out as her and Ian slowly place me on the chair. "Tessa Rose. Ughhh!"
The nurse who brought me the wheelchair turns to the lady behind the counter. "Malinda, call doctor Nelson to room 116, she's definitely giving birth."
"On it." She nods immediately doing what she was told.
The nurse thanks her before she begins wheeling me to my room. Ian walks by my side, holding my hand the whole way.
Thankfully the room wasn't too far, only a hall to the left and as soon as I know it I was laid down on a hospital bed.
- -
It's been 12 minutes, I think, and still no doctor. The nurse had left a bit ago and so Ian had helped me get undressed and changed into the hospital gown. Now, I have IV's and other needles in both my arms and Ian sat beside my bed, holding my left hand. The pain is unbearable when the contractions come every 7 or so minutes.
Just then, a middle-aged doctor comes in with a clipboard in hand. "Ms. Rose?"
"That's me." I breathe out, in the middle of a contraction.
"Hi, I'm doctor Ray and I will be delivering your daughter today."
I furrow my brows. "But I still have over a month left. She was supposed to come April 21st."
"Yes, well I'm sorry to inform you Ms. Rose but I was taking a look at the monitor and your water broke too early during the pregnancy, you have PPROM what only 3 out of 100 pregnant women get."
I put my free hand over my mouth as I look over at Ian. "Oh my God. Ian I'm freaking out, I- I don't know what to do..."
"Ms. Rose, were you informed that you have been having a history of high blood pressure throughout your pregnancy?"
I squeeze Ian's hand in mine. "No."
He purses his lips, writing something down on his clipboard. "And have you been possibly overworking yourself?"
"Um..." I sigh shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe?"
Doctor Ray nods, writing more things down. "I would also like to indicate that from what I can tell right now, looking at your stomach, it is very small which has me asking: did you have any form of an eating disorder before your pregnancy?"
I lick my lips, glancing over at Ian. He nods his head for me to tell the truth. I look back to the doctor. "From the ages 18 to 23 I was in a very abusive relationship. With that I was always bruised up and anytime I'd eat my partner would make me throw up my food afterwards resulting in me just not eating at all."
The doctor raises his eyebrows shaking his head. "Wow. I am so sorry Ms. Rose, that must've been so hard on you." He goes to write more things down. "And you are how old currently?"
"Twenty-four. I'm turning twenty-five in two months."
"Alright, thank you." He looks up at me smiling. "Well, besides all of that, let's get this baby out before it's too late, okay?"
I sigh nodding. "Okay."
"Give me two moment I just need to grab my equipment and bring over some nurses to assist me." The doctor stick his pen in his coat pocket.
"Thank you, doctor." Ian nods waving him off as I just give him a grateful smile.
Once the doctor is out of the room, I put my head down and roll it over to look at Ian. "I can't believe this is happening."
He gives me a small smile, brushing my hair back with his fingers. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to be right here with you through this whole thing. I promise."
I blush in awe and Ian reaches down, kissing my lips.
- -
"Alright Tessa it's time."
I look at the nurse on my right beside the machine showing how many centimetres dilated I am. It was at a full 10.
I turn my head up looking at Ian who's hand held mine and was standing right behind me. He nods assuring me it'll be okay. I look over at the doctor who stood at the foot of the hospital bed with two other nurses who held up a leg of mine each.
To say I felt uncomfortable was an understatement.
"Okay, push on three, ready?" The doctor glances up at me. "1...2...3!"
I squeeze Ian's hand as hard as I could, my other hand grasping the hand of the bed. "Agghhh!"
"That was great!" The doctor smiles up at me. "You're doing amazing Tessa." He looks back down at my area. "Another one. 1...2...3!"
I use all my force, all of the muscles in my body clenched. "Oh my God!" I sigh loudly.
"Almost there, almost there!"
"You're doing so good, Tess." Ian encourages me.
"1, 2, 3!"
"Arrgghhh!" I scream as between my legs feels like I'm being butchered with a million different knives.
"The beginning of the head is out!" The doctor says, excitingly. "Come on, two more pushes!"
"Aaaaaaggggghhhhh!"
"The head is out!" One of the female nurses cheers.
I let out an exhausted breathe as this felt like complete torture.
"Wait, why isn't the baby crying?" The other nurse looks down at the head, concerned.
I look over at them, worry overtaking me. "Is she okay?"
"I'm not sure." The doctor furrows his brows looking down at the baby. "One more push, Tessa, we just need the body."
I glance up at Ian for a split second, he too was worried. I squeeze my eyes shut, his hand getting squished once again and I push. "Aaaarrrggggrrrhhhhh!"
"She's out!" The nurse announces.
I gasp, opening my eyes back up. The doctor slowly lifts her up and I see my little angel. Only thing is...she's silent and limp.
"What's going on, doctor?" I begin to panic. "Is she....did I do something wrong?"
The doctor gulps down his saliva and watches the baby intently. I can basically hear my heart pumping as fast as it's limit. Everyone in the room, silent and desperately waiting.
Suddenly...
"Waaaa! Waaaaah! Waaaa!"
I gasp out happily as I hear the loud yet amazing cries of my baby. Doctor Ray smiles, tilting her body towards us. She was all covered in vernix but she was beautiful. Also quite small but she's barely eight months old so really I can't complain.
"We're going to have to take her into the NICU right away, Doctor." One of the two nurses reminds him.
"Woah, wait." I furrow my brows. "I can't hold her?"
The doctor shakes his head giving me a sorry look. "I apologize Ms. Rose, she's very premature, this is the time where her life is most at risk. When she's settled in you may visit her."
With that the three took off with my baby. My mouth parts, disappointed. "Wha...Ian they just, they just took her."
"I know, babe. But they had no choice." He squeezes my hand as he comes out from behind the bed. He gives me a reassuring smile. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"
I giggle putting my head back against the pillow. "She looks just like her dad."
Ian rolls his eyes, leaning down to kiss my lips. "You did it, Tess."
"No." I hum. "We did it."