Hi guys! So guess what? My daughter arrived three weeks early! Yes!! Evangeline was supposed to arrive June 5th, but she decided she couldn’t wait that long (Thank God because I could barely walk anymore!) so she decided to grace us with her presence on May 16th, two days before my birthday. I will write out a more detailed pregnancy journey and birth like I did with baby Henry, but for now I just want to tell you about what actually happened that day and the alternate ending we could’ve had!
My Water Broke… In IKEA!
So I live in Connecticut and we have an IKEA 25 minutes from our house, but we had already gone to that IKEA the Saturday before my daughter was born. We were on a mission to find a closet for her. So on Sunday, we decided to go to IKEA in Elizabeth, New Jersey! A little over an hour from my house, when there’s no traffic. After all, my daughter wasn’t due for three weeks. What was the worst that could happen, right? Riiiightttt.
Everything was nice and swell. I was taking pictures in the car on the way there. Seemed like any other Sunday. We got to IKEA. Found what we were looking for (SCORE!) and then before heading home, hubby Henry decided he wanted some ice cream. So I got in line. My dad was in front of me getting some coffee. I was waiting patiently, probably wondering why I could barely walk lately. It felt like I was carrying a watermelon in my groin. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t sit. I hurt down there.
So I’m minding my business when I felt damp down there. Something just leaked. It wasn’t a gush, but it was more than a trickle.
“Ut-oh…” I handed my dad my money and told him what ice cream to get, then I fast walked to the bathroom to find out what just happened.
I knew I hadn’t peed, but I needed to be 100% sure.
Pee? Not Pee!
This was definitely NOT pee! There was about two quarters worth of leakage so I walked out as quickly as my waddling legs would allow and I made a beeline for my hubby.
“Amor, I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”
(Nervous stare.) “What?!”
“Yep…”
I explained what happened, we waited impatiently for my parents and then we went to the car, little Henry in tow. Hubby Henry was so nervous that he actually forgot one of the chairs we bought (darn!). I called my midwife and left a message that my water just broke. Again it was a wee little thing of a leakage.
But I Already Showered Today!
Water breakage Exhibit A
Water breakage Exhibit B
So remember how I said that it takes a little bit over an hour to get from my house to IKEA? Well… that day the George Washington Bridge seemed to be a bit more congested than usual. It took us TWO hours to get home! Two! And the whole time I was leaking more and more. And when I tell you I was leaking, I’m really talking about a water fountain. A waterfall. Every time I moved more water gushed out. My leather seat was drenched by the time we got home. My jeans, my shirt, everything, everything was soaking wet.
Naturally, I just had to take pictures to show my best friend Marjorie and my sister-in-law Gladys. I’m pretty sure hubby Henry sent the photos to his parents as well. I wasn’t embarrassed, more like in awe. How did I withdraw so much water, yet my belly was still so big!?
I changed out of these wet clothes and into dry ones, preferably black ‘cuz you know, I might continue leaking and I didn’t want anyone at the hospital to think I just peed my pants. Not that anyone would really care.
The change of clothes was really for naught because by the time we made the 10-minute drive to the hospital, I was drenched again. Except, I guess my black maternity leggings weren’t as black as I thought ‘cuz you could tell my pants were wet.
I wasn’t the only pregnant lady whose water had broken though. There was another girl there, although her belly was much smaller than mine. At least I think that’s what she was there for? I can’t remember anymore. Regardless, I went up to the maternity ward and on to a nice, dry… hospital gown… (groan). Oh and I left a nice trail of water behind me (doh!). Embarrassing.
“That’s A First!”
That’s not pee people!
When the attending arrived, a super nice lady doc, she had to confirm that my water broke even though we all pretty much knew that that was what had happened. I mean…. helloooo puddles of water everywhere!!
She asked me lay back and scooch down. So I did. Then it happened.
Nope, my baby didn’t shoot out of me.
I scooched down and water squirted out of my lady parts and onto my doctor’s leg.
(facepalm)
She laughed and said, “That’s a first! In my twenty years doing this that’s never happened to me before!”
Floor open up and take me now.
Again, where was so much water coming from??? And more importantly, was my baby ok??
She was fine and born the next day.
Waiting for little miss to arrive
Wait, Here’s The Best Part!
But here’s the crazy, crazy, ridiculously crazy part!
Early this year, we had bought tickets to go to Ecuador. Our original purchase had been for plane tickets traveling from April until May 15th! Henry had bought the tickets. I didn’t even notice the dates until after we bought them and I thought, May 15th!?!? That’s three weeks before my due date!!! I can’t travel so late!!
Thankfully, those flights were cancelled by the airline and we were refunded our money. The next time we bought our tickets, we picked earlier dates.
But imagine if those original tickets had never been cancelled!!!! There is no doubt that my water would’ve broken mid-air. MID-AIR!! What would’ve happened to me?? To my daughter?? Imagine the emergency we could’ve caused!!! Thank God that never happened! But I still think about that til this day.
My Water Broke At 37 Weeks In IKEA… But It Could’ve Broken On An Airplane! is a post that first appeared on the website: Baby Henry Likes on September 6, 2016.