False Alarm

Well Nicholas is still not here yet but I do have a story to tell. This morning around 2am Nikki poked me in the ribs to say she has been having contractions and feeling as if we should call the doctor. I remembered that we should time the contractions so I got my cell phone which doubles as a stop watch and timed the contractions. They were less than three minutes apart so we made the call. He asked some questions and they said come on in!

Driving to the hospital at about three in the morning felt just like we were going on an early morning stroll. It seemed no different than going to the mall or just hanging out. Well, we got there and Nikki was wheeled in a wheelchair. We checked in and she was hooked up to a series of monitors that tracked the baby’s heart rate and the strength of the contractions. Turns out the contractions were pretty mild, kind of like a level two on a scale of one to ten. But they were consistent both in terms of time and intensity. She was hooked up to some IV and that seemed to make the contractions intensify.

Well as they monitored Nikki and the baby, I was sitting there in a rocking chair taking in the scene. The nurse, who was quite nice and thought this was “it”, had a bunch of forms that needed to be signed and questions that needed to be answered. I don’t understand why they choose this time to ask questions and sign forms. With labor pains and having a bunch of tubes attached, signing forms seems like the last thing that should be on anyone’s mind. And, none of the questions were directed at me except when she asked “what is the name of your husband?”

Well the nurse eventually told us to get some rest (okay, she told Nikki to get some rest) at about 4 am or so. Well, Nikki tried to get some sleep though I doubt she got much while I tried to nap on the little sofa in the room. That was a bit uncomfortable (next time I need to bring a pillow) but I got some shut eye anyway. I woke up to voices in the room around 8:15am.

The doctor showed up. He did an exam and said that we are still 2 centimeters and that despite the contractions (which by now had stopped) we experienced false labor. So we were sent home. The explanation was that we may have had a touch of dehydration that caused the contractions and the IV gave her the necessary fluids that re-hydrated her. We left the hospital shortly after 8:30.

So still no Nicholas but at least we had a dry run. I did tell Nicholas he cannot show up on this Saturday because the soccer games were on (though with Manchester United losing and Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool winning it really was a cruel morning). So he was just following instructions.

In between the monitoring of the heart rate and contractions and the nurse coming in and out of the room, I sat quietly taking in the scene. I remember thinking that the process is so invasive; impersonal and intimate at the same time.

And surreal. Definitely a hint of surrealism. The whole time I sat there it just didn’t feel like this was the time. So when the doctor sent us home I wasn’t totally surprised. I was worried there for a moment that Nikki would get emotional but she seemed to take it in stride and was fine.

It also felt surreal because I was so calm throughout the process. It didn’t feel like we were having a baby. There was no rushing around frantically like a chicken without a head. There was no forgetting the wife and making it half way to the hospital before I realize it. Well it was a dry run. Let’s see what happens when it is the real thing!