Katherine Childrey's Arrival

Katherine "Katie" was born on 10/16/12 at 9:51 p.m. However, unlike her older sister, her arrival to the world was a unique one.

As many of you may already know, I had Katie at home. Not by choice. However, before I go into this very long story of her arrival I want to share my views about "those who did make it to the hospital in time." You know those news stories where a woman gives birth in the car, home, or ambulance? I always think "well, why didn't she leave earlier?" Now that I have walked through their shoes, I can say I understand and hopefully with my story you will understand too.

At around 6 p.m. when I started making dinner I started having contractions and couldn't finish making dinner or help Ellie get ready for dinner. So Eric took over while I sat in one of Ellie's tiny chairs. Eric downloaded a contraction app on his phone so we decided to start recording the contractions.

At around 8 p.m. the pain became so unbearable I told Eric that I wanted an epidural. He looked at his phone and saw that there was really no pattern. I would have contractions lasting 30-60 seconds that were about 2-6 minutes apart. So Eric did some googling and thought that maybe it would be time to go to the hospital. Eric helped me call the hospital and speak with a nurse. She said that they should be one minute contractions, 5 minutes apart, for ONE hour before coming in.

I began to think that maybe I was a wuss and that I couldn't handle this since she made it sound like I still have a ways to go. So I laid down watching a previous episode of Dancing With the Stars while Eric frantically began packing the hospital bags. We also called my mom to let her know that she should be ready for a phone call any time.

Then at one point the pain became so intolerable I told Eric that I HAD to go to the hospital. So he called my mom. During his phone call something felt wrong and I looked at Eric and said "I have to go to the hospital NOW." So he went downstairs to ask Jesse, one of our neighbors, to stay with Ellie (she was asleep) while my mom was on her way. When he came back he found me on the toilet because I felt like I had to poop. I said to him "Eric, I'm having this baby NOW." He immediately called 911 and said to me, "DO NOT PUSH." I sat on the toilet and had a contraction where something gushed out of me (I'm assuming now that it was my water) and another contraction where something much larger came out.  I didn't think it was a baby, but Eric set down the phone and said "IT'S THE BABY!" He pulled the baby out and thankfully she let out a cry.

I was very, very frantic, I wasn't expecting to give birth outside the safe confines of a hospital.  My back was turned to Eric, and couldn't really turn around, so he did the only thing he could think of. "JESSE! HELP!"  She snapped into action doing what the 911 said.  Getting her wrapped up, cleaning her nose and mouth, and getting the umbilical cord tied off with a shoe string.   I asked Eric how the baby was, and he assured me that she looked great, and was beautiful. I didn't believe him, who gave him a medical degree?! Jesse ran off to let the paramedics in while Eric and I shuffled to the bed so I could lay down, we had done as much as we could for the baby.

The paramedics got in the room and I asked the first one in how my baby was.  He paused and yelled "GET SOMEONE IN HERE!"  It seemed like none of them were really ready for what they had encountered here. Finally someone came in the room who got the cord cut and got us down the stairs to the stretcher outside.  To my embarrassment a lot of our neighbors had come outside to see what the ambulance and fire truck were up to, meanwhile all I was wearing was a shirt and a blanket, hopefully it was dark enough and no one could see anything.  As I was being loaded into the ambulance Eric came out with the hospital bags and saw the crowd and did the only thing he could do. "IT'S A GIRL!"

Eric here, though some of the above was ghost written by me.  While terrifying, this was one of the amazing experiences of my life, holding my daughter still covered in blood and vernix is something I'll never forget. I had half seriously talked to Nancy about "catching" Katie.  If we have another kid I intend to catch him/her, though in a more controlled, and sterile, environment. When Nancy asked how she was, I truely meant it, she looked perfect. She was active and breathing, and didn't have any porcelain induced damage.  There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she was OK.

If Jesse ever babysits again I'll be shocked.