GET TO THE HOSPITAL!!!

Anyone ever YouTube how to deliver a baby? Anyone?? Well, luckily I have not either......but I almost did. So let me tell you about the birth of Lucy Elizabeth Lepak.

I woke up the morning of Saturday, December 20, in high spirits. We were nearing Christmas, Jenna was almost at her due date, and we had plans to attend the Christmas concert at our church that night at 7:30. Over breakfast, Jenna casually mentioned that she had started to have contractions, but they were pretty irregular and not very close together. The main reason she told me was to let me know that she thought we should go to 5 PM Mass that evening so that we did not have to worry about it in case she went into full blown labor in the middle of the night or early Sunday. I thought that was a good plan and so we decided on going to Mass at 5, eating dinner, and then hitting up the Christmas concert. As the day progressed, her contractions kept coming and she said they felt different than the normal contractions you get toward the end of the pregnancy, so we knew we were nearing go time. Jenna called the on call doctor to let them know that she was likely in the early stages of labor so that the first call they got wasn't at 2 AM or something. We also wanted to know when they thought we should go to the hospital. The doc told Jenna that when she got to contractions five minutes apart, we needed to head in because things tend to accelerate with the third pregnancy. As an aside, Jenna is a tough S.O.B.....I now know she was clearly in labor and she didn't really show it. I understand my place in the toughness hierarchy in this house. Good thing Laney is a big pansy.

We went to Mass and Miss Peggy (our wonderful babysitter/adopted grandmother) met us there. The four of us then took Miss Peggy to dinner and went to the Christmas concert. This entire time Jenna would grimace every once in a while, but nothing too significant (like I said, tough). After the Christmas concert, Jenna told Miss Peggy to keep the phone close as she was going to watch the kids until one of our parents could get there when it was time for the new baby. We got home around 9:30 from the concert. I took the kids to bed and Jenna went to take a bath. The contractions were coming more regularly, but they were still at least ten minutes apart. Finally around 10:30 we were at seven or so minute contractions and we decided to tell Miss Peggy to come on over. Jenna texted her at 10:42. By the time she got to our house, Jenna was down to five minute contractions. No big deal. We were still only at the point that the on call doctor told us to head in. We get in the car to start driving and Jenna had another contraction. This time, she was.....ummm.....louder and more (ahem) colorful. Plus it had only been three minutes (I was keeping track at this point). This worried me a little, but I thought we were still ok. Then we had another contraction two minutes later. And another two minutes after that. And then one minute. Meanwhile, Jenna is very politely telling me to drive a little faster. At this point, I was a little panicked and contemplating whether I should get out my phone and call my uncle the ER doctor for him to talk me through it over the speaker phone or whether I should YouTube it. We were getting onto Highway 75 and I was fortunate it was Saturday night after 11 PM because I drove no less than 100 MPH down the highway (sorry Mom, but you can deal with it because it turned out ok). The entire time Jenna is having contractions and not paying attention to me or what I am doing other than telling me to get us to the hospital. Unfortunately for me (and scary too), we got passed on 75 by some moron while we were driving 100 MPH!! Think about that! Anyway, that's the moment Jenna looks out of the car and she screams/blurts/shrieks at me "WHY ARE YOU DRIVING SO SLOW!!!!" We got downtown, and I thankfully didn't have to run any red lights because we only caught greens.

We pull right up to the labor and delivery at the hospital. Jenna tells me to run ahead and get a wheelchair and room. I come flying in and the damn nurses treated me like some panicky first time dad who didn't know how long it takes. I wasn't happy. Jenna meanwhile hobbled into the hall and had a contraction in front of everyone (including the OB/GYN on duty at that time). They went into high gear, and about ten people descended upon Jenna with a wheelchair and off they went. I had to sign one paper, which took about thirty seconds. I walked right to the room and when I stepped in I heard "We're ready to push!" Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. Poor Jenna had been a total champ, but she wasn't mentally prepared to do it without an epidural. While she was pushing, she literally kept saying "I'm not mentally prepared to do this without the drugs." But she did it. We were blessed with another little girl, Lucy Elizabeth. It was great. Lucy was born at 11:41 PM. That's right, 59 minutes after we texted Miss Peggy to come over to the house.

I had the pleasure of calling both grandmothers and letting them know that I wasn't calling them at 1 AM to tell them we were on the way to the hospital, but rather that they already had a new granddaughter. I was kind of nervous about that, but they both were very understanding of the chaotic event. I learned not to make jokes shortly after the delivery about Lucy being my favorite because I got the tax deduction AND she came so fast that we don't have to pay for the anesthesiologist....it was a little too soon for that joke. Jenna meanwhile did great, is recovering well, and once again is proving her greatness as a mother. We also learned that, if (IF!!!) there is a next time, we will be parked in the hospital parking lot at ten minute contractions and will wait until we can be admitted. To Lucy and not having to YouTube the miracle of life!!