Grace Arrives

The time had finally come for Grace to arrive for Quincey's birth.  I was so excited for her to get here.  First I was overly worried that I would have Quincey before she arrived but that was not to happen.  If fact, once Grace got here, I thought surely I would go into labor at any second.  She was the final piece needed to get the show on the road and maybe my biological clock would tell Quincey all was ready and it was time for her to arrive.  But, as much as we walked and walked and walked, and rode down bumpy roads, Quincey had other plans. 

March 11, 2020.  The official due date finally came.  I didn't want to just sit around waiting for my little egg to hatch so Grace and I decided to head to the mountains.  What valuable time with my dear sister.  On top of walking, we went to the woods where I got to see my first herd of elk in the wild.  How I grew up in Wyoming and have never seen this is beyond me - especially when elk are my favorite animal.  It was such a cool little blessing and, of course, I took it as a sign that Quincey was on her way.  Of course, in these last few days, every burp I had, churn of the stomach, and hormone I felt, I thought surely it was time to leave for the hospital but this wasn't to be the case.

I had my final midwife appointment on March 12.  I remember it getting scheduled long ago and telling the receptionist that I would not need the appointment as it was past my due date.  I know that the majority of first time moms go past their expected due date but I thought surely that would not be the case for me.  My rational... No idea!  So, when March 11th came and went, I was bummed out but kept hopeful knowing that I had this appointment the next day that weeks earlier I was sure I wouldn't need scheduled. 

  So, when March 12 came, I was excited to get checked again and see how all my walking had progressed me.  To my disappointment, there had been no progression so, induction was scheduled.

March 14th at 8pm was the date and time of check in for induction. It would mark the official start time of Quincey's journey into the world. Although we initially didnt want induction, venturing home from the hospital with an end date in site was encouraging and exciting nonetheless..

Again, in order to avoid pacing up and down the house, on induction day, we decided to return to  the mountains for fresh air and enjoy the last day of our lives as we knew it.  What a beautiful drive and hike.  We even got out and did some fishing.  All fish lived to see another day though.  Joe and I have always enjoyed our time in the woods and I couldn't have asked to spend that day waiting for 8pm any other way.  Being with him and my sister in the woods was just perfect.  We sat by a stream and just soaked up our current reality while preparing for the one to come.

 

 

 

In the midst of all of this, by the hour, the coronavirus pandemic was getting worse and worse.  At first I did not put much stock into it.  I had bigger things to be consumed with such as having my daughter but as the hours ticked by, it became more and more apparent that this virus was going to affect our day to day lives and our birth story. 

Grace was super cautious coming here from Colorado.  She barely stopped during the drive here and when she did, she suited up in gloves and disinfectants to avoid any risk of exposure.  Again, I laughed this off as well such as I had the receptionist wanting to schedule an appointment past my due date.  No need to think this thing would touch home.  Pandemics like this are stories that flash across the news and leave the mind just as soon as the TV is off.  But, this issue continued to linger and get bigger and bigger.  In fact, it continued to magnify so rapidly that this virus was one of the reasons I readily opted for induction.  If the virus continued to progress at the rate it was and Quincey continued to not progress at the rate she was, it was better to get the delivery over with as soon as possible and on our way back home away from the central hub of sickness, the hospital. 

After much anticipation and not so patient waiting...,March 14, 2020 at 8pm, the time for induction had finally arrived.