About a week before the baby was due I went to an appointment with my obstetrician and discovered that I was already a few cm dilated and the baby was positioned well to start labour. I hadn’t yet felt any contractions. The same thing happened when I was pregnant with Erica. With Erica, I was given a membrane sweep, instructed to go for a walk and then went into labour properly later that evening. This time, I was given a membrane sweep, sent home to rest and conserve my energy, and instructed to return to the hospital when contractions were 10 minutes apart (due to traffic sometimes being bad in Seoul and this being my 4th baby).
David and I went home. I had a rest. I had a few contractions that night, but then they stopped. I woke up the next morning having not gone into labour.
Four days later we were back at my obstetrician’s office. We were now two days away from the due date. She advised that the baby had now moved so was no longer in an ideal position, but she could try a membrane sweep again. We then went home again for rest.
That night I woke up around 3am having a contraction. This time they continued, but we’re a bit erratic in their length and spacing. Around 7am they started coming much faster and regular. They were a lot faster than the 10 minute spacing which was supposed to be my signal to go to the hospital. We headed for the car, but it was a bit of an effort. I had a contraction on the bed, another at the bottom of the stairs, another while trying to get into the car. Mum offered to come in the car with us because she thought we may not make it in time to the hospital, but it was Sunday morning so there was very little traffic. David attempted to break the land speed record getting me to hospital.
We came into the delivery suite and I asked the midwife if she could call the anaesthetist. She checked my dilation and said ‘too late, you’re at 9cm’. After a bit more labouring it was time to push, and our gorgeous little Nora Eloise was delivered.
Thanks to a very low birth rate in Korea, I was the only person to have a baby that week in the hospital, so had the maternity ward to myself. To say I had excellent service would be an understatement. Every time the baby made a noise it seemed like someone would pop their head in to check on me. We stayed in hospital for 5 days and then headed home.
We decided on the name Nora Eloise. She has been a delight, and we all adore her.
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