Three Sisters and A Bro: Jacob Bailey Schalick ~ Age 3

Three years! I can't believe it!

Three years ago, I was sitting in my car getting ready to coach my 4-year old soccer team.

Three years ago, I was really, really tired because I had woken up extra early forgetting that I hadn't change my clock back.

Three years ago, I stayed at school working extra late to try and get ready for my upcoming maternity leave, that wasn't starting for at least another week.

Three years ago, I put the car in park, reached to turn the key and heard an audible pop.

Three years ago, my water broke minutes before I was supposed to start practice with a group of 4-year olds but instead I was having a baby!!

It was a bit of a surreal experience. Every time I shifted my body in the car, fluid was gushing out. So, I called my doctor. I have to have two round of antibiotics before my babies can be born so she told me to head to the hospital. I called Stevie, who was up in a tree hunting. I called Joellen, who was headed out to Greenbranch for the boy's practice. I left Jackson at soccer with a kind parent who took over practice and I headed home with Caileigh. Dawn took charge of Caileigh and Stevie and I headed across the street to the hospital. I really only had about two contractions during that whole time.

We checked in at the hospital and got settled in our room. It took FOREVER for them to start the antibiotics. Mainly, because Stevie kept up a steady stream of conversation with our nurse. When she walked out of the room at one time, I told him you are forbidden to speak another word until the needle is in my arm and antibiotics are flowing in my veins!

We were settled by 6:30 or so and then the waiting began.

I had an epidural. It didn't work. It was extremely painful as compared to the last two times I had one.

Stevie left to go to a pre-election night party that we were all supposed to attend.

I had contractions.

My mom played cards.

Joellen tried to text. haha

They called the anesthesiologist back. It didn't work again.

I had to keep getting antibiotics. They were supposed to be 4 hours apart. I was dilating and they needed to get both doses in.

I had contractions.

A nurse came in to check the sheet of paper with the contraction record and the heartbeat record.

She came back with another nurse.

She came back with Dr. O'Flynn.

They were all quiet. They all stared at the paper. They all tried to tell me this is normal, but I had done this twice already. This wasn't normal.

Joellen started texting Dawn Truett: who told us what the nurses were going to say.
"Lay on your left side"
"We are going to turn down your epidural"
"We are just trying to get a good read on the baby's heartbeat"
"Ok, lift this leg"

"We are going to adjust the monitor"

"We are going to turn off the epidural"
"Okay, it is time to push."
"We really need to get the baby out"
"We need you to do your best pushing"

This is when I got a little scared. I pushed with Jackson for 3 hours, I pushed with Caileigh for almost an hour. I wasn't really good at the pushing part. The doctor looked tense, the nurses looked tense. They said the baby had to come out.

In under 15 minutes, he was out. It took about two sets of pushing!