Did I ever tell you about the time - NCT EDITION

Did I ever tell you about the time I went into labour 11 weeks early, and had my car NCT'd while on the way to the hospital!

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I started karate when I was 9 and did 2 different styles. Both taught me a certain type of mentality, which stood to me in so many situations, and also that I had to detach from on a number of levels when it didn't serve me at all, but ... more about that another time!

So, when I was 27, I was pregnant with my one and only! Life was one giant ball of stress on the outside with so many things going on that I had zero 'control' over, and all I could do was make the bubble my little sprog and I lived in, as chill, joyous and fun as possible.

Fun fact: You can be both chronically stressed and having a ball all at the same time.

So there I was, living in bed and breakfasts, hotel rooms, my car and with friends because of so many reasons, driving to work at 5am and home at 11pm from the leisure centre I managed, and trying to swerve the stress that was bubbling up outside my own bubble.

I was sick a lot throughout my pregnancy ( stress and a weak uterus will do that to you - another story ), and in and out of hospital regularly for checks and things, but I never worried.

I had this innate knowing that the bean would be fine no matter what.

All was well in the world ( well in my world ), and I went to sleep one night, as usual, and woke at 3am with cramps.

I was 29 weeks pregnant, and just knew these were not good old braxton and hicks. ;)

I paced and bounced on my ball, and paced and rubbed my belly, sang, put some music on, and waited patiently until 9am so I could go wake my landlord who lived in the house in front of my apartment.

My car was at the garage you see, otherwise I would have driven myself to where I needed to be!

He answered the door in his lil boxers, a teeny tiny man with sparrow legs and pale as a ghost. It made me laugh to see him looking all dishevelled and smushed, just out of bed.

I told him I needed him to take me to get my car at the garage because I was in labour.

He stared at me for a few minutes and asked did I mean the hospital. I told him no, I meant what I said and I said the garage.

And then told him not to rush.

We got in his car, and I told him where the mechanics was, and off we went.

Reluctantly on his part.

I breathed like a champ, through each pain, panting and breathing and growling from time to time. He was terrified. I could feel it coming off him in waves!

Bear in mind, I had never had any anti-natal classes along the way. Clueless in the extreme, and also ... a woman's body knows what to do!

He asked a number of times if he could take me to the hospital, and the final time I snapped and in what sounded like a voice from someone else, and with my head twisting 360 degrees, I told him to just take me to the god damn garage because I needed to be in control of something.?

Bless his cotton socks, he didn't argue!

We got to the garage and the mechanic, his name was Alan, came out and I half whispered half roared at him to give me the keys to my car as I needed to go have it NCT'd!!

He asked did I mean I needed to go to the hospital and god bless him, he didn't know but that wasn't the right thing to say.

He was hissed at ... through a mighty contraction ... to get me the bloody keys right now because I just needed to be in control of something.

I must have looked insane, or wild, or evil, or menacing, or maniacal, whilst saying that sentence, because it elicited the same response each time.

Capitulation to my request, and a sort of bowing/backing away thing.

Whatever ... I had the keys.

Off to the NCT centre I went!

Yes ... I didn't go to the hospital yet! What on earth would one do something so sensible for, when one is in labour????

Don't be ridiculous!

I finally got to the NCT centre and had another almighty contraction at the window while handing over my keys, and once again, in what must have been akin to a horror movie ... I hissed/ whispered not to fail my car because I was in labour.

I wasn't using this as an excuse to pass, I was literally trying to tell them I didn't have time to find out what might be wrong when they give you the spiel after the fact, so could they just pass me and let me go ... but it didn't come out like that! It came out like a threat.

My car passed!

And off I went.

To Penny's - a super cheap clothes n stuff shop to go get knickers, pjs, pads and all the things one brings in ones hospital bag when one has had the time to do such things when not in a panic!

I walked around the shop getting things that I needed, not knowing what exactly it was that I needed, but assuming the above were it, and by the time I got to the counter I had yet another huge contraction and the most awesome woman, with the best accent, sucked her teeth and looked me up and down and said ... 'Hey girl, it's the hospital you need now but let me get you all checked out first'.

How nice of her not to be all scared shitless of the pregnant chick having a contraction! Women just get it. Obviously!

This was the thought going through my head as she was checking out my purchases. In between the contractions I had this serene calm, oneness, all love, no stress, life is good, the sky is blue the grass is green type thing on repeat.

And finally I headed off ...

To the hospital!

I felt fine, had had a wax, looked good, had my shades on ... I was ready!

The hospital was not!

It was like a zoo in there when I arrived. There were nurses swiftly moving from ward to ward, carts going this way and that, stats being called, directions being given, women sounding like they were dying in the throws of birth, an absolute bloody madhouse!

I politely waited ( I hadn't done much waiting up til this point had I ), and finally when I was all but ignored, I coughed and politely said, eh I think I'm in labour and I'm only 29 weeks pregnant!

The nurse I spoke to took one look at me, slightly panicked, told me to take a seat and she would be right with me, and promptly put me in an empty ward on a chair waiting.

So I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited a bit more ... until the pains were just too bad, so I popped my head out the door and waved at her and nearly gave her a heart attack, because she had forgotten all about me and by the look on her face she realised she had, felt so bad, worried and then she sprang into action because she clearly remembered me telling her, I was ONLY 29 WEEKS PREGNANT AND IN LABOUR.

Her face was a picture as she got the orderly to help walk me to the examination room, called the specialist, called her colleagues and had me up on the table and half stripped in jig time.

An exam was conducted and after that everything went faster than I could even say my own name.

I was being rushed to a different hospital where they could handle pre term babies, had to go in an ambulance, they were going to be going very fast, I should get in touch with the father ASAP, and boom ... I was in the ambulance.

I hadn't prepared for ANYTHING up to this, but I really REALLY hadn't prepared for this. Going to a different hospital, and all the things that would mean for after he was born. WHOA WHOA WHOA someone put the breaks on this horse thank you please.

But the breaks were off, and we were flying up the dual carriageway faster than I has ever gone in any vehicle.

Worth noting ... I get a lil car sick when I face backwards in a car, or look backwards.

Guess what way they had me in the ambulance ... Backwards!!

Contractions and vomiting? ... oh just divine!

The nurse was howling with laughter, and also feeling so bad for me because I could not stop cracking jokes and throwing out one liners between the pain and the puke.

All through this day, my karate mindset had stood to me ( or was that the stubbornness and need for 'control'? ... hhmmm ), and I just kept going. Kept showing up for myself, kept doing what I needed to do, and kept doing what felt right because my body clearly knew more than my brain about what was happening and when.

Not being prepared meant nothing in the grand scheme of things because it was happening regardless.

Life is funny like that!!! It doesn't give 3 shits if you're prepared or not! Ever!

I ended up in the most awesome hospital, with the most awesome midwives, I had 2 as my cheer squad, and they were the best, with the best doctors, and the best of the best preemie nurses in the special care unit, one of whom would do skin to skin with my lil dude whenever I wasn't there. She fell totally in love with my boy.

I had him 48 hours after arriving in the hospital, even though one nurse said I wouldn't! Even though another nurse told me I was imagining things, he arrived.

Perfect, healthy, happy, big for a 29 week old baby ( but still teeny tiny ).

No lamaz classes.

No bag prepped.

No transportation.

No preparation.

No clue.

'Not ready'.

But we are always ready!

Still collected my car.

Still had the NCT done.

Still went to get the stuff I would need in the hospital.

Still had time to chill.

All while in labour with an 11 week early baby!

I should have been scared shitless, and worried and panicked and frenzied, and if I ever listened to anyone else EVER I probably would have been.

BUT, I only ever listen to myself.

I trusted it was all exactly as it should be.

Stressed outside the bubble.

Zero stress inside the bubble.

And it all worked out just fine.

Here's what I learned that day.

1. We can do hard things, they aren't always pleasant but they are always doable, and the outcome is beautiful!

2. Trusting myself is the only way to go 100 time out of 100, and if I'm ever in doubt, definitely trust myself even more then!

3. It's efficient to get things done on the way to give birth, that way you don't have to think about them after and can focus on your baby! ;)

4. Stubbornness isn't always a bad thing!

5. Labour can turn you into the lead character from a horror movie without you even trying!?

6. Some people will get you no matter what way you show up,?they are my kind of people. And some won't, and so long as you stay true to you, it doesn't matter either way.

XOXO

Ciara