Preston's birth

November third came with the expectation I would have a baby that day. I had started contracting at 2:30 in the morning and continued until five. I fell asleep at around 5:15 and slept until eight without another contraction to wake me. I realized than it must have been false labour.

That morning the kids were their usual selves. Edie was cheerful and giggly and Gabe was a typical two year old (bipolar to say the least). I decided to get them out of the house and we walked to a nearby coffee shop and I treated them to orange juice and chocolate chip muffins.

That night I was tired and cranky, my back was killing me, and I decided that spaghetti would be the easiest meal to make. I chatted on the phone with my sister and complained about all my false labour and told her that I wasn't sure if I would know when true labour began. After dinner, daddy brought out a much anticipated present for Gabriel and Edie; Toy Story 3! As we sat there watching the movie I started to get contractions again. I told Scott that I was going to have a bath so I could stop the false labour and get some sleep that night.

After a few hours labouring in the bath I realized the contractions weren't getting better and in fact were intensifying in pain. That's when it dawned on me that it had to be real labour. After a lot of cursing and muttering about no one answering their phone we finally got ahold of Scott's brother and grandparents to come over and watch the kids.

We headed to the hospital and after an assessment they determined I was 4 cm dilated, 80 percent effaced, and not going home anytime soon! Soon they had me in my room where I immediately hopped into the shower for my back labour. The nurse brought me "the gas" to help with the pain and soon I was sucking back on that while my husband sprayed hot water on my sore lower back.

After a half hour the gas was making me really woozy. I told Scott I had to get back to the bed. The nurse came in during the transfer and noticed that the tank had been leaking. This explained Scott's wooziness since we had hotboxed that tiny bathroom pretty good! Scott later told me he thought he was going to pass out. After an hour of labouring on my hands in knees in the bed I requested something with a little more kick for my pain. The nurse gave me a single dose of fentanol before I told her I had to push. She checked me and I was 10 cm dilated.

The doctor was paged and after she arrived I pushed with abandon and within 4 minutes my son was born. I recieved two stitches and spent a quiet night alone with my last and final baby. And for once my little one wasn't taken to the NICU to live his first few days of life without me.

We named him Preston and we call him Puck (he was conceived after Canada won gold at the 2010 winter olympics). His brother and sister adore him (maybe a little too much). Edie throws a fit if she can't hold him and Gabe calls him "my baby Puck". He's such a perfect little guy and boy do I love him; boy...do we ALL love him!