I remember it like it was yesterday:
At around 9:30am I slowly rolled out of bed, at 36 weeks pregnant, and walked to the bathroom to pee. On my way back to bed I felt a little pop and liquid coming down my leg. My husband was home because his was laid off due to the pandemic. I told him, “I think I peed myself.” I immediately went back to the bathroom to shower and clean myself up. I got dressed and the same thing happened. Liquid was going down my leg. My husband suggested I call the doctor because it wad better to be safe than sorry. I did.
The gynecologist told me to go immediately to the hospital. I didn’t take her advice considering we were in the mist of a global pandemic. I didn’t want to go to the hospital for them to tell me it was just urine that involuntarily came out, which happened with my previous pregnancy.
The gynecologist also suggested I put on maxi pads to control the liquid. She said that if I filled more than two an hour it was my water and NOT urine and I should definitely go to the hospital. So, I did just that, except that I filled four pads in less than an hour of clear liquid.
Once I told my husband he helped me pack everything and load everyone in the car and we headed to the hospital. My 9 year old and my 2 year old with us in the car not understanding what was going on. This was the first time in two weeks that they had left the house.
When we pulled up to the emergency room I was the only one to get out of the car. My children obviously could not enter and my husband had to stay with them. We didn’t have anyone to watch them because we were practicing strict social distancing. I arrived at 11am and told the emergency room secretary that i though my water had broke and she made a phone call and almost immediately I was in a wheelchair being wheeled up to labor and delivery.
I waited. I waited a long time. While I was waiting so many nurses came to ask questions. I continued to wait. One nurse called me on my cellphone to take information down instead of coming in to my room. That was a first for me. All while I kept my husband up to date via text messages. I continued to wait. I waited for the doctor to come and examine if it was indeed my water that had broken. While I waited more liquid kept coming out of my vagina and soiling the sheets. I got up to go to the bathroom twice and wet the floor.
Around 2pm a doctor finally came in and took some sample liquid. I had to wait for the lab results. I had to wait yet again. Around 3pm they told me it was indeed my water and that I had to have a C-section. That was the original plan anyway. I immediately called my husband who was waiting in the car with our two daughters to let him know that I had a scheduled C-section at 7pm.
She was born March 26th at 8pm. 11 days after the Governor of New Jersey closed everything due to a global pandemic.
o-one got to meet her at the hospital.
no-one got to take pictures of us.
no-one got to meet her when she came home.
It’s a sad story I know but that doesn’t make Arya less loved. In fact, she is more loved and we are grateful to have her with us.
Mom of Three 