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The Hardest Day Of My Life (Part 1)
They say to time the duration of each contraction from when it starts until it ends. At first, the contractions are sporadic and brief then get more regular and long with a shorter amount of time in-between. When they get to 4 minutes apart with a duration of 1 minute for an hour straight, then you head to the hospital. 4 minutes, 1 minute, 1 hour. 4–1–1. That’s the rule of thumb. I have an app on my phone to time them and I’m doing everything by the book. It’s my job and I’m taking it seriously.
It’s very early in the morning of June 4th, 2018. The exact due date for our new baby daughter, Emily. We’ve already started calling her Em.
The contractions were getting more intense and frequent late last night. We both tried to get some sleep. But around 1:30 am Allison had me draw her a bath. She said it helped her 9 years ago when she had her daughter, Sara. My step-daughter.
The contractions keep progressing while she’s trying to relax as much as she can in the bathtub. I’m on the app diligently keeping track. Doing my part.
I expected the contractions to be much more regular, but they’ve been all over the place. At least that’s what it sounded like in the birthing class and everything I read. I suppose that’s why they say to average it over an hour so you can see a pattern forming.
