Katrina arrived in Indonesia pregnant with baby #3. The transition to a new country with a new language is tough enough and then she added to it two daughters not yet four years old plus being in her 3rd trimester with baby #3 and you have one brave and tough momma. So when labor started before her due date (which is very unusual for her!) she didn't feel ready and was really tired. We as a team knew this was going to be tough but we had set her up with an American woman to serve as her translator and doula during her time in the hospital but in recent conversation with team members it was decided it would be wise if I came down to be with them also. I could help around the house and with the kids etc plus be there for the birth. I was expecting to head down a few days before her due date and stay for at least a week but then the phone call came that she was in labor already I threw a few days worth of things in a bag and headed down. Although as the crow flies it isn't that far but because we are on different island it takes a 5-hour car trip followed by two flights each about 90 minutes long followed by another 1-hour car trip. In the end her contractions slowed back down though and we spent a couple of weeks hanging out. Contractions would come and go and there were several times we thought we were headed for the hospital but in the end they would fade away again.
We kept picking a day that would be good to have a baby, for example at the beginning of the break they had from language school and there were days we tried to avoid like the days Ash (dad and our driver to the hospital) needed to see the dentist. Finally, though miss Charlotte picked her own time. Katrina was 10 days past her due date and we were headed to the doctor's office the next day and most likely going to need to consider a pitocin induction, which neither of us wanted. So Katrina told her husband that she was going to be in labor by the time he got from language school at 4 pm. She had said this at least a dozen times over the last few weeks, so it didn't get much attention from Ash. But we had a plan as soon as he headed out the door, that involved her breast pump and more exercises to get baby in a good position for birth. She wasn't at that long before her water broke. No big gush just leaking with contractions, which were becoming more frequent and stronger. Ash came home to see her sitting on her ball with a towel and all of us watching a movie, so imagine his surprise when we told him we were almost ready to head to the hospital. So then there was lots of rushing around as we finished packing and getting the girls fed before taking them to a friend's house.
It is an hour plus trip to the hospital and poor Ash had his wife telling him to slow down because every bump hurt and the midwife telling him to get there fast. When were still 20 minutes from the hospital she was complete and pushing, which had this midwife making sure the gloves and some equipment were close. It was probably one of the longest car rides of my life and oh did I mention it was a brand new car!
We made it to the hospital though and there is nothing like the sound of a woman pushing to get people moving at a hospital, no matter what country that hospital is in! Somehow she got into a wheelchair and from there to the ER where they transferred to a gurney and then from there to the 5th floor delivery room, with a gloved and masked ER doctor at the ready in case baby decided to join us in the elevator. In the end though there was time and Katrina's doctor made it and with just a few pushes Miss Charlotte joined us sunnyside up (OP). Soon she was breastfeeding like a champ and thankfully proved to be a pretty calm baby, because now there are 3 kids under 4 years old in their house :)
So while I don't think either Katrina or I were fan of her doing most of the hard work of labor in the car, it all worked out in the end and we had a healthy mom and baby.
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| Headed home from the hospital |
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