There are many stories my family loves to tell about my “misadventures,” but I’m pretty sure, “She drove herself to the hospital to give birth,” will top the list.
It was 4:30 am, and like many other pregnant women, I got up to pee. But this time, when I went back to bed, I realized I was “still peeing.” Only, I wasn’t peeing. My water had broken. I had already made a few trips to the hospital before, and since I was only 34 weeks along, I figured they’d just give me a steroid shot and tell me to keep my legs shut until my actual scheduled C-section in two weeks. No big deal.
So, I texted my family to let them know I was heading to the hospital but wasn’t sure what was next. I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I grabbed my keys and hopped in the car. I drove myself to the hospital, casually contemplating if this was all just another false alarm. My best friend, who was awake at that ungodly hour, texted me back. I told her to stay home; there was no need for her to come. But of course, she didn’t listen. She was already on her way, and thank goodness for that.
I rolled into the labor and delivery floor sporting my “twin mom era” sweatshirt from Etsy, trying to play it cool. My best friend walked in a few minutes later, wearing her “feral auntie” t-shirt, ready to take on whatever came our way. Apparently, our matching shirts caused quite the stir among the hospital staff. We were the talk of the floor for the rest of the day.
In hindsight, I’m not really sure why I didn’t ask if we could try to keep the babies in a bit longer, but when the doctor said it was go time, I didn’t hesitate. I was always planning on a C-section anyway. And so, a few hours later, my twins were born.
Looking back, I guess driving myself to the hospital wasn’t the most conventional thing to do, but then again, when have I ever been conventional? This is just another chapter in the ongoing saga of my life—one that I’m sure my family will be retelling for years to come. And here we are, with two beautiful babies and one heck of a story to share.
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