It was a Thursday, a balmy summers night. I tucked my toddler into bed and gave him the biggest snuggle knowing his time as an only child was almost up.
We live one and a half hours from the closest private hospital, which means when pregnant, we can opt for shared care - seeing our regular doctor here one time and our OB and midwife the next.
Early that morning, I went and saw my regular doctor. I was 39 weeks and five days pregnant. He did his usual scan and told me I wouldn't make it past the weekend. And how right was he!
I woke around 10 pm with some slight pains, but nothing like I remember the first time around. I went back to sleep. An hour & a half later, I woke and paced the hallway, wondering if this was it. I called the hospital and spoke to my midwife. She said she could tell I was in labour and that I best start making my way to the hospital but don't rush as I would have plenty of time. I woke my husband, and we got our big boy in the car, called my sister to let her know I was dropping him off and called my mum to meet us there as she was coming with us. My husband fainted the first time around so I need all the moral support I could get.
On the way to my sisters, my waters broke in the car. Thankfully I had towels and garbage bags everywhere. Later these were a saving grace.
We did a good quick drop off/pick up and goodbye. By this stage, I was in the zone. Where they say a woman leaves her body.
My husband was driving like a formula one driver, lucky there was no traffic. We drove through our town, and he said "should we go to the hospital here", but I was determined to birth this baby with my OB.
My mum was in the back seat and timing my contractions for me. It was all totally different from my first. The pains and the contractions were so intense & close together I hardly got a break.
We got half an hour out of our town, and my mum said to me: "Kiejana you sound like you are pushing."
I grunted that I was and she suggested we call 000. This made my husband drive faster.
It was now 12:50.
My mum spoke to Tina. She told us we needed to pull the car over as the two ambulances they dispatched from a town on either side and had to track us. We stopped on the highway, right at some roadworks, but there was nothing else there.
Tina advised my mum that I had to get in the back of the car. I had an SUV, so we pulled the suitcases out, and I was too much of a clean freak, so I had to lay those towels and garbage bags down in the boot. By this stage, Marcus (my husband) was in panic mode. And his way of dealing with that was swearing.
Even though I was pushing, I had to take my pants off so mum could see what this baby was doing. She told Marcus if he fainted this time she would kill him. Thank god for technology and phones with torches.
From that moment I laid in the back of the car, it all happened so quick.
Tina was telling my mum I needed to push and that she needed to keep her hand on the baby's head while he crowned. But he was one step ahead - he had crowned, and was ready to come out.
I pushed about 4-6 times, taking about three breaths the whole time, and he slipped out into my mum's arms. Thankfully the cord was nowhere near his neck, and he cried straight away. I snuggled him under my singlet for skin to skin and to keep him warm. Marcus didn't faint.
The two ambulance's arrived around 10 minutes after a tiny 2.6kg 'Jaggah Ace' arrived.
I was walked to the ambulance where I told my mum to ring my sister and to bring my shoes as I broke my thong while pushing. The ambulance officer had a giggle that I was concerned about a shoe and not standing on the highway naked having just delivered a baby.
Jaggah, my mum and I travelled in the ambulance to the hospital while Marcus drove. He needed to take in what had just happened. Even though we were well, he just helped deliver his son on the highway — a once in a lifetime event.
And Jaggah, he is now 5, still going around like a speed demon with no urge to slow down.
