Not the Weekend I planned.

This past weekend didn't go as planned.



I am not sure that I have let you know, but Kris has been away all month with his unit at NTC (national training center). This is where the Army does alot of its training before they send units overseas to fight in the war. It is very much like a real deployment, the guys/girls have to turn in their cell phones, there is no Internet access. We call this "the box".



This month also is approximately 9 months from when they last got back from Iraq. You know what this means. Babies. Thursday evening I get a phone call from a wife, that she is in early labor. I try to call Kris (as a commander he has a duty cell phone). I start to leave message after message so his soldier will know about his baby coming. Hopefully get packed up in time and make the birth. Unfortunately NTC is in cell hell. I leave messages, and emails. To no avail.



Saturday night this wife gets admitted into the hospital to have her baby. More calls from me to him. This is also when we find out that the Red Cross won't send a message until after the baby has been born. We were always informed that once the Mama got admitted they would send a message. This was the first of many frustrations I had this weekend. Luckily this wife had her parents a sister in the area, so she had a great support system in place. Mama and Baby are doing just fine.

Then around 1:30am Saturday night I receive another phone call that we have a second wife in Labor. Luckily she was able to drop off her two year old with another family. Unfortunately she didn't have anyone to be with her in the hospital.

Sunday morning Kris' XO's wife Kadi and I went to the hospital to do our rounds. To welcome the new babies into our unit with a bunch of flowers and gift card. This is when we learn that wife number 2 is still in labor. And still alone. We convince her that she really shouldn't be alone, and that we are really trying hard to get a message thru to her husband.

We decide to volunteer to be her labor coaches. We give our numbers to the nurse, and leave the hospital, so we can go take care of her pets. I bring her dog home with me, so it will be easier to take care of.

A few hours later we were able to get the message thru to the dads, they were packing up their things, and headed on their way home. Thank goodness.

About an hour after that we receive our phone call that she is in active labor. Kadi and I rush to the hospital, (its about a mile away from where we live) to be by her side. During this time we get to witness her epidural being taken out, and reinserted, since the first one didn't seem to be working. Thank goodness the second on started to work almost immediately. Mama was able to get some rest.

That evening I witnessed my first live birth (probably not a good idea right before I am about to go into labor). I witnessed a few complications, but the hospital staff were right on top of it. I got to see which nurses I would like at my delivery. And in the end I got to see a beautiful baby boy being born.

I discovered that even if I didn't plan this for my weekend, that I learnt some very valuable lessons. That Army wives are awesome, they will step up and do anything for you. And we really are a family. Where else would this ever happen. Do you think that if you went into labor when your husband was away on business that his bosses wife would be your labor coach?

I just hope this weekend isn't as eventful. I do need my rest, as it is only just over a month to my own due date.