For months, we had planned on an April 11th induction date. It was a good compromise, we thought. It was exactly at 39 weeks gestation of this baby and it avoided Harrison’s birthday of April 13th. I was concerned as to how my kids would fare it they had to potentially share a birth date.

And so I planned out all of the doctors appointments, hair appointments, grooming appointments and ‘before baby’ brunches and lunches for those two weeks leading up to an expected April 11th induction.

It was the evening of March 27th. Baby Aidan was 36 weeks and 6 days gestation. We had just completed another marathon Monday evening. Harrison had soccer practice, Jonathan had a teacher educator appointment, we dashed home and hurriedly ate dinner as a family and got the boys off to bed. Nathan had retired to the basement to watch an episode of a show, and I was just getting into bed to read when…my water broke. As I laid down in bed. Yes, I was sure. I knew without a doubt it was my water breaking even though I had never had my water spontaneously breaks with the other two labors before this one.

I carefully walked to the basement stairs and called down to Nathan that I was pretty sure my water broke. He came to the edge of the stairs and looked up at me, “Seriously?”

I had heard enough birth stories by this point that I knew that there was no waiting it out until my planned 39 weeks to have this baby. This baby was coming. And the baby was coming that night.

I had somehow had the foresight to pack my hospital bag literally that afternoon. Nathan had nothing packed and hurriedly shoved clothes into a bag while making calls to my mom (yes, I need you to wake [Papa] up to come stay with the boys. We’re going to he hospital.). His parents, who had literally just landed in Denver also assuming that there was several weeks before baby’s arrival.

I called my OB to get the ok to head to the hospital. And worriedly paced around my bedroom while leaking amniotic fluid and trying to get my brain to remember the “last minute things” I hadn’t packed already.

My dad arrived to stay with the boys, and I snuck into each boys’ room to give them one last kiss and hug. And Nathan and I headed to the hospital to have our very last baby.

Contractions had started by that point. And as I lay in triage while they decided whether I was going to be admitted, the contractions had increased in duration and time in between as well as intensity.

After what always feels like an eternity in triage, we were whisked away to our labor and delivery room. It was about 1:30 in the morning at that point. I had progressed to 5 cm on my own, and the nurse told me that I just needed to let her know when I wanted the epidural. A short time later, fearing that I would be too late to get the epidural and for it to work, I asked to have the anesthesiologist called to place the epidural.

Finally at about 3:30 in the morning, with epidural placed, the doctor said we’d wait and check to see how things were progressing at seven in the morning at shift change.

Nathan and I tried to rest, but neither of us slept much. And then at 5:00 am the OB resident came in to check me, and declared my labor complete and ready to push. He asked me not to push, and hurriedly asked the nurse to notify the attending OB and the rest of the delivery team to get set up immediately.

After three pushes, Aidan was born at 5:21 am, three weeks early at exactly 37 weeks.

He had the meekest little cry. I was overjoyed with love for this little tiny human immediately. Many doctors and nurses checked him over and over again given the concerns they were monitoring with him during my pregnancy, and he was totally normal and healthy.

Given his early (and quick) delivery, his lungs had not expelled all of the liquid from them. He spent one night in the NICU on a breathing machine, and was cleared to come back to us in our mother/baby room by lunch the next day.

After daycare the next day, Nathan brought Jonathan and Harrison to meet their littlest brother. Watching the love and pride they had for baby Aidan was the cherry on top to an easy delivery and healthy little baby.