Woken From A Deep Sleep.........

Sleep ....glorious , luxurious , deep and refreshing. Ah ... no , not this little black duck , not recently , not for a long while. The only time l sleep well is in a daytime nap....which of course. like everything else enjoyable  isn't good for us , well not if you are a poor night sleeper. Like drinking caffeinated drinks after 3 pm, not exercising during the day or rising and falling at different times on different days , it is considered poor sleep hygiene! Well l would be a fail , fail and...a  fail on these and God  don't even get me started on the phone and looking at it at night !!!. It's not my fault if l can't afford paid TV and the quality of free TV is so poor that watching Utube in bed instead, is forced upon me !Yesterday in the morning, l mowed, yes it was hot but it had to be done , l didn't nap and as l was out of sugar so l didn't drink any coffee. I hate going to the supermarket so a sugar shortage wouldn't get me there ...being out of sugar is mot like being out of toilet paper! Surprise, surprise,  l slept like a log and was woken with a fright by the dog who was clearly busting to go and toilet outside.  It reminded me of another occasion l had been awakened from a deep sleep with a fright .

The year is 1992 , we are a young mining  family happily living in Central Queensland . We were expecting number four . One and two were going to school  and three had just started preschool and life was pretty busy.  It was the custom in  the household that on return from school pickup in the arvos the children  would set themselves up on a tablecloth on the  floor with afternoon tea in front of Play School . At 36 weeks pregnant, this was my opportunity to stretch out on the couch and power nap to help me get through the rest of the day with hubby on afternoon shift .  Now the other local custom, necessity really , was to be in a big town  at least 200 klms away at least 2 weeks before due date to have baby . Number 3 had decided to go play in his room and had managed to jam his fingers in the laundry door as it slammed shut with an almighty bang followed by a blood  curdling scream,which of course, jolted me awake with a fright . I leaped off the couch with all  the grace  of a tired pregnant woman in flight. Now  being a sprinter from way back,  l prepared to come outta the blocks fast and hit the passage at lightening speed. Well , believe me there would be speed that faithful afternoon, but not to get me to an injured child ...but to get me into into delivery .. l must have been quietly labouring away because my fast Giselle leap to my child's distress had resulted in a truly watershed moment as my membranes has ruptured . No car , no husband and seemingly nobody else answering their phones. The developments of the next few hours between that moment and the birth of our beautiful daughter the next morning can only be described as somewhere between chaos, calamity and comedy!

My lovely friend Vicky had been a little nervous about this pregnancy since the get go.  She kept having this dream that l would go into labour early when my hubby was on afternoon shift with the car ! So when l quickly became aware that l needed help now..not wanting to traumatise her l rang several other friends first for assistance,  but to no avail . The town had children's swimming lessons at 3.30 in the afternoons and most families were in attendance. So l had to make this phone call that started like this ..."Hi  Vick , its Liz ...um you know that dream you've  have been having..well my water just broke" ..to which she replied ..".I've been waiting for this call , I'm coming..l knew you were going to do this to me". I called the small local hospital and was advised to stay put that  they were sending an ambulance. l called my husband's place of work and when they finally  answered the phone and informed hubby , he thought they were playing a joke on him ! So l quickly packed the last few items and closed the case and tried to explained to the children what was happening and sorry  but ..."no...l don't know where you will be sleeping tonight ..but Daddy will be here soon and he will tell you .  l will call you tomorrow when the baby is born ". Now luckily or unluckily, however you want to see it , swimming lessons had finished and our house was on the way home for several of my friends, so seeing the ambulance,two stopped in to render aide and advise with wet children in toe. So by this stage, let me see.....there was me and my unborn child , huge puddles on the carpet , two ambos, three mothers and 11 children , 8 of which were wet and no doubt hungry!.  You can imagine my husband's surprise when he returns home to an absent preterm laboring wife, 11 kids and 3 other mothers  busily trying to locate the kids pjs , lunch boxes and school shoes while dividing up care of his children.

The ambos wouldn't wait for my husband, they certainly were not delivering a preterm   bub in that little hospital if they could help it ! When l caught up with my husband later he said " gees how many people did you ring " There are women and children everywhere at home, they all want to help , it was a crazy house , they even tried to organise me !. And l said ..".so where are the children, who are they staying  with". He said " Oh no , l wasn't coming into that argument, l just said you guys work it out l gotta go" ... He knew the kids would be fine with any of those families. I had to go  by ambulance to our small hospital to get checked first and then transferred. Even tough everyone was extremely keen to get me on the road for the 2 hr journey to my delivery hospital, l was not concerned and although 4 th bub , l didn't have babies in a hurry and l knew it would be at least the next day before l had her in my arm!s. l wasn't  nurse then, so probably ignorance  was bliss!.

My attendants were a new ambo day 3 on the job , didn't really know where he was going and wherever he was ...he sure wasn't going there fast., much to the disgust of the young midwife. Hubby had left at  the same time as  us , found a motel , booked    had dinner and still made it to the hospital before us !. My midwife was a confident and friendly  girl on her first shift  at the little hospital and didn't know the area either nor the ambulance officer. Excellent,. now my safe delivery may be in the hands of a slow , possibly lost ambulance driver and a new , nervous midwife!. We had lived there for a number of years by then and l had a baby at the big hospital before , so not as directionally challenged as these two!  Although l did get a bit worried when we hit the outskirts of the regional town with our chosen hospital and at  the  big roundabout  he  heads away.... from the town  back towards Brisbane!  A quick turn around and we were back on an track. It was an exceptionally hot day and the air-con in the ambulance wasn't working . Sweat was pouring off me and the midwife was fanning me.  They thought it was from the heat and contractions, but it was really from  fear of not reaching our desired destination in a timely manner. We finally found the hospital which  neither of them had ever been to before , at which point l relaxed as surely...... they could find where to deposit me from here   ..but no..... he ended up the lane to the morgue!  Oh God, it would only happen to me !! Luckily, for them l tend to become extremely calm when I'm in labour !. I headed them to the wards area but no, wrong .....cause  off we go again because l actually needed to be admitted through emergency.  My attendants then took me to reception in maternity. Upon greeting me the midwife said "I'm sorry but we don't have a delivery room  for you" . I looked at her in horror and said ' you are not sending me away are you ? "( fearing that l  may have to get back in that ambulance with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb). "Oh no darling, she said.. l was just trying to apologise  for if you have to deliver in your room." I looked at her and said " listen lovely, after that ambulance trip ..I'm sooooo happy to finally  be here, l don't care if l have the baby in the kitchen !"..

My husband joined us shortly after, looking very relieved to finally see me..saying "I've been in town for ages , where have you guys been ?....to which l simply replied "don't worry about it darling ...you wouldn't believe me if l told you......."

number four xx