I had just taken off work and was on maternity leave. I had three weeks to spend cleaning and resting and getting ready for baby number one. We knew the baby was a girl and were very excited about her pending arrival.

On Wednesday night, after three weeks being home and 35 weeks pregnant, I couldn't sleep. I tried at 1 a.m., but by 2 a.m., I got up to use the Internet until I was tired. My first clue was at 3 a.m., but I didn't see it. The next morning, a Thursday, I got up at 7 a.m. to go to the bathroom and walking felt very different, like something inside me dropped. Then I felt a fluid fill my pants, like I lost control of my bladder. So I went to the bathroom and I saw I was starting to lose my mucous plug. To me this was normal, but what about the fluid? So I flushed the toilet so I could look at the fluid to see if it was clear and having particles in it (amino fluid), it was. Oh boy. I couldn't believe it.

I took a shower and shaved and prepared myself in case of delivery. I then dried off after the shower and again fluid leaked out. Oh boy. So I called my midwife and 30 minutes later she called back. She sent another midwife over to check me. She asked me questions and examined me in my room. What service! She tested for amniotic fluid. It was positive and made the q-tip turn black. She said I was 1 centimeter dilated. She said, Well, get your stuff ready as though you're having a baby today and get yourself to the hospital and a midwife will meet you there.

So I did and was at the hospital within an hour. I had just packed the hospital bag the night before too! I had light contractions all the way there, with mild pain in my lower back. I got to the hospital and was in a room within minutes and into a hospital gown. I did as my Lamaze teacher told me and went to the bathroom as often as I could and drank water. The midwife informed me that she could not deliver this baby because the baby was early, but she would help me through the labor and do the follow up. I had nurses come in and out giving me an IV for antibiotics for Strep B even though I was negative. They do this as a precaution for premature babies. I asked what size would my baby be and they said, Oh 5-6 pounds. I thought, Great. Sounds like a good size for this age.

My contractions continued one every four to five minutes and they just got closer and closer. I only had time to go to the bathroom. Then they got closer and I only had time for a drink of water. Then I didn't even have that. My contractions were hard and fast but considered irregular. When I got to the hospital I was 3-4 centimeters and after a couple hours I was told I might have to be induced. Then the doctor checked me and saw I was 6-7 centimeters. Oh you're in luck, she said. Yeah whatever. I wasn't going to let them induce. After two hours of labor, Gee. Is your tennis game about to start? I didn't like this woman doctor.

Then at 3:30 p.m., I was 10 centimeters and I could push. I didn't want to. She was too early and I just didn't want to be there. I was being monitored and had an IV in my wrist that hurt like hell to put in. They wouldn't let me move too much because of the IVs and monitors and it hurt more to be on my back. So, I pushed. I figured I should, so they could take Megan and take care of her. At 4:19 p.m. she was born and she cried.

A group of special care nursery personnel came in just before she was born and then they took her away. Megan Nancy Leigh weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. She was one of the smallest, but didn't need oxygen. We stayed six days in the hospital and she apparently had a couple of apnea episodes and was given caffeine for this. I tried to get her to breastfeed but she was too small and weak. Now she's a healthy, smart and very cute 12-month-old baby girl and I'm pregnant with number two. Hopefully this pregnancy doesn't go early.