Lisa's Story

My last baby was born in the front seat of my mother's car on August 20, 2004. I guess the fact that this was my third child means it doesn't take too long anymore!

I had gone into the hospital for testing due to high blood pressure. After two days of testing proved me not to have pre-eclampsia, I'd been sent home the night before this story starts. My check-up at the time revealed that I was 2 cm. dilated and 95% effaced. My dilation had been the same for about a month, so nobody was concerned about that; the doctors felt that I had a few more weeks to go.

The next morning I was up getting my seven-year-old daughter, Haley, ready for school and my son, Nicholas--two years old--ready for the day. Since I had been in and out of the hospital with all of my pregnancies due to premature labor, I was used to having contractions. As long as they didn't make me want to cry, I wasn't concerned.

Well, that morning I had one pretty mild contraction, and then felt a pop. This was a very odd feeling since my water had had to be broken at the hospital with my other two. I didn't have the rush of water I'd heard about when that happens, so I still wasn't sure, but at 7:08 a.m. I called my mother just in case. After dropping my daughter off at school we headed for the hospital.

I have a high pain tolerance, so it is always difficult to know just how strong the contractions really are. I felt the head crown and informed my mother that the new recruit was on her way. NOW! We dialed 911 on her cell phone and they told us to park. By the time my mother stopped the car, Lisa Hope was already born! It was 8:03 a.m. My mom scooped her up and put her on my belly, crying and smiling as Lisa opened her eyes and moved her little fingers. My mother tied off the cord with my key chain and we waited for the ambulance, which arrived three minutes later and took us all to the hospital.

The only problem Lisa had was fluid in her lungs due to there not having been enough contractions to push it all out. She came home the same day I did, and has had no problems since.

The whole family spent the day in interviews with four different TV stations in the Dallas Fortworth area. Since Lisa was in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit and I couldn't see her for at least 12 hours, it helped keep my mind at ease.