A storm came through last week. A big one. The kind of Texas storm that makes me long for the simple rain and drizzle I grew up with in the pacific northwest. When it rains here, why does it have to be so….violent?! Why can’t it just rain?! I got the call around 2 am that this momma was in labor. Her plan was to labor at home for a bit and she’d call me with an update. Just a little while later, I got another more urgent call, I could hear it in her voice, it was time to move. I jumped out of bed and as I threw on my shoes I heard some massive thunder. I thought no biggie, I’m not missing a birth. I have never, ever, missed a birth. I’m about 40 minutes from their hospital, but if I hurried, I really thought I could make it in time. Little did I know, that storm, it looked like this:

I live at the top of the red line and the hospital is in Austin.  I made it to Cedar Park, midway down before I started to really white knuckle the steering wheel and get scared.  It was black except for when it was pure daylight from the lighting.  It was hitting the ground too.  At one point I looked up and saw the beginnings of funnel clouds.  Having been in one tornado in my car years ago, it is never an experience I want to have again.  I didn’t see a single car out there and because of the construction, water was just sitting on the road.  I couldn’t see through the rain to drive so I pulled over under an overpass thinking I could wait it out.  Then I pulled up the radar on my phone and my heart sank.  I knew I couldn’t drive through the worst of it, all the way to the hospital.  It started to get even worse, so I called my husband in a panic, knowing it wasn’t safe for me to continue, but crying because I couldn’t face missing this birth.  I waited a bit more and we decided the only safe thing to do was for me to turn around and head home.  10 mph and I cried the whole way.  I just can’t believe I missed a birth.  The really great news is that my client made it to the hospital safe and sound, they were traveling from the east so they only had to drive a little ways through it coming in from the side.  And the same for her doula, thank God for that!  Based on how busy the hospital was, I’m pretty sure the drop in pressure from the storm coming through sent a whole lot of Austin women in to labor!  The nursery was packed when I stopped by the hospital to take a few photos before they were discharged with their new perfect and beautiful daughter.  I’m sad that I missed it, but I’m so incredibly thrilled for them!!  Big sister is just tickled pink over her new sister, I love that!

If you are interested in having your birth photographed, please check out my birth website and contact me for more information / availability.  I still have several openings for births in 2012 but they go quick!