What! What happened?

Friday night around 9pm, Kalvin and I got into a car accident on the highway involving 4 other cars. We were on the way to get tacos (naturally) with my entire family. Luckily, we were 2 people to a car and nobody was in the backseat of our red Ford Fusion. My sister and her boyfriend rode together trailing Kalvin and I. My parents stopped to get gas so they were about 5 minutes behind us.

Did you hit somebody?

Kalvin and I were driving up the highway and about 100 yards in front of us, a car jumped the guardrail and flips over in our lane onto it’s top. I’m screaming to Kalvin to break as the car up in the air as we drove full speed towards it. We’re able to break before hitting the flipped car and my sister pulled up behind us and parked. She got out the car, ready to help the person trapped in the car escape and I scream at her to stay in the car because people were still flying past us at 80 mph. Traffic begins to halt behind us as people are stopping for the accident but out of nowhere…

Out of nowhere, what!?

Out of nowhere, we hear screeching and my husband screams at me to brace myself and POW. A car plows through the stopped cars behind us and runs into the back corner of our car going 60 mph. The person who hit us gets out of her car and starts searching frantically to discard of whatever is not supposed to be in there by throwing it over the rail on the side of the highway.

Isn’t it too Early for Contractions?

Eventually, all the first responders arrived and begin to block the highway off. My adrenaline was so high, I felt nothing immediately following impact so I told the EMT’s I was alright and would get myself to a hospital later that night. My sister made me sit in the back of her car, consoling my whimpering with back rubs and hugs while Kalvin gave the police a statement. And then it started— my stomach started to cramp a little. And then a little more. The sensation was a mixture between cramps and a twitching tummy. My sis found the nearest EMT and before I knew it, I was off to the nearest trauma hospital because yes, the second trimester is too early for contractions.

Is the baby okay?

It is not too early to have something called Braxton Hicks though. I was not having labor contractions and by the time we arrived at the hospital, they had ceased. Sometimes they can be triggered by trauma and things like getting in an accident with your seatbelt around the baby. At the hospital, staff performed 2 ultrasounds and recorded the heartbeat of the baby. All is fine, thank the Lord.

So what are you trying to tell me?

Never get out of the car if you get in a wreck on the highway, do not tailgate people, and, fight the urge to multitask and drive.

— Carmen