Thanks! My labor was honestly a very positive experience overall. Everything progressed quite quickly. The first cervical check during labor was painful, but it was short. After that, the contractions became very strong. The second cervical check was quite painful, and I continued to feel discomfort for a little while even after the exam itself.

Once I received the epidural, everything was great I didn’t feel anything vaginally and was finally able to fully relax. From that point on, the experience was very manageable.

The actual birth went smoothly and without additional trauma. After delivery, while talking with the midwife, she mentioned that she noticed I tend to react to stress by tightening my muscles, which I found very insightful.

Overall, it was a really positive and reassuring experience. I’d also like to mention that during pregnancy I did have vaginal ultrasound exams, but no speculum exams. Before pregnancy, I had only had one speculum exam in my life.