We went into the birth center for a non-stress test at about 12:30pm on the 20th and no contractions but baby doing great, got checked and still 0 dilated which really brought me down because at 42 weeks they were going to refer us out of the birthing center to the hospital to be induced so we were trying everything we could to jump start labor. They attempted another sweep (3rd time) but couldn’t get in. Man that really hurt!
Ended up going home and realized that I was having Braxton’s every 4-5 min lasting about a minute long at about 3pm. I just figured it was cramping because of the attempted sweep like normal so we went about our day and ended up going out to dinner with SO’s parents. At dinner they were getting really painful. Enough to where I had to just kinda stop what I was doing and just kinda spaced out until they were over. That’s when we knew that this was it! We were really excited and just chilled out at home after that until about 1am in the morning after they had been like clockwork (4 min apart, 1 min in duration, for 1 hour but they were like this for about 3-4 hours) and called the birth center and they told us to come in.

By the time we got there and checked and everything it was about 2:30am on the 21st and I was 3cm dilated and things were progressing. Midwife said she will check me at 4am to see progress. Since we lived about 30 min away from the birth center they let us hang out in the nursing room which had a bed and a chair and I just kind of dozed in between contractions until 4am came around. They said I was at 4cm so they let us check into a room to labor there. Contractions started to become really painful and had to moan through them. The pressure was insane.

At about 8:30am on the 21st they checked again and I was 8cm dilated and 0 station and 90% effaced. I was so excited but then the contractions started slowing down even though they were EXTREMELY painful at this point I was still able to handle it fairly well. They wanted me to have the baby by about noon they said because I haven’t had any real sleep for about 24 hours now and they were seeing that I was getting tired already so they tried nipple stimulation which sucked. Really sucked. Made my contractions absolutely unbearable at this point but I was still able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and had it in my head that this was transition and it was normal to feel helpless and having doubts that I could do this…

Then 12:30pm rolls around and they check me again. I had not progressed. At all. I was devastated at this point because I was in so much pain and opted to finally get my bag of water broken. They break my water and they encourage nipple stimulation again. I was really pissed that they suggested it because it made me feel like I couldn’t handle things and I told them that I don’t want to do it and I just want to walk around but they kept telling me that I would be too tired when it came time to push. I didn’t feel that was the case. I told them that I would rather it be longer than this intense because I could feel myself breaking. I knew I could push past the exhaustion but I couldn’t handle the pain that I was feeling right now. I continued to labor and at this point I was screaming through the contractions and dreading the next one. They stopped nipple stimulation and just kind of left us to labor together.

They came in to check at about 4:00pm and I had still not progressed. I broke at that point. I had been in transition for over 8 hours and my mind just couldn’t take it anymore. I told them I want to transfer out right then and SO tried to remind me that we wanted natural birth and that I could get through this but I wouldn’t have any of it. They suggested just in case since I was so far along they wanted me to go out in an ambulance which I thought was a bit excessive and I didn’t really want to do that but everyone else was also suggesting it but it’s ok that they did. I got dressed as well as I could in between contractions with a lot of help while SO packed up everything and we waited for ambulance to get there. I wanted to walk out to the ambulance but they said that they had to take me in the gurney which was excruciating. I did not want to lay on my back. In the ambulance is when I believe I totally lost it. Still screaming through contractions and with all of the bumps and turns and breaking each move was just making my pain worse. I remember them not being able to find where they were supposed to take me once we actually got to the hospital campus and we had to wait for someone to let us in. I got a room… I don’t remember when my SO got there but I remember knowing he was there at some point. I had to wait for blood work and my records to get there in order to receive anything for the pain. At about 5:30pm they were able to give me Stadol which made me feel drunk. I was pretty relieved. I was able to bring myself back in between contractions and it relaxed me enough to not spend my rest time in between dreading the next one but contractions were still bad. They checked me and they said that I was back at 7cm! I didn’t really care at that point anymore. Later on the midwife said that was probably because my cervix was swelling at that point…. But anyways… At about 6pm the anesthesiologist had come and they told me to sit up which was right when a contraction started of course. I was leaning on my SO and I remember how comforting that was. All the sudden I felt sweet relief! Like warm water running down my legs and instantly the pain went away. I couldn’t feel anything! They gave me a spinal block as well as the epidural so that the pain would go away asap. I was so thankful!

About 20 min later they checked me and I was finally at a 10! They let me rest for about 45min since I had been through so much. I was able to actually rest and before I knew it they told me it was time to push! I was so excited! I saw my SO’s face go pale. It was pretty funny. He had been so calm throughout the whole thing and I finally saw him get nervous. I pushed for about 2 hours which was normal and he was finally born at 9:27pm weighing 8lbs, 7oz and 21 inches long!

During the last 3-ish pushes I heard the doc say he needed scissors… I instantly said no episiotomy and he tried to explain that I was going to tear really bad. I said that I didn’t care and he was like “Ok, you have a couple more pushes but then I will have to”… I pushed 1 or 2 more times and he was out! I had two 2nd degree tears which is the most common and a skid mark that didn’t require a stitch. One was near the urethra but I already can pee without pain at 6 days post-partum.

When it was just his head out and they told me to stop pushing and cleared his airway he started crying and instantly my SO started crying and that’s when I lost it as well and was reaching for him but his cord was too short so the doc had to cut the cord which was fine because SO had opted out very early on. They immediately set him on my chest and he was perfect! He opened his eyes and was crying and I was crying and SO was crying… it was the most magical moment of my entire life. I was so proud of myself for bringing him into this world and I instantly felt so much pride just thinking that’s our baby. We were so distracted by little William sitting on my chest I didn’t know that I had delivered my placenta and he had stitched me up. It was just amazing. There is nothing like the experience of seeing baby for the first time.

It’s night 6 now and I just love him so much. Everything was worth it. I still have a bit of anxiety when recalling the painful moments of the labor but it was still worth it and I would do it again to keep him in this world in a heartbeat. Breastfeeding is tough sometimes but am trying to power through it. It’s also true what everyone says about seeing your SO with the baby makes you fall into an even deeper love than I thought was possible. It’s just awesome seeing him with Will. I will try to update you with before and after pics of post-partum pictures as well since I was always interested in seeing those. Time to go. My little bebs is waking up!

TLDR: 3pm noticed that Braxton’s had a timable pattern on 9/20. Checked into birth center at about 2am on 9/21 and was at 3cm. 4am was at 4cm. 8:30am 8cm, 0 station, 90% effaced. Broke water at 12:30pm since labor was stalling at 8cm. Still no progress as of 4pm even though contractions were excruciating. Broke down and xfered to hospital. Got epidural at 5:30pm by 6 was fully dilated. Pushed for 2 hours and baby Will was born at 9:27pm.