no epi birth story - super long!

Contractions started around 3am Friday that were painful and about 9 minutes apart and 30-45 seconds long. I couldn't sleep through them so I laid in bed and timed them for a while and then got up to do laundry and get organized. They increased all day Friday and our doula came over around dinner time to assist us. We went for a few walks, bounced on the ball and hung out until contractions were about 3 min apart and 1 min long. They were painful and intense. We went into the hospital to get checked on Friday around midnight and was 1cm 😭 lol They offered me morphine, I said no and they sent us home. By 4am I was dying and sooo tired so we went back to the hospital and I was 1.5-2 cm 😂😭 so I took the morphine and went home and slept 2 hours before I started really feeling contractions again. Got up and sat on my birth ball labouring until around 1pm when I lost more mucus plug and had some pink on the toilet paper. Contractions were about 2 mins  apart and 1:15 long. Went in again just praying they didn't make us leave and I was 3cm 🙈🙈🙈 but they kept me because of the blood, potential leaking fluid, and because of how intense contractions were. I was so happy to at least be staying because the car ride was not fun (not to mention My husband missing the parking turn lol I almost killed him) at the hospital I hung out in the shower, walked the halls/stairs etc for 2ish hrs until I got a room. Got in there and then just laboured in whatever position felt comfortable, mostly the ball or standing. 2 hrs later checked me and I was 4cm LOL fml so legit 40 hrs and I was only 4cm so they offered to break my water and I said yes please let's get shit going. I asked for the laughing gas to help me cope with the contractions. Couple minutes later around 7pm they broke my water, and there was meconium in it so then I needed to be on fetal monitoring which I was not happy about because it was difficult to be still and lay down during contractions but the nurse helped manoeuvre it so I could stand and bounce on a ball. The contractions were much worse at this point but with the help of the laughing gas I was able to cope! 40 minutes later I was standing through a contraction and had the urge to push, I yelled out I'm pushing!! And then again another surge and I could feel her coming. All I could think was I can't be pushing at 4cm this is bad. The nurse ran and got the ob and sure enough I was just about 10 cm and pushing naturally. They got me up on the table and I had no intention of pushing on my back in bed but it was all happening so fast I had no time to think and I was just in push mode. My husband and the nurse held my feet through each contraction. I had many urges to push closer to the end of the contractions which were much stronger than my voluntary pushes. Once her head was out, she had the cord wrapped a couple times around her neck so I had to hold it in and wait for them to unwrap, a couple tiny pushes and she was out. Only 27 mins of pushing (the nurses checked the time cause they were so surprised) she was here and I was so shocked. After all that time I thought it would still be hours after they broke my water. As soon as she was out they gave her to me, but unfortunately because of the meconium they have to whip her over to the warmer beside me and cut the cord quickly.

Then things got a little interesting, baby was totally fine, meconium and all but when they were delivering the placenta the umbilical cord broke off so the placenta was then stuck in my uterus with no way to guide it out. The OB tried to reach up to see if she could grab it without luck, another ob - same thing. They called in what I assume is the head of the department, nurses explained that I have had no pain meds and do not have an iv. She spoke with me about it and said she could give me a spinal and go in and get it. Or she could assess first and then I could potential take some fetinol instead. I said let's do the fetinol if you think that is sufficient, I just worked really hard not to have a spinal so I'd like to try. So she agreed. The nurses started trying to get an iv in and she did an assessment to see if she thought she could quickly get it. After she looked she suggested I take the laughing gas again, she could try to do it quickly and if it was too much I could stop her. I agreed. She did it very quickly and with the gas it was not unbearable. It was over before I knew it and then nurses were just about to administer the fetinol and no longer needed to. I was so happy to have it over with successfully. They checked me over and thankfully I only have a 2nd degree tear.

They gave me preventative antibiotics and a oxytocin drip to ensure everything was out and I've had a good short recovery! No pain, and baby and I went home Sunday evening. She is breastfeeding well!

Our doula was so amazing through the entire labour, she was seriously the best thing we planned for. I'm not sure I could have done it without her. My husband is amazing as well, so strong and present through the entire thing. We are just so happy and he thinks I'm a total beast in the best possible way lol! Such a crazy experience and so worth the effort.

Good luck to all the mamas reading this! You got this! Just take it one contraction at a time, you never know when you might be close to the end!