Welcome to the world, baby boy!
I am a FTM and my original due date was 11/11/16. At my weekly appointment on Tuesday, 11/01, my doctor told me I still wasn't dilated and not effaced at all. We talked about how long she'd let me go past my due date and I left that appointment pretty much assuming I had quite a bit of time left. That Friday, 11/04, I went out to dinner with some colleagues and had a great time. I got home around 10pm and went to bed as usual. Around midnight I woke up and noticed my Braxton hicks felt different and were a bit painful. I brushed it off that maybe my food wasn't settling well from dinner and tried going back to sleep, but the pain kept coming and and became closer together. It finally hit me that these were real contractions, not Braxton hicks, and started timing them. I endured until about 4 am when they became 5 mins apart lasting more than 1 min with less than 1 min in-between each contraction. I woke my husband up and called my doctor. Luckily she was the doctor on call that weekend! She instructed me to go to the hospital and at least get checked. Of course, I didn't have any bags packed because I thought I still had at least another week or two based off the lack of progress from my appt that Tuesday. Let me say that trying to pack your bag while having intense contractions is not easy and takes forever because you have to stop and breathe through the contractions. Pack your bag early ladies even if you don't think you need to! 
We got to the hospital around 5:30am Saturday morning (11/05) and were taken to triage. I was 2 cm dilated and 90% effaced. They could also see I was having really strong contractions on the monitor. My doctor admitted me and I was in my labor/delivery room by 6:30am. My nurse was awesome- she said if I was planning to do an epidural, she would order it now because there were a few other women in labor as well and it might take a little for the anesthesiologist to get to me. The anesthesiologist arrived around 9 am and got the epidural in smoothly. My blood pressure dropped quite a bit (which is normal), so it took them a little bit to stabilize it. Once they had it stabilized it was about 10:00am, so they checked me again and I was 4 cm dilated. My doctor broke my water at that time and left me so I could nap. Baby's heart rate dropped once, so the nurses turned me onto my side. It's normal after waters break, baby was probably squishing his cord. Heart rate went back up after they adjusted me. Don't panic if that happens, the nurses know what they're doing. Around 1:00 pm the nurse checked me again and I was 9cm dilated, 100% effaced. She told me she was calling my doctor and she'd be back in a bit to do a practice push. I was shocked at how quickly I'd dilated. Apparently getting an epidural can help relax your body and actually encourage dilation. The nurse came back around 2pm and we (me, my husband and the nurse) went through breathing and a practice push. My doctor arrived shortly after. We did 6 pushes and my little guy, Giovanni, arrived healthy as can be at 3:01pm. He weighed 7lb 1oz and was 20.5" long. 6 days before his due date!
Holding him that first time was breathtaking and I couldn't help but cry tears of joy (I am not usually someone who cries). My husband cut the cord and I enjoyed some skin to skin time with my baby boy. I did have one small tear that had to be stitched, but nothing major. It was really a very smooth labor and delivery, overall. I'm just so happy my beautiful rainbow baby is here and I get to snuggle him all I want. I can't believe Gio just turned two weeks old yesterday! 🌈💙🍼
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