Before I start my actual story I just want to make a note, my entire pregnancy at the OB practice I've been going to, I have seen a different doctor at every visit. I was 38w and 5d when I had my 39 week appointment and the doctor I saw said my cervix was closed, high and not very thin. She also told me that I had a very narrow pelvic arch and that I was more than likely going to have to have a csection and that even if I did go into labor on my own, that I probably wouldn't progress much.

On July 28th, I woke up after just a couple hours of sleep and had contractions that were about 3 minutes apart. My husband took me to the hospital where they monitored me for several hours. I was officially 1cm dilated and 70% effaced and after walking the unit for a couple hours, I didn't progress much at all (half a centimeter, that was about it). They sent me on my way and said to keep walking to see if I couldn't get things to move on my own! And not to mention my contractions had died off suddenly, almost completely. We went home and an hour later I began to lose giant pieces of my mucus plug!

On July 29th I was feeling pretty good! My husband and I decided to take a stroll around the mall for a few hours. When we came home around 4pm, my husband (a firefighter) decided to head to the station to put in a few hours and I was having some irregular contractions, nothing intense but uncomfortable! I decided to turn on my favorite music, bake some muffins and have a dance party in the kitchen with my dog. After, I was feeling a really uncomfortable period-like cramping in my belly and lower back so I decided to run a bath. Usually when I sit in the bath, of course, any discomforts cease. That wasn't the case this time! I wasn't in pain, just generally not comfortable.

It was when I sat down (around 9pm) that I felt the first big contraction. I couldn't breathe when it hit me. It was a crazy strong period like cramping in my lower belly that literally had me seeing stars. I felt it intensely in my back as well, and that pain in my back didn't subside between contractions so I was having a hard time timing them. I was messaging my husband and sister telling them what I was feeling, and I asked my husband to come home but he said no, that he was having a good time and he would come home if I said it was time to go to the hospital. I was so mad at him! The pains kept getting worse though, and I was starting to have a hard time focusing even on messaging anyone. I decided to give labor and delivery a call and they told me to come in!

I called my mom to come pick me up and told my husband to meet us at the hospital (I was trying to forget how angry I was with him!). By the time we got to the hospital and I got all hooked up to everything, my contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. And it was definite back labor! I was checked by a nurse at 2cm dilated and 75% effaced.

Around 3:30am I was still in constant pain. The contractions were still coming regularly but the pain wasn't easing between them. But I wasn't ready for an epidural because I was scared it would slow my labor down. I was 3.5cm now! At this point I was hooked up to my IV and already getting fluids. I had told the nurse that I *would* eventually want the epidural and because I had a history of low blood pressure through my whole pregnancy, I was required to take in a LOT of extra fluid to keep my BP from bottoming out after getting the epidural. So the nurse gave me a dose of Stadol. This helped for a short while but more than anything made me incredibly sleepy, almost made me feel like I was drunk or something.

By the time that wore off around 6:30am, my contractions had died down some, and my cervix was at 4cm dilated and not budging anymore. I decided to go ahead and get my epidural, which I got at 7:30am and which ended up still dropping my blood pressure a dramatic amount (I heard the nurse say it was 80/30 - I was so woozy and was dry heaving). They had to call in the anesthesiologist to give me a shot to bring my BP back up. This consistently happened through the rest of my labor. It seemed as though any time my nurse walked out of the room, the BP machine would go off and she would have to come right back because it had dropped again!

I don't regret the epidural though. I was able to relax and watch tv with my mom, sister and husband. The doctors were debating whether to start me on a little pitocin because after a few more hours I still hadn't progressed on my own. It was at 11:30am when I was laying on my side talking to my family that I felt a big warm gush that made me gasp immediately. My husband and I just stared at each other for a minute when he said "your water just broke didn't it...."

Unfortunately, it was stained with meconium which immediately had me worried. The nurse calmed me down though and reassured me that baby was not in distress and that they were going to start pitocin to get her moving and get her here hopefully quicker. We would just have to have the NICU on standby to check her lungs when she arrived.

From there it got boring. Pitocin was making my contractions pick up again but I wasn't progressing, still. Just kept dealing with my crazy low blood pressure and intense amounts (in my opinion) of bloody show. I even told my husband to lay down and nap for a while since it might be a long time before she was born. I was checked at 7pm and was still 4cm dilated and 90% effaced at that point. I was getting a little frustrated.

At around 7:30-7:45pm I started to feel my contractions through the epidural. I felt a lot of pressure in my butt and the epidural wore off on my left side and I was feeling the pain hardcore! The nurse called someone in to fix the epidural on my left side and in the meantime decided to check me. Surprise! In the last half hour or so I had progressed almost completely! Totally effaced and 9cm dilated. They said you're going to have to get ready!

I'm not going to lie, I panicked. Suddenly the reality hit me that I was going to have a baby and I was scared! My husband was at my side and I was crying at this point, half from the adrenaline and half from the pressure I was feeling. Never had I felt something so intense in my life! I even began shaking even though I was the furthest thing from being cold.

Around 8:15pm I felt the need to begin pushing. I ended up having to lie on my side to push for a bit because my baby was presenting sideways and also having a hard time getting through my pelvis (that narrow arch, you know...). Pushing had to be the most exhausting and emotional time in my life. I had already not slept in over 36 hours and labored for over 23 at that point. I don't remember a whole ton about pushing, honestly. I know my husband and mom held my legs for me and I had to have my sister help hold up my head every once in a while to help me push. I remember being completely parched and begging for ice chips between pushes because my mouth was so dry from it all that it almost hurt! And I remember the nurse kept pushing on my belly between pushes to help move baby down, but it hurt so bad that I had to refrain from smacking her hand away from me.

After over an hour of pushing I remember looking at my husband and crying that I couldn't keep doing this. I just couldn't, I didn't have it in me, I was so tired and it hurt so bad. He held my hand tight and looked me in the eyes and said you can do this, let's get our baby girl here!! Finally at 9:51 after over an hour and a half of pushing, baby girl was finally born, wrapped up in her cord several times! My husband said she came out pouting! The doctor said, "oh look at that lip!" When she came out I literally said out loud, "oh thank god, someone please get me some water!"

Then I heard her crying. And I completely lost it! I was a sobbing mess and just ready to hold her. I lost it even more when they said her lungs were clear and placed her in my arms. She was 6lbs 15oz of pure perfection.

I don't remember much of the rest of that night at all. It's like I blacked out. I was told she latched on beautifully and began breastfeeding after laying on me for about half an hour! I was also told my husband left the room for a while, to which he later said he stepped out and just cried and cried. I woke up around 1:30am and remember having a conversation with him about our daughter and I asked him what happened afterward. I don't remember much but the last thing I remember before passing back out was him saying "oh yeah... if no one told you yet... you now have a MASSIVE hemorrhoid..."

Anyways. Here is my little Ivy Jewel, born July 30th after 25 hours of labor! Weighing 6lbs 15ox and 21inches long. And I didn't have to have a csection like my last doctor predicted. Take that, narrow pelvic arch!