So, it is finally my turn to post one of these! 😍

Our girl was due 12/25 🎄. I really thought she was going to be coming late because I had no signs of labor other than lightening crotch and her being head down.

Thursday morning, 12/21 I started having mild contractions at around 8:30am. They were coming pretty regularly, at about 4 minutes apart, lasting about 1 min. I make sure all my stuff is together, my fiancé leaves work, and we head over to the hospital. Only to find out I was 1cm 😩 no progress since my last appt. I was in pain by then but I had no choice but to tough it out. We decided to get a hotel close by the hospital cuz we live over 30 minutes away and plus we figured we could have some privacy for me to labor since we live with his family. We checked into the hotel, I let him go back to work while I tried dealing with the contractions. They were irregular at this point. They’d come for about 3 minutes apart, then slowly increase to 5 minutes, then 7 minutes, and then fifteen minutes and then back down to 3 minutes again, etc. this went on for hours, the only time I could get them regular was if I was walking. They increased in intensity but not in regularity. Finally, I couldn’t take the pain anymore and around 4am we headed back to the hospital. I was exhausted at this point and had not slept in 20 hours with constant pain. At that point, I was 80% effaced and only dilated to 2cm. I was devastated. They sent me home again. I screamed, hollered, took like 80 showers and baths, breathed through them with my fiancé and sucked it up and walked as much as I could tolerate. At around 5pm (13 hours later) they were still not regular at all unless I was walking but the pain was unbearable!!! I mean so bad. I was in tears at this point. So we went back and I prayed to the dear lord that I was dilated enough to be admitted and get an epidural. I was screaming at the top of my lungs through each contraction, at that point it had been 36 hours with no break and no sleep. I ended up being 90% effaced and 5cm!!!

I was so relieved to hear that news. They told me I could have an epidural whenever I wanted. They got me hooked up to an IV and as soon as I was in my room they gave me the epidural. Whoever invented the epidural, kudos to you because I would NOT have been able to deal with it without it.

After that, it was smooth sailing. I got some sleep, they gave me pitocin bc my contractions were still not regulating. At 12am I was 7cm, by 1:30 I was 10cm and 100% and ready to push. Fifteen minutes into my pushing my baby girl was delivered at 7lbs, 1oz and 20 Inches long

We immediately did skin to skin for an hour while they stitched me (2nd degree tears 😭 ) and she started looking for my breast right away. She was even lifting her head up and getting mad that she couldn’t find it!! It was so adorable! 42 hours of labor but she was so worth it!!