Unexpected turn of events for me that threw all my preparation out the window.

I was at work walking and thought I felt a big dribble and then it was constant gushes. By the time I got to my office building, my pants were soaked and I am mumbling “shit shit shit shit shit.” A co-worker asked what was wrong and I almost didn’t tell him but he pressed and I went “ummm I think my water broke,” he looks down and goes “you think! Erin your water broke” then all of my co workers pop out of their offices and while I call the OB’s office and my husband they put together a game plan to get me to the hospital.

I literally created puddles through the entrance to women’s and children’s. I get to triage and am told I will be having the baby in th next 24 hrs and I was asked if I wanted to start low dose pitocin or give it 6 hours. I decided to give it 6 hrs.

Within 1 hour my contractions were 90s and 30 seconds apart and the back pain I was having due to a spinal injury was enormous. I was sobbing in pain. I asked to get checked because I thought i had to be super far along. I was only 3.5! I knew I couldn’t do this for hours. I had no time to even do “normal” early labor. I got the epidural I didn’t want and within 2 hrs I was 8 cm and then 1 hr later I was ready to push.

I pushed for four hours and while everything I knew I would hate about the epidural was true it was the right choice. I hated that I couldn’t feel my body and didn’t feel in control. I feel like if I could have felt more my pushes would have done more but I got him out all on my own! I tore naturally but just a little bit.

Unfortunately, due to his gestational age it was an automatic admission to NICU. He is doing well and should be with us after he completes a 24 hr stay.