Surprise at my Appointment

My birth story (finally):

Around 38.5 weeks I started feeling a bit uncomfortable. I'm currently living in Maryland with my husband (we're military), but my family is still in Florida. My mom was worried sick about missing the birth of her first grandchild, so when I called her and let her know I had been having Braxton Hicks and think I lost part of my mucus plug, she FREAKED out. She was supposed to drive up on Thursday (at my 39+1 mark) and be here for my due date (August 22). She packed her bags and drove up immediately. Got here on Monday (Aug 13). We were all really excited because I had my 39 weeks appointment on Wednesday (the 15th) and my mom could finally get the chance to go.

On Wednesday morning I mustered with my division via phone and got ready to head down to my appointment. The military hospital is about an hour away (or more with traffic) so we were getting ready early. We went to walk out of the house and I stopped my husband and I asked him to grab our hospital bags just in case.

At my appointment they listened to my baby's heartbeat and told me he was doing great. My doctor asked if I wanted to get my membrane sweeped to kinda help move along the process. He told me it could take 24-72 hours to work (if it actually did work). Knowing my sister was supposed to be here in 2 days, I went ahead and said "sure!"

Then came the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. While this guy has his forearm shoved up my vajayjay he's talking to my mom and husband about how it's highly unlikely that my water will break there and how sometimes this sweeping doesn't even work.

⛲SPLASH⛲ As he pulls his arm out, my water breaks and goes all over the exam room. He looks at me and goes "well, looks like you're going upstairs. You're having your baby today!" We started heading upstairs to labor & delivery and I'm just leaking fluid everywhere. My clothes, shoes, the floor, everything is soaking wet. Once we get to L&D I have to get checked in, so they have us wait in the waiting room. I just looked down and the fluid pooling on the floor and go "um...can I have a towel please?" I proceed to spend the next 10 minutes standing on a towel flowing like Niagara Falls.

I panicked. My mom and husband swear i looked like I was about to have a meltdown. Finally once in the L&D room I start realizing this is real. I send my husband out to go get the bags out of our car and my mom starts making phone calls. My sister, home in Florida, refused to miss the birth so she calls her airline, gets her flight changed to 2 hours from now, and has her boyfriend drive her to Orlando (which, by the way is an hour away and he made it in 30 minutes). She shows up at the hospital at 5pm.

I wasn't sure if I wanted an epidural, so I promised myself is go as long as possible until I got it, if I even did. Well, at 4cm I was DYING and asked for it. In comes the anesthesiologist. Dude missed his mark FOUR times. And had to keep giving me shots to numb the area while he was inserting the needle. It was horrible. After it kicked in though I slept like a baby for 3 hours.

When I finally woke up, I was 9cm dilated. The wait until I could start pushing felt like forever. Once I did though, it was intense. I believe I told my husband at one point, in response to "you're almost at the home stretch! There's his head", "I'm not at the home stretch, he has f***ing shoulders!" The nurse told me at 2am "you'll have this baby at 2:15". Those were the LONGEST 15 minutes of my life. Towards the end the doctor asked "Amber, next push do you want to reach your hand down and feel his head?" And I replied, ever so lovingly with "no I just want him the f**k out of me!!!!"

At 2:20 out comes my precious 9lb 6oz baby boy. I pushed him out in an hour and a half. Honestly I was so out of it I don't even remember holding him the first time. I just remember feeling relief. Relief that I held this warm creature in my arms. Relief I wasn't pregnant anymore. Relief it was all over. And honestly, I can't wait to do it again!

Now he's one month old!