•••• LONG BIRTH STORY - INCLUDING EVERY DETAIL!! ••••

Where to begin.... so I guess looking back the first signs of labor began Friday night, 6/21. My husband and I, and my 5 year old son, were out at his aunts house. I decided to just go for a walk in the woods “exploring” with my son. About 2 hours later I was just uncomfortable so we left fairly early to head home. I crawl into bed and before falling asleep, I realized “oh wow, I’m having constant back pain and cramping.. hmmm” 10pm I roll out of bed to pee and instantly see spotting when wiping and shortly after that I started having intense BH, some I needed to practice breathe through. Very inconsistent, not even close to real contractions in pain. I call the on call regarding the spotting. She wasn’t concerned and was basically like “this is good, your cervix is likely making changes. This could be bloody show, it doesn’t necessarily have to have mucus if you have lost your plug BUT you could go into labor tonight, or a week from now still.”

Saturday 6/22. Nothing exciting... continuous spotting all day.

Sunday 6/23. Still spotting, some mucous stuff going on. Started getting reallly uncomfortable come bed time... I realized after timing some contractions “ok these are getting close together” first 45 mins, then 20, 15, 11, 9, all the way to 6 mins but not increasing in intensity and still very irregular but bc of contractions I slept maybe 4-5 hours.

Monday 6/24. I’m scheduled to see my MW for my weekly appt. I tell her I was having contractions last night but inconsistent and not regular, had been spotting since Friday, and that I got not much sleep and that I was debating cancelling my BPP/NST with the MFM that afternoon bc I was gonna go home to nap, plus I was there three days prior so did I reallllly have to go 3 days later....? MW ends up performing a membrane sweep after I had 2 uncomfortable contractions within 10 mins in front of her. 1cm, baby at -3 station. She also recommended I go to the MFM appt due to SUA, and needing to keep an extra eye on baby due to lack of growth. Fineeeeeeee 🙄 I get to the appt, baby passes BPP no problem. Go for the NST and I can clearly hear her heart rate dropping with contractions... not good. I knew something was wrong. MFM immediately sends me to the hospital to be hooked up for extra monitoring. NEVER SKIP/MISS/CANCEL APPTS! THIS IS WHY!! I get to the hospital and I’m now contracting 4-8 mins apart for 3 hours straight. Breathing through every contraction, it’s getting painful now. Baby’s heart ended up doing some more funky things but like twice in those 3 hours so there was no need for emergency induction. The on call comes in to tell me/Check me “ok so you’re in very early labor and I know things are uncomfortable but you’re still 1cm, -3 station. Do you want to stay and labor or head home to labor and return when things are getting more painful?” I decide I’d rather be home laboring so we head home.

6pm: I get in the tub to try and relax, this made contractions pick up and I’m now steadily contracting every 3-5 mins, 40 secs-1 min each contraction. I live 5 mins from the hospital so I continue laboring at home.

9:30pm: I decide to head into the hospital bc things are getting real intense and contractions are steadily almost 2 mins apart. I start pain relief with a medicine rather going straight for epi. (Idr the name but I was loopy and it really distracted me from the pain 😂)

Monday 6/25

2:30am: I get an epidural and it hurt like hell. She thought she MAY be getting spinal fluid so pulls out to restick me up higher. It ends up failing after just an hour. It starts leaking out so I’m not getting any relief. Anesthesiologist comes to do another epidural around 3:45-4am. This time it works.. THANK GOD!!

6:30am: WHOOOSH, my water breaks!! It literally sounded like a water balloon popping hahaha, was such a funny sound but I was SO relieved to hear it!

*Throughout this labor I was never checked. I was checked arriving at the hospital and was 3cm, but had no idea if I was even progressing after all these contractions.*

7:10am: I’m checked again to see where I’m at now after experiencing pressure in rectum for multiple contractions in a row. 10CM!!!!! Room is set up for delivery. Pushed for about 15-20 mins and baby was born with a huge knot in her cord!!! 7:48am, June 25th, 6.89lb, 20.5 inch. I was 38w 4d

My family is complete. I have 2 June babies now 😊

ETA: her name is Millie Grace. We waited to see her before naming her but even then it still took us a full day to name her