Before I forget the details I figured I'd go ahead and tell my birth story! I liked reading these while I was waiting for my big day. 😊

So our due date was 9/11 and it came and went with no baby. I had been having contractions for a few days, but they weren't painful so I figured they were just some Braxton Hicks. My 40wk apt was on the 12th, and my OB did my second membrane sweep to try and get things started for us. We did go ahead and schedule an induction for the 19th, but I was really hoping not to be pregnant for that much longer!

Pretty much from the moment she did the sweep I started having contractions. They started out no big deal but as the night progressed they were getting more and more uncomfortable. My hubby had to work the next day so I did my best to just deal with it and was eventually able to get a little bit of sleep even though the contractions were waking me up every 30 mins or so and getting more and more painful.

When my hubby's alarm went off at 5:30 I was awake and even though he hit snooze a few times I started timing my contractions. They were lasting about a minute and a half and about 7 minutes apart. As my husband gets ready to walk out the door I'm like "uhhhh I dont think you should go, I think we need to go to the hospital." He knew I was serious at this point and we started to load up the car with our bags just in case. The car ride to the hospital is about 30 mins, and at this point they are closer and closer and becoming excruciating.

Once we get to L&D it becomes apparent they are incredibly busy and I'm so worried I wont be admitted. They check my cervix and I'm up to a 4 from a 3 yesterday at my appointment. They decide to have me walk around for an hour to see if things progress some more. So me and hubby walk around for an hour, and I'm having to stop and lean on him for every contraction. We check back in at noon, and I'm up to a 4.5, so they send me walking for one more hour. I only made it about 45 mins before I literally couldn't walk anymore I was in so much pain. I had been trying really hard for a natural birth, but was starting to consider the epidural. After checking me again I'm up to a 5 so they decide to admit me!

They moved me to a birthing room and I decided to labor in the glorious tub and stayed in there for about 2 hours. By 4pm I had been in active labor for almost 24 hours and dilated to 6, and I couldn't take the pain anymore. I asked for the epidural much to my husband's relief. After another hour of getting fluids and waiting on the anesthesiologist I finally got that sweet relief. The epidural was a lot less painful than I expected and after it took effect I was finally able to take a nap to regain some strength. Finally at about 9pm the nurse says we are ready to start some practice pushes. A little less than an hour later Rosiemarie Claire made her appearance! My epidural was perfect, I could feel enough to push with each contraction and feel my husband rubbing my leg to help comfort me but I didn't feel any pain. I only had a 1st degree tear with only 4 stitches, and my OB's words were "Boy was she nice to you!" 😅 Directly after birth I had an hour of skin to skin, then so did my husband. Overall I feel like I had a nice and easy birth - after the epidural that is. A week postpartum and my vjj is still super sore but I feel like I could be a lot worse. Breastfeeding is difficult because I have flatish nipples, but the nipple shield is super helpful.

Pics for cuteness!