It’s taken me awhile to write my birth story... because a lot happened and I’m still trying to get it all straight in my head! My little girl was due June 28th and she was born June 3rd at 2:20am.

I had a pretty uncomfortable pregnancy. Morning sickness from about 6 weeks till about 25 weeks. At 28 weeks I found out I had gestational diabetes which shocked everyone. I had no risk factors for it. In fact my doctor couldn’t believe it. I was strictly diet controlled and didn’t impact my life too much. At 32 weeks I went to the bathroom and had a little hush of discharge, which I thought was odd. I mention it to my mom and she suggested I go in to be checked just to be safe. At the hospital they get me all set up on the monitor and check to see if it was my water. It thankfully wasn’t my water, but I was in preterm labor and didn’t realize it. I had contractions every 2 minutes, consistently for more than just a couple hours. They gave me a shot to stop the contractions and sent me home and told me to come back if it happens again... the next day I’m back for the same thing, then again the following day. At 33 weeks my OB sends me for a scan to check on babies weight and growth. Everything with her weight looked great! But when they checked the length of my cervix that’s when everything changed. I had almost completely thinned out. All the signs pointed to me starting to dilate and go into labor.

My doctor had me admitted, given the beta/steroid shots for her lungs and I was there for 5 days.

Once they felt confident she was going to stay in for a little longer they let me go home. They prescribed me procardia, a blood pressure medication that helps keep contractions down. I was on that 3x a day till 36 weeks (when they said I could stop taking if). At 36+1 I had my baby shower so I decided to continue the meds through then so I could enjoy my baby shower.

Afterwards my husband and his parents took me to the movies to see Aladdin to celebrate getting through the shower, but I was ridiculously uncomfortable with contractions. My husband and I decided to stop by the hospital on our way home just so I could get checked. The nurse had me walk for an hour, but I didn’t progress enough to where she felt I could be admitted, so she sent me home. I remember her telling me she was sure I’d be back within 24 hours! I didn’t really believe her... The next day I woke up with contractions, which obviously wasn’t new to me... but these felt different. I timed them but they were never consistent. My husband worked all day so I stayed with my parents all day. My mom painted my toes, we went on a walk, just anything to take my mind off these painful, inconsistent contractions. I get into bed with my husband that night at 11pm. He asks me if I think he should stay home from work the next day, if this could be it. I tell him that I’m not sure, that we’ll evaluate in the morning... at 11:20pm I have another contraction that doubles me over in bed, and that’s when I heard and felt the biggest POP and water gushed out. Most of the time they say when your water breaks it’s never a huge stream, or gush of water, but y’all this was like someone turned on the hose a let her rip. I wake my

Husband up and tell him my water broke we need to go. Let me tell ya, I’ve never seen my husband fly out of bed so dang fast. I get on the phone and call my parents while he flys around the house looking for pants. Thankfully we were only about 2 minutes from our hospital. The contractions went from “eh this is sorta kinda painful cant walk or talk through them” to “oh my gosh, don’t touch me I’m yelling to cope with the pain where is my epidural” within 2 contractions. I’m yelling, and creating a puddle anywhere I waddle. We pull up to the labor and delivery section of the hospital and I’m contracting every 30 seconds. When we get inside I tell them my water broke and THEY DIDNT BELIEVE ME until I’m completely gowned up and in the triage room. The nurse asks me if she can check me (I was a 4) and when she saw my water was “grossly ruptured” as she describes it she calls my doctor right there and told him he needed to come ASAP. The nurse and my husband pretty much carry me to the delivery room because I can’t even think anymore, I’m too in my head dealing with the pain.

They get an IV started and request my epidural. My mom arrives in my room and the rest of my family is waiting outside. I thankfully didn’t have to wait every long for my epidural. The anesthesiologist shows up right away and gives me my epidural (6cm at this point). And holy moley Batman it was incredible. It worked right away, and by this time I was 8.5 cm. I let the rest of my family come in to visit while I finished dilating... my doctor comes in to check and asks me if I can wait to push for a few while he does some paper work, or if I need to go now. I can tell I’m fully dilated but decided I could wait. No sooner had he walked out the door I felt like

My butt was going to explode from the pressure, I needed to push RIGHT NOW. My dad, and father in law both run out to hunt down the doctor and I’m in serious pain (pressure lol).

Doctor comes right back and we get pushin’! I pushed for 15 minutes and my baby girl was born! Hallie Anne Bennett was born at 2:20am, exactly 3 hours after my water broke. 5lbs 2oz 18.5” long. I didn’t tear! Yay! I do have a video of her birth I’m considering posting, but not sure if it’s too TMI.

We did end up staying an extra 2 days because of her size, some low blood sugar readings, and I also got a spinal headache that I ended up coming back to the hospital for a blood patch. I’m so relieved it went quickly, especially since she is my first.

Thank you for reading all the way through if you made it this far!!