The doctor I go to is the best in our area. He was recommended by a dear friend of mine. All through my pregnancy I did what the doctor and midwives told me. I read books on birth and pregnancy. At almost every check up, things were "looking great!" When I got to 38 and a half weeks, I started having contractions. We went to the hospital twice in 2 days because my contractions were as close as they told me. I even talked to the midwife on call before going. But I was sent home both times. Once at 1/2 centimeter and once at 1 centimeter. I had fairly consistent contractions every day. The day after my due date, I woke up feeling strange. I went down to the kitchen to get a snack, thinking that might help. I felt nauseous so I tried taking a medicine I took during the first trimester. It didn't help and I threw up in the kitchen sink. Once I pulled myself together, I woke up my husband to tell him what happened. He told me to call because this didn't sound normal. When I spoke to the operator, she said, "you gonna have a baby!" The midwife told me to take a warm bath and drink something, anything. So I had my husband get me a Sprite. I evened up throwing up over the side of the tub. I thought I should take a shower. My contractions were stronger now. The shower just made me feel worse. I got out and laid in bed. I threw up over the side of the bed. I called the midwife again and she told me to come in and I would probably need an IV. We went in and it turned out that I somehow got dehydrated. I was tired and delusional. They gave me an IV and after several hours in triage, I felt better and was still only 1 centimeter, so they sent me home. The next day I had a non-stress test. Them 3 days later I had another one. My husband came to that one and I got checked. The doctor told me I was STILL 1 centimeter! He told me that there was a very big possibility that I could be in the same position a week from now. So, after deliberating, arguing and praying, we chose to induce. I wasn't far enough along for pitocin so they had a few other things they did. We induced that night. There was this thing they inserted and it was inside me for 12 hours. When that didn't work as well as they hoped, they put this pill thing in for 4 hours. And then another one. I was still only 1 centimeter by the end but much softer and more effaced. I thought that's when they would start pitocin but there was another thing called a fulio bulb. It is like a balloon.  They inserted it and when they did, accidentally broke my water. It felt great! Until the contractions started back up! They put me back on the monitors after I cleaned up and noticed the heart rate dropping with every contraction. They had me changing positions trying to find where the cord was being pressed on. After taking out the bulb only 15 minutes after putting it in, I was at 5 centimeters but the doctor said he could feel the cord and I needed a c-section. They told me to flip onto my hands and knees. The doctor put his fingers up there to keep the baby off the cord. A nurse pressed a button on the wall and about 6 other nurses came in. They wheeled me down the hall (while I was on my hands and knees) to the OR. My husband followed with his face as white as a ghost. We got to the clean room part and he wasn't allowed. I told him everything would be okay and that I loved him. They took me back the operating room. They switched my IV bag, got me on the operating table and knocked me out. I remember being fairly calm for my biggest fear coming true. Then I blacked out. I had a really strange dream but I don't remember it. When I woke up, my vision was so blurry and I was in so much pain. The nurse told me how to get morphine and then I saw my husband holding this beautiful baby! They let me hold him on my chest for a few minutes. He was so beautiful! My family was very concerned but they got to see me a few hours later. I bled a lot in recovery but they took care of it before I went on to my room. The next day one of my doctors came to visit and told me that cord prolapse happens in less than 1/2 a percent of all pregnancies. And emergency c-sections usually only happen once a week there, but they had 3 that night. One before me and one after me. I also learned that if I had not been on monitors, they might not have found it and my baby could have died. I hold my one month old baby right now because of these doctors and nurses who did everything to make sure me and my baby were safe! I had planned to go completely natural in an environment very similar to home birth but on the hospital campus. God had other plans for us. I wasn't happy about our decision to induce, and I wasn't happy about waiting, but I am so glad everything happened the way that it did!