I was due January 23rd with my first baby. We were beyond excited! On January 7th I took a Pure Barre exercise class because it was a free community event and I'm not the kind of woman to pass up something free! The next day I was sore from exercising and felt my back getting worse. (I had been having back pain since I entered my third trimester.) I realized I started to lose my mucus plug and that night I started my bloody show. I finally relocated to the couch at 530am on January 9th because my back was getting worse and worse and I kept waking up. I went into work (I'm a 5th grade teacher) and was miserable! My back has never hurt so much in my life. I couldn't get comfortable at all and was in pain no matter if I sat, stood, or walked around. Other teachers joked that I was in labor and I ignored them all. I was always told that most first babies come late. I hadn't even "dropped" at all. Baby was sitting as high as could be. I left work 15 minutes early at 315 so I could get a hot shower since that usually helped my back. I called my husband and he asked if I was in labor and if he should come home. I vehemently told him no. Sadly, he called back a few minutes later and told me his grandma had died. At 445 he told me he was going to take bereavement and come home. He asked me again if I thought I was in labor and I finally admitted that I was in labor. I just couldn't believe it since I hadn't had any stomach contractions! My back pain did start to come in waves of higher intensity so we started to track those contractions when he got home at 520 with a slushee that I asked for. I stayed in the shower for awhile and drank my slushee. Around 550 we went downstairs in our living room and I labored on my birthing ball an it and ultimately got into a child's pose position. Hubby massaged my back and started to straighten the house (my request!). At 620 I repositioned to lay on my side. All through this I still had mainly back pains with some contractions being able to be felt in my stomach. At 630 I felt a "pop" and felt my water break all over our living room. Hubby helped me up and got me to the shower so I could clean up. Our doctor said that as long as fluid was good we could labor at home for awhile. I wanted to avoid an epidural if I could and I knew I'd feel more comfortable at home. While in the shower I realized I hadn't felt any for awhile and started to worry. I also started leaking (what seemed like a lot) blood. My contractions then got way more intense! I decided to go to the hospital which was 25 minutes away. We got there at 725 and was taken to the labor and delivery ward. When we got there a nurse asked if I was dilated at all. I told her at my appointment a week before I was 2cm and 50% effaced. She told my husband that she guessed based on my behavior I was probably at 6 cm. When I got changed and they checked me they said I was fully dilated at 10 cm!!! I couldn't believe it! My doctor hadn't even arrived yet. The next 20 minutes were a blur of getting my IV in and getting the room set up for my delivery. Thankfully the doctor got there and it was time for me to push. In three contractions our son, Ari James was born. He arrived at 7:52 pm and weighed 7 lbs 2 oz.