how I went from natural birth plan to prodromal labor, induction, & epidural. and how I could push only for 20 min (FTM)

First I should say that I was very fit when I got pregnant. I did 6 day a week weight lifting and had a very strong core. When I got pregnant, the first 3 month' nausea was so hard on me that I couldn't workout but afterwards I went back to the gym and cut my weights in half and continued until a week before my due date when I changed my workout to only walking and didn't stop until the day she was born. 

My doctor believes that my exercises kept my baby's heart strong and going while I went through 52 hours of intense pre- labor.

Now let's go to the labor story:

I went through the natural birth course with my husband since I set my mind on giving birth naturally. Little did I know that everything is gonna go another way!

My daughter was due on June 1st. On May 27th in my 39th week my doctor did a membrane strip which did nothing for me. On Friday June 2nd since I didn't feel a thing and was still less than 1cm dilated, she did the membrane strip again.  I started having cramps that night which turned into contractions that were 15 minutes apart and I felt it all in my back. We started timing them and on Saturday morning it was every 6 minutes as it was intense. We started packing the car with our bags and ready to go to the hospital but my contractions went back to 9 min a part. This pattern went on and off until 11 pm when I was in so much pain that we went to the hospital. They checked and told me I'm still 1cm 😳 they couldn't admit me so we came back home and I walked all night through pain. On Sunday the pain was unbearable but still 6 min apart. Sunday night again back to hospital and again 1 cm so they sent me back home. They told me they can't put me on morphine because I'm not admitted to be monitored and they can't admit me because I'm not progressed And my baby is doing absolutely fine!

On Monday morning, after more than 30 hours of sleepless pain we went to my OB , still 1 cm so she scheduled an induction for me for that day. 

The hospital didn't have an empty bed for me until midnight on Monday.

The doctors told me I have a condition called prodromal labor which happens to many women where you have the labor pain but nothing happens.

Anyways, on June 6th at 1 AM the doctors gave me Cervadil and encouraged me to get the epidural because I was exhausted of pain. From the moment I took epidural life was beautiful!! I wasn't in pain so I slept until 5;00 AM when they told me I'm 5 cm and gave me Pitocin. I slept until 9 AM and then they told me I'm 9cm dilated!

At 11:00 I was ready to push. Because of my strong core ( doctor's opinion) I pushed 5 times and my baby girl was born at 11:22 AM.

I got 1 stich and was able to walk the day after.

We went for an hour walk 2 days after birth and I'm recovering very well.

Birth plans are not set in stone... mine was very different from what I predicted but when she arrived nothing mattered... my Lillian is 13 days old today and I can't imagine my life without her ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️