I was due August 20 but I always felt like he might come a couple days earlier.

At my 40+1 week appointment I was only a fingertip dilated & 50% effaced. I left my appointment almost in tears, I felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. I had another appointment at 40+3 and in the morning I had cramping light brown mucus and when the doctor checked me I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced! She swept my membranes, and I was so happy because Monday I wasn't dilated enough for a sweep. The doctor scheduled me for an induction for Monday August 28 but said she feels like i will go sooner than that. Being 3 days overdue, I thought things were gonna pick up and I was gonna give birth that night! But no, my contractions started after my appointment and stayed IRREGULAR for 43 hours! I was suffering the whole time thinking they were going to regulate and I was gonna go to the hospital . Hours and hours went by and I was still contracting and miserable. I also lost sooo much mucus in those hours. I swear every few hours there was globs of it. Finally I started timing contractions that were 7 then 6 then 5 then 3-4 minutes apart! The reason I let it go that low instead of the recommended 5 was because they weren't completely regular... close to it but basically I had contractions 3-4 minutes apart for an hour and a half with a couple times a contraction 8 minutes apart! I was so confused but I was already not getting and sleep and 5 days overdue so I called my mom to meet us at the house so we could leave together to the hospital. Once she got there I waiting until 2:45 am to leave to the hospital. My husband was stressing because he felt like we should've left way before but I kept timing them to be sure. We get to the hospital and sent to triage where I was only 3cm dilated! I was so confused. The doctor left the room saying she was going to talk to the attending to see what they wanted to do. An hour passed and I was still contracting at 3-4 minutes. They checked me again and I was dilated to a 4 so they got me a room at Labor & Delivery. I feel like had I not been over due by 5 days they would've sent me home. When they left the triage to get my room ready I started balling! A mix of emotions from being scared of labor and to finally being in labor after all those irregular contractions. I contracted in the room naturally for four hours with the support of my husband and mom. After they checked me I was only 5cm (AFTER 4 hours!!) and when I got up and a giant pool of blood came out of me. I completely freaked at the sight of all that blood plus the possibility of being in labor for more time so I said SCREW IT IM GETTING THE EPIDURAL. The contraction pains were getting too bad and I couldn't fathom going through that for several more hours. As soon as the epidural kicked in I told my nurse "ew I feel another gush of blood... ew and some more" and my nurse goes "maybe it's mucus too".... then all feel good and loopy from the epidural I'm like "wait it's still going, I think my water broke." And the nurse goes "hmm idk I'll check in a minute" and I'm like "i feel like I'm taking a shower" and she checks and goes "yup your water broke!" They checked me and I was 7cm! WTF literally 30 minutes while the epidural kicked in and I went from 5 to 7! Then right after that I felt like I had to take the biggest dump of my life. The pressure was unbearable and the epidural doesn't help with pressure. But magically I got used to the pressure and went to sleep for 3 hours! When I woke up I was 10 cm and we waited more time until the baby kept stationing. I started pushing and it was so exhausting. My BP kept dropping and the anesthesiologist had to come in and help out. I even heard my doctor say the words c section while I was passed out in between pushes. I was about to lose it. After 11 hours of labor I would die if I ended up getting a c section! They stabilized my BP and I kept pushing. I pushed for over 2 hours and had to be vacuum assisted in the last push when my son was born! They put him on top of me and I started SOBBING. My mom and husband started crying too. I wasted the whole time crying that I didn't even actually get to see him before they had to take him away. He needed special attention because he had a bowel movement in the womb and the use of vacuum. Also his blood gas levels were low so he had to be taken to the nursery. It took an hour for the placenta to be removed and to stitch me up. I got a 2nd degree perineum tear and a small tear under my urethra. By the time they were done I got to hold my baby for only 15 minutes before they took him to be observed. I didn't see him again for 3 hours! So this went NOTHING like how I imagine but now I have the biggest joy of my life! Leonardo Javier was born Friday August 25 at 4pm at 8lb5oz and 22 inches long!