When I was 33 weeks pregnant my Dr saw contractions on the fetal monitor that concerned her. So she did a preterm labor test which came back positive. I had a 30% chance I could go into labor in two weeks. I later got two steroid shots to help the baby's lungs develop if I went into labor. By that next week I had Braxton Hicks contractions that lasted more than an hour and called my Dr. She checked my dilation and I was at 1 cm and she wrote me a note excusing me from work for maternity leave. The plan was the quit my job all together and it was two days before my resignation date. I didn't mind at all! So I'm on pelvic rest and restricted from doing housework or being on my feet to keep baby growing and happy for a few weeks longer. Each appointment after quitting my job showed improvements and we kept him cooking for four weeks after the preterm labor scare. The week after Independence day I woke up to a distinct trickle of liquid. I jumped out of bed and sat on the toilet and that liquid ran out, definitely not pee… so I frantically texted my husband and he suggested I take a shower, eat breakfast and then call my Dr.  The Dr determined that my water had broken. She said to go to the hospital if I started having contractions and if I didn't to go by 5 pm. So as I expected no contractions but continued fluid trickling throughout the day.

At the hospital, my  Dr puts me on citateck. I had about 4 doses, I lost count in the middle of the night. I only slept an hour that night due to the excitement and I was starting to have moderate but strong enough contractions to keep me awake. And who can really sleep well in hospital beds anyway? By 6 am, the resident Dr came in to check my dilation and I was at 4cm.  He told me they needed to start pitocin. So they got ne hooked up to an IV and start fluids. They started me at 1 and gradually increased to 4. Pause for a second… since I arrived at the hospital I'd been keeping the conversation open about pain meds or epidural, I didn't want to miss my window, but I was open to possibly doing it without… ,Ok back to the pitocin. So within an hour, I was having atron contractions. I went to bathroom before the first one hit and as I was washing my hands and my knees almost buckled. I went back to bed and they kept coming. At that point, I asked the nurse  to get the IV hooked  up with pain  meds. In the meantime time, I tried the exercise ball, partner massage, breathing, walking...nothing worked. The contractions were in my gut, hips and back all at the same time. No relief. The resident Dr came in to check my dilation and and I was  at 7 cm. This whole time I'm expecting the pain to diminish since I'd asked for the IV… nope. No relief. They got me ready to push and I asked the nurse about the IV and she said, I'm not gonna lie, we can't give it to you since you've progressed so quickly… I'm like, oh! Ok, guess I'm doing this!

My Dr arrived and got me started. As I looked around the room, I noticed there were like 15 people in the room observing me but by the time each contraction came and my incredible lack of sleep, I didn't care. So I just closed my eyes, listened to my body and my husband counting during pushes. In between contractions I was relaxing, talking, laughing, cracking jokes… I don't know where that all came from but it was really a fun experience… the pain was not fun but well worth it!

I pushed for about 2 hours and after three hours of active labor, my brand new baby boy was born. He came out screaming, full head of hair and perfect. After delivery my Dr came to visit and mentioned how well I did in labor and that there was a point she was going to offer me an epidural but she said I was in the zone and let me do it without.. I was a little shocked that she never offered it but glad because it was so fast and to be honest, not terrible.