Baby was due 12/12 and I had cramps and irregular contractions for weeks. The night before they were slightly more painful but otherwise no warning signs. At 2am on 12/16 I started getting regular contractions 7-10 min apart. They stayed 7-9 min apart but got more painful and I noticed I was bleeding after I peed at one point. I called my doctor at 4:45am and told them about the bleeding. They encouraged me to go in and get checked out. I got ready to go and called an Uber (I live in nyc). The contractions then picked up in intensity and came closer together in that last hour and car ride was the worst. We arrived at 6:15am and I had to be wheeled in because I couldn’t walk through the pain. I was checked and told I was 9 1/2cm dilated!! I couldn’t believe it. We were rushed into a room and I started pushing at 7:15ish. Baby Eleanor was born 7:55am. I tore in a few places on my labia and later had to have blood clots removed from my uterus due to risk of hemorrhage. I had to get a catheter because my bladder couldn’t empty and prevented my uterus from contracting normally. They thought this might be from having such a short labor. Other than that, recovering well and baby is gaining weight.

Good luck, December mamas!