I just knew she would come early. I nested hardcore. Bought all the last minute things we’d need for her. Packed my hospital bags. All that. She was due 3/15 but I knew she’d come early. I kept telling everyone she’d come 3/1 because there was going to be a full moon!

Well I woke up on 3/1 (38 weeks) at 4am (like usual to pee for the 5th time). As soon as I stood up I realized my pants were soaking wet. Oh my gosh I peed the bed I thought! Went to the bathroom and felt a huge gush run down my legs. Oh my gosh it’s my water breaking!! Holy crap, ok, stay calm. I woke my husband. I had to tell him twice before he realized what I was saying, then his eyes shot open and he jumped out of bed! We took our time getting all of our stuff ready for the hospital. Packed everything in the truck and away we went.

I actually stayed calm until this point. My husband not so much. We get to the OB unit and my pants are soaking wet. I lay in the checkup room and they test to make sure it was my water that broke (even tho we all knew, they did anyway). Test came back positive so I was admitted. So some time goes by and I haven’t even started having contractions. They check and I’m only 1cm dilated! 🤔

I tried for several hours to get things going on my own. Yoga ball. Walking around the OB unit, while the nurses all cheered me on! Lol nothing was happening! They offered pitocin and I accepted. So it’s about 10am and I’m starting to feel those dreaded pitocin contractions I’ve heard about. Right from the start my contractions were so intense and were only 3-5 min apart. Ok, I thought, things are moving!! Nope. Still 1cm after several hours. So I sit there in so much pain for a couple more hours. They check me again. 2cm. You’ve got to be kidding me.

At this point I’m in so much pain. Midwife scares me with the word cesarean. Saying if things done move faster then I have about a 50% chance of c section. Hell no. That terrified me. They said an epidural would help me relax to hopefully help move things faster. I tried to hold out. But by this time it was already 4pm and I’ve been laboring for 12 hours! I was so exhausted. Give me the damn epidural. I won’t be able to push when it comes time if I’m already this tired.

Epidural took 2 doctors. 4 try’s. And over an hour before they told me “I’m not sure this is going to work”. Apparently I was so swollen they couldn’t get the catheter where it needed to go. They tested the epidural and it seemed to be working. Finally some relief!!

Baby girls heart rate was a scare. Kept dipping after each contraction. Turns out her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. (Found that our after delivery)

So a couple more hours go by and I’m finally at a 6. It’s 9pm. I tell my husband to get some rest. So I’m trying to relax and I notice I start to feel the contractions. Oh no. It’s now 11pm. They check and I’m at a 9. I yell at my husband to wake up. He wakes and comes to my side. I tell the nurse I have to push. I have to push.

The nurse grabs the midwife and she checks and I’m still at a 9. She stretched me to a 10. At this point I could feel my contractions again. I push and push. My back is killing me. So I end up in the sitting position grabbing the bar at the end of the bed. Push and push so hard I feel like my eyeballs are going to pop out of my head! Midwife tells me baby is crowning and asks if I’d like to feel. Without thinking I stick my hand down there and I just feel all of her hair lol! The ring of fire kicks in. I push harder and harder and she arrives at 12:06am 03/02/18.

4 years ttc. 4 iuis. 3 miscarriages. 1 ectopic that ruptured (lost a tube and almost died). Millions of tears and negative tests. 20 hours of terrible labor. 1st degree tears.

...and I’d do it all over again. I’ve never been so in love. I’ve waited for this moment for what feels like an eternity.