So beginning the early morning of the 28th I was having “strong” contractions at 39.5 weeks, as in I knew they were different but they weren’t the worst pain of my life. These started at about 3:30 a.m and were super spaced out all day until about 4 p.m when I sat on the toilet and had about 3 contractions and a bowel movement, I also lost some more mucous plug. My husband was working until 5, but I called him home once I tried to shower and could barely even wash my hair. So he gets home about 10ish minutes later and doesn’t really think anything is going to happen that night, so he asks what’s for dinner and plays with our daughter, I was standing in the kitchen and had to breathe through a contraction and he goes “Wait, are we going to the hospital?” And I surprisingly said yes, because the pain was starting to wrap around to my back. So we call my grandma over to watch our daughter and we slowly made our way to the hospital, meanwhile my contractions were still sporadic but under 4-5 minutes apart. This entire pregnancy I wanted an all natural birth, I had an epidural with my first but I REALLY wanted to experience birth in it’s entirety and almost prove to myself that I was strong enough. We get to the hospital at 5:50 p.m and the nurse goes to check and asks how dilated I was at my last appointment and I told her 2 cm 50% effaced, and she goes “Well, you’re not 2 cm.. you’re a 6!” And I cried happy tears because with wanting to go natural, I was so glad these contractions were the real deal and that my instincts were right! So they start to admit me and I said “Is it possible to not get an IV?” And I swear, you would’ve thought I just asked to stab them, because the nurses and doctors FLIPPED out and were saying that they “insist” and a lot of other stuff. When finally this nurse came in who has had all natural births with her kids and asked what my reasonings were and if I was willing to compromise and just get a hep-lock, I finally just said “I would like to get settled into a room, comfortable, and going steady in my labor before I get an IV.” And all the nurses and the doctor (not my doctor) finally calmed down, but from then on I felt like they were against me because of their attitudes. We finally get in a room, the contractions are still strong but they’re still sporadic, but they weren’t that bad at all. So after a bit the nurse checks me and says I’m an 8 and Baby is real low, music to my ears! And then about 15 contractions later, they all of a sudden got REALLY strong and a minute apart, this is when I hit 9 cm and I started thinking I couldn’t do it. My poor husband, I grabbed his hand so hard and bent his fingers in the worst way, and literally almost broke his thumb! But he was a champ and still let me grab his hand during my contractions, i was tensing up which wasn’t good, but putting the pressure on his hand was helping distract my mind a little. The doctor came in because I really felt like I was starting to push and it was scaring me, she said I was close but not quite so she left for about 10 minutes. When she came back she brought two nurses and things were getting PAINFUL, mainly because I was so scared. During each contraction which never seemed to end, I started saying “ow” and got louder and louder each contraction. I was half way sitting up, so the contractions were really wrapping around my back and it was awful, and all of a sudden I really had to push. But I couldn’t quite push if that makes sense because of my position and how tense I was. So they try laying me on my back to put my legs in the stirrups and I started SCREAMING, like insanity screaming because there was so much pain and pressure all in one place and it wouldn’t let up. So I am screaming and crying my eyes out because the intensity of what I was feeling was too much and it scared me, meanwhile this baby boy was coming down and out with each contraction. The nurses and my husband were trying to tell me to stop screaming, and push but I felt like the screaming was me pushing so I just kept screaming lol. About the time Baby starts crowning and the ring of fire starts I yelled at the doctor and said “What is that!?!?” And everyone went “It’s your baby!!” But what I was feeling felt like while Baby was coming out, the doctor was putting her hand up in me (which she wasn’t) so I was screaming at her. Poor lady. FINALLY baby’s head pops out and my water broke (by the way I hate the feeling of my water breaking) but the rest of my water came out when baby’s shoulders came out and the second he came out I screamed “I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!” And laid there admiring my son that I couldn’t believe was already earth side! Baby was born at 8:43 p.m and my husband and I immediately agreed that he looked just like his sister did!

They kept my legs up in the stirrups to deliver the placenta and although I didn’t tear at all (YAY) my vagina was burning so bad, so I was so uncomfortable with my legs up in the air. And let me just say.. the rubbing they do on your stomach to get the placenta out and to make sure you’re clotting, is AWFUL. I actually almost punched the nurse and I felt so bad, it was just instinctual! The recovery has been amazing this time around because I didn’t tear. If someone was to ask me if I would go natural again, I honestly don’t know the answer! I loved certain aspects of the epidural birth, and hated other parts. And I loved certain aspects of the natural birth and hated the pushing lol. All I know is, I am SO glad my son is finally here and I get to love on him!