I was due with our second son on May 25th, 2018.

Tuesday 5/22/2018 I woke up feeling discouraged after another night of inconsistent contractions. As I went about my morning routine to get ready for work they eventually tapered off completely.

While at work I started having BH consistently but they were not painful, I could just feel my belly contracting and relaxing. As the day went on they developed into contractions but due to my activity level they were inconsistent in time and length. However they continued to become more and more painful.

Everyone told me to just go down to triage (I work at the hospital I delivered both my sons at) but I refused till I “knew” for sure I was in labor. With my first son their monitors weren’t reading my contractions well so they had kept trying to send me home and I just didn’t want to feel like I was crazy all over again.

By the time work was over my contractions were painful enough to take my breath away, I couldn’t walk or talk when I was having one but again they seemed too inconsistent, when I had the chance to time them they were coming every 3-5 minutes and lasting well over a minute. I met my in-laws like I normally do to pick up my son, I even went to Target to pick up an order dear friend of mine had purchased for me to help with the baby.

On the way home I called my husband and told him that I thought it would be that night and that I needed him to get home as soon as he could and shower, just in case. I got home at 8pm and by now the contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes and increasing in pain level. I still thought I may have a chance to shower before I went to triage but once my husband was out of the shower I told him we had to go.

At 9pm we left to go to the hospital. At 9:30 we were in triage. I was 6 cm and completely effaced. They admitted me and alerted anesthesia that I wanted an epidural. Contractions were getting closer and to such a level of pain I couldn’t rock or breath through them. The nurse checked me when I started complaining of pelvic pressure and I was now a 9, still waiting on anesthesia to come in. My husband left the room to make sure our families had made it to the waiting room.

As soon as he walked out I started screaming about the pressure, the nurse checked me again and I was fully dilated, my water broke and I immediately pushed down. My husband was called back, the labor team and doctor came in, I got my legs up and I pushed 5 times through the most unbearable pain I have ever felt in my entire life, tearing in three separate areas, the worst going up towards my clitoris and requiring stitches.

Oaklin Elijah Campbell was born at 10:37 pm, measuring 7 lbs and 15 oz and 21 inches long. Even though I had never planned on a natural or unmedicated birth, never thought I was strong enough to bare that kind of pain, I’m glad it happened that way.