First I should start by saying I followed this app through my whole pregnancy and every night before bed I read birth stories on here!! It truly made me feel prepared on what to expect. But the truth is, everyone's pain tolerance and experience is so different and your labour never usually goes as planned or as expected in your mind. So here's my story:

Friday, June 30th: mid day I lost my mucus plug. Slowly felt some mild crampy pain a few hours later and the rest of the day

Saturday, June 31st: cramping continued and lower back pain. To me they felt like period cramps. Not the day you get your period but the days leading up to it where you know it's coming.

Throughout the day they continued and got a little bit worse, but nothing too consistent so I started to time them. Most of the day they were 10-15-20 minutes apart, scattered. I went swimming and tried to be active.

At 9 pm, I decided to go get checked at the hospital. My OB never checked me throughout my pregnancy so I had no idea if I ever was dilated. Anyways, the doctor checked me and I was 3 cm dilated. Wow! Now I knew where I was at.

Throughout the night into the next morning, the contractions were worse but I slept pretty good.

Sunday, July 1st: woke up at 7:30 am, came down stairs and felt a huge gush. I was wearing my fiancé's boxers lol. 😜. I literally said aloud "I think I just pissed myself." Ran to the bathroom like a penguin

Pulled down my pants and saw lots of liquid, blood and more mucus. Did not think it was my water breaking. I tried to squeeze my abs, no liquid came out. The liquid didn't leak down my legs. I just thought more mucus plug.

Anyways, contractions were getting closer together a little bit more intense but scattered.

Went to get checked again at the hospital. Got there around 1:30 pm. Waited till 4 for the doctor to check me. Apparently lots of deliveries and emergency c sections. While I was waiting, more liquid came out of me but nothing serious. Anyways, he said my water definitely broke and I was 4 cm.

They usually admit at 4 cm, but my contractions were so scattered and I was barely in any pain. He told me to come back in 2 hours.

My fiancé and I went to Wild Wing for dinner 🤣 had some wings and they were very painful at the restaurant but bearable.

Got back to the hospital at 6:00 pm and the doctor checked me. I was 8 cm!!!!!! How the heck did I go from 4 to 8 in 2 hours. I was shocked !! And so was he, because most people are crying at this point. I started crying - not from pain but because I still didn't feel prepared to go through labour, meet my baby or even be a mother!!! So nerve racking. I felt like I blinked and my pregnancy was over. I was so scared!

Doctor said, if you want an epidural now is the chance. I honestly didn't want to be pinned to the bed and have the epidural if I wasn't in much pain. So I declined.

Long story short, I did a lot of walking and when I had a contraction I would stop, breathe, lean on something and my fiancé would rub my back. It would be over and I'd keep walking. At 9 cm, the nurse asked if I wanted to go in the tub. I said ok! And I laboured in the tub for a good 45 minutes. Jets and all!! Soooo relaxing

I started feeling like I had to poop and we didn't want me to deliver in the tub so out I went. I was at 9.5 cm and by the time I got settled in my room, we started practice pushing, which turned into the real thing.

I started pushing at 11:12 pm and had a beautiful baby girl at 11:57 pm!! She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. We were team green and my entire pregnancy 95% of people (even strangers) thought I was having a boy. So I was shocked!! But I did have a few dreams I was having a girl. Always trust yourself !! Lol.

The pushing wasn't bad. It didn't feel like a long time because you're so focused on pushing and counting and breathing. But let me tell you, the amount of pain you feel while the head is coming out.... there's no explanation other than you think you're going to DIE. I legit asked them to put me out of my misery. It was BRUTAL. And I always told myself I didn't wanna be a screamer. I have a new found respect for screamers because the screaming isn't done on purpose, your body literally forces the scream out of you from within ... some exorcism shit!!!! 😶 I had a sore throat the next day... fml

Also, nobody talks about the pain you feel after labour!!! It hurts to sit, to get up, to walk! My vagina was so bruised for at least 3 weeks!! Also the amount you bleed in the first few days... looked like a crime scene in the hospital bathroom.

Good luck to you all! Here's a pic of our beautiful baby girl. We named her April 💕I