It’s finally my turn ! Where do I even start ?

On the 18th of July, that morning I started having contractions around 9 something. It’s true when they say “you’ll know when you’re having real contractions” and that they feel like mild period cramps at first. I waited it out for about an hour and then got in touch with my MIL and we started timing them. Sure enough, 5 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute and 15 seconds, for an hour. So I called my OGBYN and they said to go ahead and go to the birthplace. By the time I got there my contractions where still the same time apart but getting worse. I had to wait about 30 minutes in the waiting room because they didn’t have a room available yet. So as soon as one became available and they got it cleaned I finally got put in a room. I changed into a gown and laid on the bed and let them check me to see how dilated I was only to find out I was still only at a one. Let me throw in that the day before I had gotten my membranes swept at 40w1d and was only dilated a one then as well. They said they would monitor me for another hour and come back and check again. So as the hour goes by my contractions worsened and at this point I am crying because they hurt so bad. I couldn’t talk through them either. The hour passes and I get checked again, still only at a one so the nurse decides to get the doctor to see what she would like to do. The doctor comes in to check me for herself and says that I was only at a one maybe a one and a half and then they leave the room. I’m guessing they are discussing what they are going to do because about 5 minutes later the nurse comes back in and tells me they are going to go ahead and admit me that I’m in early labor but they believe I will be having my baby. My contractions were unreal. They hurt so bad. I was dilating very slowly which made it so much worse. They said as soon as I hit 3cm dilated I could get the epidural. So I did just that because I couldn’t take it anymore. I have no idea why my contractions were so bad. I stayed at a 3 for a very long time. Mostly throughout the night. When I got the epidural I fell asleep. But as soon as I woke up I felt my contractions all over again except worse ! They called the anesthesiologist in for a second time and this time he upped the dose a little. I fell asleep again, woke up again in pain even worse then the second time except at this point I was screaming crying in pain. Again I have no idea to this day why my contractions were as bad as they were. They call the anesthesiologist in one last time and he gives me the same dose again as before and also says now if this doesn’t work I can redo the whole epidural which at that point I didn’t care I just wanted to stop hurting. Well this time when I feel asleep my boyfriend pushed the button releasing the medicine every 20 min (every chance he got) so this time when I woke up I felt absolutely nothing (thank god!). By this time I had been in labor 25 hours. The nurse came in at about 11:30 the next morning (the 19th) to check me and I was literally only dilated to a 4! She said the doctor would be in to finish breaking my water in about 30 minutes. The 30 minutes go by and I can feel my contractions but they feel like the mild period cramps so I’m trying to breathe through them (I didn’t learn how to breathe through contractions). 30 minutes later the doctor comes in, he goes to break the rest of my water and said “well there’s no need for that you’re ready!” I had literally jumped from 4cm to 10cm in 30 minutes! I can admit once he said that reality finally kicked in. I was about to have my baby !! I pushed for maybe 7 minutes and finally had my baby boy in my arms !!!! Once they placed him on my chest it all just felt like a dream, all I could do was cry. I ripped to a 3rd degree out of 4 and I must say that pain afterwards was way worse then labor. Glow community I would like to welcome my baby boy Christopher Wayne Bryant (not stating last name) weighing in at 8lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. He came three days late and cost me a lot of pain but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world ! I’m absolutely in love❤️

He is now 2 weeks old weighing 9 lbs 7 oz and 21 1/2 inches long and a perfect healthy baby !!