Well, Scarlett Mae was born 8/21/2018 with quite a dramatic entrance!

I should start by saying that with my first born, I had prodromal labor for 12 hours the day before he was born and was in labor for another 18 hours the day he was actually born, so although I knew to expect a faster labor, I did not expect what happened at all.

My son was born at 38+5, so when that day came and went during Scarlett’s pregnancy, I was a little irritated. I would have on and off contractions here and there, but nothing that ever developed a pattern. Even though people say you can tell between labor and Braxton Hicks, I was unsure because the occasional contractions I had been having for the past 2 weeks were semi-painful like labor contractions. Anyway, the week before delivery I was dilated to 3cm and 80% effaced, but again this was similar to my son as well.

My birth plan was to deliver naturally at a family birth center and to have a water birth. I ate dates throughout pregnancy to increase the likelihood that I wouldn’t need to be induced, had lots of sex in the weeks leading up to labor, used Evening Primrose Oil, basically you name it, I tried it and still nothing as far as labor went. I was seriously frustrated when my due date came on 8/21/2018.

On the morning of 8/21/2018, I woke up with some spotting, so I was hopeful that my bloody show was here and maybe she would be born soon. Then around 7am while I’m at work, I started to have some contractions. They were about 10 minutes apart, minimal pain, but after an hour, they stopped. So I continued to work and when I left work at the end of the day, contractions started again, 10 minutes apart for an hour, then stopped. I was frustrated because it seemed like prodromal labor all over again. Then around 7:30pm I started having contractions again about 10 minutes apart, still not painful, just uncomfortable. They continued and when it was time to put my son to bed around 8pm I nursed him to sleep like always. After I nursed him my contractions spiked to 2-4 minutes apart and they revved up in intensity. I was concerned about how fast they sped up and called the midwife.

She suggested I come to the hospital and I told her we would leave as soon as we got my mother-in-law to our house to watch our son (she lives about an hour away). When the contractions continued to come quickly and the intensity increased even more, my husband called a friend to come over and she was there by 9:20pm, about an hour after the contractions ramped up. We left for the hospital and my husband drove so fast to get us there. In the car I had some painful contractions and the last one in the car I told my husband I felt like I was trying not to push.

When we arrived at the hospital I had a contraction in the emergency room and they directed me right to the birth center. Another contraction in the hallway occurred and then we got to registration. At this point we’re ready to go to the room and the nurse goes to open the door for us and I get another contraction. I realize that this is it and I cannot move. I scream to my husband that she is coming out and my water breaks. He says no she’s not, trying to calm me down and I yell she’s coming out again and I feel her head coming, and I can’t do anything to stop it. The nurses all came running, but she was out at that point.

My daughter was born in the hospital lobby about 2.5 hours after contractions started. Welcome to the world little one.