I’m super late getting to this, but I finally decided to share my birth story. One of the reasons I decided to share was to encourage other FTMs that it is ok to go with your gut and not everything with birth/labor fits into the experience that everyone else has!

So, here goes. My baby was due November 23, day after thanksgiving. Both my husband and I had family in from out of state so we were determined to get the baby out before the holiday... tried all of the natural remedies (primrose oil, pressure points, medicine ball, sex every single night, which mind you isn’t all it’s cracked up to be 38+ weeks in) you name it, we tried it. I had my membranes stripped at 39.1 weeks and was only 2cm but nothing.

I had just switched to a midwife and therefore had to switch to a hospital that was just shy of an hour away. My husband voiced his concern about this and I told him not to worry- I will most likely be in labor for at least 12-15hrs. I said “it’s not like the movies you don’t just go into labor instantly and the baby comes out”.

So fast forward to November 26th (day after allll of our family left). I really wanted to avoid being induced at all costs as family of mine have all had horrible experiences with induction so after much research I decided to try the midwives brew. Worst tasting thing I’ve ever endured. I finished it at about 1pm. The wait began. A few hours go by and nothing so I figure nothing will happen like with everything else.

Fast forward to 4:50pm- I’m putting away laundry and out of no where I get a contraction. I continue on and right away another one and another one. So I decide to wait a bit and time them if they keep happening. So I try and put away laundry in between contractions and I literally can’t get one thing put away before I’m knocked down by another contraction.

I decide to look at the time to see how far apart they are and after a few more I see they are only a minute apart. So I decide to lay down thinking “they are going to space out- this isn’t how labor works”. Mind you I’ve read tons of birth stories trying to wrap my mind around what to expect. So I attempt to “wait for them to space out”.

After a couple more I decide to call my mom. She hears the pain I’m in and asks how far apart they are and I told her they are super close together. So she times them and is shocked telling me they’re only a minute apart and I need to go to the hospital NOW. Now in my head I know this can’t be right so I just keep assuring her I’ll be fine they just started like 15min ago... and finally after a few more they start getting debilitating. I decide to give in and call the hospital and my husband. Meanwhile, my mom comes and loads my suitcase up for me and everything.

So I call in and feel completely stupid telling the lady “well they started about 15min ago” but I’m hoping she can hear my anguish over the phone.

So she says she’ll have the midwife call me back. At this point I am having a hard time functioning from the pain. My mom offers to drive me but I insist on waiting for my husband- he is my rock. So I get in the car to wait for him and the midwife calls- my mom answers because I’m having a contraction and literally can’t speak. She explains the same story how my contractions started 20-30 min ago and you can tell the midwife thinks we’re crazy. She really emphasizes that I’m really progressing and they’re only a minute apart. So she says to come in (at this point I was coming regardless). It seems like an eternity but my husband gets home from work, jumps in the car and starts to drive. Of course we just had a snow storm and the roads are a mess.

This is where is gets real. There is barely any separation between the contractions and the pain is so unreal that I’m just screaming/hitting things doing anything to cope.

My husband is dumbfounded at the point I was at because he literally just got the call. Finally about halfway there my water breaks. I tell my husband “I feel like I need to push!” He is freaking out now telling me DONT PUSH!!!

Now he is super worried trying to swerve through traffic honking at people and finally looks over at me and says “I don’t know babe, this sure feels like the movies!”

So praise the Lord we make it to the hospital. He literally pulls up front grabs a wheel chair and wheels me in just leaving our car up front. They get me to triage and I’m already at 8cm!

I was going for a water birth so I get in and the midwife tells my husband to go park our car and not to worry he won’t miss it. Then looks at me right after he leaves and says “DON’T PUSH until he gets back!” 😂As soon as he walks back in I immediately began pushing. After awhile I was just getting too hot so I moved to the bed- I tried the nitrous oxide but it did literally nothing so I gave up on that and just pushed for my life( sounds dramatic but natural labor is that dramatic).

After about 45min of pushing out came our beautiful baby boy! Weighing in at 9 pound 5 oz- with a head in the 99th percentile (no wonder that hurt). Neither my husband or I are big people so I was shocked but so grateful that we made it!

From first contraction to birth was 2.5 hours. I learned the term precipitous labor that day- and now I feel so nervous for if we ever have another kid since they say the second labor is faster 😂

Nothing ever prepares you for the pain, but I am so thankful for my birth experience and most of all our beautiful boy Rocco Rivera! Thank you for reading❤️