I am chuckling as I type because this birth did not go according to “my plan”...but here we are, with a beautiful, healthy and safe baby girl and we are good with the decisions we had to make!

This was my third delivery, and fourth child. I have never wanted to be induced, desiring babies to come on their own if healthy. I had twins first, at 39+3, with and epidural, and labored for about 12 hours before pushing for two hours and delivering them (6#13oz and 6#12oz) vaginally. I delivered on my back in an OR and it was frustrating because I couldn’t feel the need to push.

Our son took his sweet time and came naturally, quickly and beautifully at 41+5! His labor was amazing—yes, fast, yes, painful, but such an awesome natural experience that I wanted to do it again, just like that! He was 10 pounds!

Around 36 weeks, 5 days with this little girl, I was getting ready in the morning and felt a gush. Not my water...bright red blood. I got checked out and they suspected placental abruption but couldn’t find any issues on ultrasound, and I had no other symptoms or complications. They sent me home saying that my cervix may just have been preparing for labor and if it happened again, to come back. I thought, “okay, I’m ready for the 40+ week long haul, but we’ll do what we need to do.”

On Friday morning at 37+4, it happened again. Total bummer. I knew they would encourage induction if we went in, but we followed orders for safety. Sure enough, they said they couldn’t rule out placental issues and we didn’t feel comfortable risking any problems so we decided to start induction.

I was dilated to almost a 2 when they checked me that morning, and after a foley bulb, they got me to 3. I was having 12 contractions an hour but they weren’t painful. Protocol is to start with misoproxil doses to get contractions going, but that wasn’t an issue so they started pitocin at 7pm Friday night. They gradually increased me to an 8 on the drip and I walked around the nurses station with my doula friend while hubby napped (a little jealous but I knew I’d need him more to help with kids after delivery so I let him!). I was able to take a couple short naps, and the contractions were regular (2-3 min apart) but not intense.

When they checked me around 4:45am, I was dilated to 6, 80% effaced and my bag of waters was bulging. I kept walking and bounced on a birthing ball. It seemed the pitocin dose was right and my body was working on doing what it needed to do. By 8:30, the contractions were getting intense enough that I was breathing through them, and even moaning a little when walking through them.

I sat up on the side of the bed at 9:36 and my water splashed everywhere! My midwife encouraged me to listen to my body with the subsequent contractions as things would become more intense. I tried several positions and really had my heart set on the hands and knees pushing position, however, my midwife tried to encourage me that was not productive as there was still a little lip of my cervix in the way and gravity was not going to help baby get over that in that position. I was starting to feel like I was losing control, and didn’t want to push on my back, but I listened to my midwife as I trust her and she has been super helpful through this pregnancy.

On my back with my left leg out and my right tucked up (with the help of my hubby), I worked through a few contractions and felt baby descending. It was so intense!!! I was at the point where I was scared, it hurt, I didn’t want to do it but knew I had to...since my son came in 10 minutes of pushing I knew this one would come quick too since she wasn’t as big. After a few pushes they asked if I wanted to feel her head since she was right there, probably an inch away of coming into the world. I was feeling insane and just needed to get her out! I pushed a couple times through the contractions as hard as I could and she came sliding out into the world at 10:04am!

She was covered in vernix, unlike any of my other kids, her head was perfectly round since she wasn’t in the birth canal for long, and she is beautiful. 7lbs, 2oz.

At least two weeks early, and induced, but safe and sound. And I got to cut the cord! The midwife said the placenta was small, which may have been the source of the bleeding (and they are sending it to pathology to investigate), but I am so thankful my little girl is here! Right on time, May the Fourth!