This baby boy FINALLY made his arrival.

After weeks of prodromal labor, on Friday we thought for sure it was time. We went to the birth center at 2:30am, and after a couple hours there, we were sent home until labor started to progress because it was still a little early. My midwife even said as we were leaving “this is it! We’ll see you back here soon!” When I got home I got into bed, and a couple hours later labor had completely stopped. I was devastated.

My midwife and I came up with a plan. Tuesday would be 42 weeks for me and I would legally have to give birth at the hospital instead of the birth center. They would induce me with Pitocin, which is not what I wanted. So we decided that Sunday we would strip my membranes, do some nipple stim, some castor oil, whatever we could to get labor going (in increments, not all the things at the same time). Monday, if still pregnant, we would attempt to break my water if safe to do so, and then plan on moving to the hospital if labor still wouldn’t start.

On Sunday we also realized that he was completely OP, facing forward, and it was keeping him from engaging in my pelvis. So i spent the rest of the day doing spinning babies exercises to get him to move, especially once the castor oil started my contractions. There was one in particular called “Welcher’s open the brim” that as soon as I did it before bed my contractions revved up and I could feel our little guy drop down. I went to bed at 9pm, and by 12:30 I couldn’t sleep through my contractions. They felt much more like the active labor contractions I remembered from my first baby. I woke my husband up around 1am with my moaning. I called my midwife and my doula (and mom to watch my toddler) around 2am, and we decided to go ahead and meet at the birth center at 2:30.

About 5 minutes after arriving at the birth center, my water broke. I was checked and was dilated to 6cm, 90% effaced. We walked one lap around the birth center, and about 3 contractions later I got into the birth tub, more for pain management than anything. My first contraction in the tub, I felt like I needed to push. 2 more contractions and my midwife checked me again, said “you must be fully dilated because he’s at a +2 station.” Less than 2 hours of active/transition labor, and 45 minutes and 3 or 4 contractions to go from 6cm to 10cm.

Our little Owen was born at 4:54am, May 20th. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt, getting through those contractions and pushing a baby out. I had several moments of wanting to quit, I even said “I don’t want to do this.” But I had a wonderful team that encouraged me through it. I’m so blessed to have had the natural birth (and a water birth at that) that I have always wanted, even if it was literally at the last possible second. 😅💙

Owen Edward, 7lbs 14oz, 22in long. Made us wait until the last moment to make his appearance.