My Ob scheduled me for an induction at 39w3d 11/13 because baby was big and she didn't want her getting much bigger because of my size. I was scheduled to come in at 7am. I had already been 5cm dilated for a couple weeks so I didn't think it would take too long.

I'm a FTM so I had no idea what to expect. That night I had trouble sleeping, per usual during the last couple weeks of my pregnancy. Around 5 I felt a trickle that I couldnt stop, but nothing I hadn't felt before. I just assumed it was normal discharge. I got up and grabbed a new pair of underwear and went to go pee. Once the flow started I could stop it. I stood up and a gush of clear liquid came pouring out. I was in disbelief so I sat back down and stood back up and it happened again!

I woke my husband up and he was so calm. I hopped in the shower as he loaded our bags and heated up the car. We only live 10 minutes away and I was only having some cramping, no contractions yet.

I immediately get admitted and started having contractions as soon as I changed into the gown. They were pretty intense and about 4 minutes apart. They checked me and at this point I was 6cm dilated. As a FTM I wanted to see how far I could get without an epidural, and at this point it was manageable, even when the intensity picked up a bit. After an hour they checked me again and I hadnt made any more progress nor were the contractions getting any closer together so they decided to start me on a low pitocen drip. OMG the contractions not only got more intense, but were now 30-60 seconds apart. I was falling apart. My husband tried his best to keep me composed and comfortable, but I was unable to catch my breath between contractions and started having a panic attack. At this point I knew for myself, our sweet baby girl, and my husband who was in tears at the pain I was in, I needed to get the epidural.

As soon as I got the epidural, INSTANT RELIEF. I was able to take a nap. When I woke up I instantly felt a crazy amount of pressure. I called the nurse who checked me and said it was show time! She grabbed a few other nurses and we did some practice pushes. They had me push until her head was visibly staying in the canal and then called the doctor who took it from there. This OB was not my typical OB, but he did AMAZING. All of the hospital staff were so encouraging and helpful. I pushed her out in 45 minutes. The feelings and emotions that overcame me when she was flung onto my chest were debilitating. My husband and I broke down into tears of joy and amazement. I will never forget this day when our beautiful baby girl entered into this world. From start to finish, my labor was only 7.5 hours!