She’s finally here! ( Birth story)

I truly thought I’d be pregnant forever but she finally made her appearance on 11.22.19 at 4:11 pm. Due date was 11.20.19.

On the 21st I started having someone regular contractions around 7 or 8 at night. I was feeling extremely upset that nothing I did was helping me progress (I’d been 1 cm 50% effaced for 4 weeks). I didn’t walk at all that day but bounced on a yoga ball a little. My contractions were coming between 6-9 minutes apart but then they’d stop for about 15 minutes then pick up at the same pace. I’m a FTM so I didn’t think I was in labor yet. Around 1:30 am on the 22nd the contractions were still coming in those intervals but felt way more painful to the point I was close to tears (I have a fairly high pain tolerance). I then called the hospital and they told me to come in and get checked just in case. I lived an hour away and was at the hospital by 3 am. During that short period my contractions came every 3 minutes consistently (which also showed on the contraction reader when I got admitted). I was 3 cm when they checked me but I had to be 4 cm to stay admitted. They offered for me to walk around L&D for 2 hours and they could check me again to see if I had progressed. I walked around with my boyfriend and sure enough when I got checked again I was 5 cm! By then I was in quite a lot of pain. I continued to walk around the hospital and had my boyfriend start making calls to family and friends saying I was in labor. Within one more hour I was already at 6 cm. They offered to break my water to speed up the process but I waited until family arrived 2 hours later. When they broke my water however, her head was already so low that it didn’t really break. It just trickled a little and that’s it. My contractions then came one minute apart back to back. I was trying for a natural birth but the pain was so intense since her head was so low. Around 1 pm I tapped out and asked for an epidural. I took a 2 hour nap afterwards. Woke around 3:30 pm. I then kept a peanut yoga ball in between my legs in bed until 4 when they checked me again. They told me I was at 9 and a half cm & 100% effaced and her head was already sitting right there ready for me to push. By 4:11 she was in my arms with only 7 pushes. Being a FTM I was so scared about delivery and labor and epidurals and NOTHJNG went as planned but I couldn’t be more happy with how everything went.

To everyone who is feeling defeated and as if they’ll never give birth, you will. And it will all be worth it. Your time will come soon.

Kaylyn Amiyah Warford 7 pounds 4 oz