I was due February 1st and that same day I started feeling contractions that were 6 minutes on average 2 minutes long and for an hour. The app I was using the time them said to start getting ready and then they just disappeared. I started losing my mucus plug but didn’t think anything of it because it doesn’t mean much for most women. I had an induction date set for the 8th and I thought that was the day. Boy was I wrong. February 2nd I wake up around 11 and I realize there wasn’t much movement but i decided to give it time and try to kick count. I start getting inconsistent cramps and once again, I didn’t think anything of it because I was told about the 5-1-1 rule. They were 10 minutes sometimes, 15 and even 5 minutes apart. I decide to call labor and delivery about the movement and they said to go in. She had low fluids as expected and my blood pressure was a little high due to the “Braxton Hicks”. They said there’s no way they’re letting me leave with those numbers so I call my bf and tell him they’re going to induce me so he should start heading to the hospital. I notice as they’re making me sign paperwork and telling me what’s going to happen that my “Braxton Hicks” are becoming consistent and becoming real contractions. We head upstairs and they’re becoming super uncomfortable so I ask for epidural right away. By the time she gets there it’s around 5 minutes later and I cannot wait for this epidural. They check me and I’m 5 cm already. They mess up the epidural so they try again and again andddd again. The pain is getting too much to bare too fast. I go from silently dealing with them, Breathing through them heavily, complaining loudly to crying. All while I had to sit super still. Contractions were a minute apart and I could not catch a break. The few seconds I had in-between felt like ABSOLUTE EUPHORIA. The lady doing the epidural told the doctor to check my cervix again because she saw me pushing, I didn’t notice it and the thought of having this baby naturally absolutely terrified me!! They finally get it in the 5th time and she said I have to give it at least 15 minutes to work, at that point im crying out loud and I feel myself pushing and can’t help it. They check me and I’m 8 cm. (Keep in mind this is like only 30 minutes later) They keep telling me to stop pushing because I’m going to swell my cervix and make delivery worse. I continue to push and at this point I am screaming at the top of my lungs with contractions never ending. My bf is grabbing my hand and is begging me to stop pushing and just breathe through it. I feel myself poop (lol gross) so I let the nurse know and she’s cleaning me up and I continue to push and scream at the top of my lungs in absolute pain, just like those dramatic birth scenes in the movies. I keep trying to talk through them and tell them it’s burning really badly. The nurse grabs me and starts screaming “call the doctor, baby is coming” I am so freaked out because I cannot believe I am doing this all natural. I thought I was going to have time until the epidural kicked in since they kept telling me I was only 8cm. I keep pushing out of instinct and it’s like I cannot control it. People rush in and I push 3 times and she pops out.

I honestly never in my life thought that I could have a natural birth. I felt those contractions and I knew right away I wanted a epidural immediately. I didn’t want to deal with the pain, I didn’t even want to attempt it.

Meet baby girl Violet Marisol Rodriguez. She was honestly so worth it but I feel absolutely traumatized from the entire experience. My placenta got stuck to my uterus and two doctors took turn shoving their arms in me to try and detach it. I’m getting small contractions now as my uterus goes back down and I feel like it’s giving me ptsd.