A bit of backstory: my husband and i have been ttc since 2014 and since then we have experienced 5 first trimester losses. We were absolutely ecstatic when this pregnancy went full term.

So my due date was 18th of December and I had been taking red raspberry leaf tea tablets since 36 weeks as well as going for long walks and doing labour inducing exercises since 39 weeks.

On sunday 29th December at 6 am i was awoken with mild period type cramps that came every 15 to 20 minutes. I was excited and relieved that i wont have to be induced the next day but the pains never progressed they remained the same the whole of Sunday. I went to bed but didnt sleep too well due to the mild pains.

At 8.30am on Monday 30th December i went to the hospital for my induction appointment as nothing had progressed. There the midwife checked me saying i was 1 cm dilated and inserted a pessary to get things moving. My husband and i went to the park for a walk to pass time and by 2pm the pains really started to intensify. By 6pm the pains were coming ever 2 to 3 minutes and were unbearable, i could hardly walk.

My older sister called the maternity ward for me as i could hardly talk and they told us to come in. I went with my husband and sister. The midwife checked me again and i thought i would be about 7cm because of how intense and close the pains were. I was absolutely horrified when the midwife told me i was still only 1cm dilated 😭😭😭😭 I could not believe it!

I was told to go home as i only lived a 10 min drive away and come back in 3 hours at 10pm.

I have no idea how i passed those 3 hours, i was dying and so confused how i was still 1cm. When we came back at 10 and was checked, i was 4 to 5cm dilated and admitted into the delivery suite. The midwife hooked me up to a machine and i remember her saying to another midwife she is having too many contractions shes not getting a break. So they took the pessary out of me and gave me an injection to slowdown the contractions. I was determined not to get an epidural so i asked for gas and air. I have to say the gas and air really helped in that it took my mind off the pain. I was managing ok on that until 3am when they checked me again and i was still only 4 cm dilated 😭😭😭😭 so they broke my waters and the pain instantly intensified even more. Gas and air just wasnt doing it anymore so i gave in and asked for the epidural. It took two hours for the anaesthesiologist to come give me the epidural and another half an hour to actually get it in me as i wasnt able to sit still from the pain.

Once the epidural was in, it felt amazing the pain slowly disappearing. I could finally relax and breath! I was checked again at 5am and had dilated to 9cm! I was so happy i thought not long left now. My sister had to go home so it was just my husband with me.

The midwife told me to try and nap but i wasnt allowed to eat anything. I was sooo knackered but i couldn't sleep because i kept trembling, my teeth were chattering. When i asked the midwife about it she said that's a normal side effect of epidural. Also i was sick twice!

I wish i could say things progressed quickly but It took me another 5 hours to dilate to 10cm and i didnt get any sleep because of the trembling. Finally at 10pm i was told i can start to push and that it might take time because babys head was in an awkward position. I had no energy from no sleep and not having eaten anything but i gave it everything i had. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. After 2 hours of pushing nothing was happening and the midwife called the doctor who said that baby is stressed his heart rate is going down and they are going to try forceps, if those dont work then c section. I was so exhausted at this point that i didnt even react, i just nodded, i just wanted my baby out!!

The forceps didnt work so they got me ready for c-section, it all happened so quickly witbin 10 minutes i heard crying, my son was born at 12.33pm 31st December weighing 7lbs 2ounces and perfectly healthy. My husband and I cried as soon as we heard our sons cries. We waited so long for him and he is perfect.

I just want to say thank you if you read this far along and i also want to tell those who are struggling to conceive that please dont ever give up hope! God has blessed me after 5 years and several losses.

Also i never thought i would get an epidural or have a c section, i wanted to have as much of a natural birth as possible but that didn't happen. My birth plan went out the window. Im just glad my son is here and healthy!