So I was told I had an irritable uterus around 28 weeks, so I'd been having relatively uncomfortable contractions from then on, but they weren't awful. Around 34 weeks I went to the hospital for some really intense period like cramping and when they hooked me to the monitor I had been contracting 3-5 minutes, but they sent me home because everything was okay, I wasn't dilated and still high and thick. At 37 weeks exactly I went back in for some really painful contractions 2-3 minutes apart. They told me it definitely looked like early labor but I wasn't progressing at all as far as dilation or effacement, so once again I got sent home. I started taking evening primrose oil in hopes that my cervix would ripen. I went in for an appointment two days later, and I was pleasantly surprised to have dilated to 2cm completely effaced! My doctor told me I should go into labor within the next few days. I went home and started noticing the contractions I'd been having we're a bit more intense, but I figured it wasn't anything significant so I took a bath. I was getting out when I realized I'd lost my mucous plug in the shower! I tried to take a nap but the pain started to really get to me, so I called my mom who convinced me to go back to the hospital. So I called my doctor and he told me to come in, and when I did I had dilated to 3 so they kept me! They broke my water shortly after, and I got an epidural. Within 25 minutes I was already fully dilated! So I started pushing and she was born 50 minutes later at 7:35 January 19th weighing 6.6lbs 19 inches long. My doctor gave me an episiotomy for some reason so I'm extremely sore, and can barely function normally, but she's well worth all the pain. She's my little rainbow baby, she's my little everything 💕