I remember when searching for "birth stories" and "labor stories" during my pregnancy I never found any really detailed stories with how the contractions were, what went on in their heads, how it felt, etc. So a few days after Ryan's birth I actually sat down and wrote out her whole birth story, in which I will explain in two parts: this part included the beginning labor portion with my contractions, and the second part is what all happened as she was arriving in this world (after I was given the epidural).
It all started November 22nd, Ryan's due date. I finally was trying to go to sleep early, and actually fall asleep in my own bed with my boyfriend that night; for the last couple of months being pregnant I was actually sleeping in another room due to insomnia and general sleep problems due to pregnancy. I laid down around 11:45 pm but was having some pains that felt like gas in my stomach. Once midnight struck on the 22nd my pains intensified, they were sharp, period-like cramping. I knew automatically that these were nothing I felt, and that early labor contractions were starting, They were coming about every 10 minutes. I was restless after that. I went into another room to try and sleep, but my contractions were so painful (oh, how much more painful they could get!) I couldn't sleep through them, I couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did. They kept getting worse, and the pain sharpened and radiated down like a lightning bolt (much like "lightning crotch", but worse). I remembered hearing about laying in the bath as long as your water did not break so I decided to lay in the bath. I woke up Shawn to tell him that contractions have started and that I am going to lay in the bath to delay the pain. Once I got in the bath my contractions felt so much better. Shawn kept me company in the bathroom and timed them for me on my app. They started coming every three minutes.
I remembered that when they came around five minutes apart that you're supposed to go to the hospital. So I decided to wait it out a little longer and around 5am decided to call up my doctor - in which she told me to come just to get checked. I got dressed, told Shawn to grab the hospital bag just in case. I used the bathroom and had my "bloody show", I already was losing my mucous plug a week or two prior to this happening.
the baby's personal hospital bag
Since it was the middle of the night we had to go through the emergency center, where I walked upstairs to the triage center. As a new mom, you don't know what is good and what is bad, and at this point I thought I was just having horrible pains, but didn't realize that if I could walk through them they aren't that bad; but of course I didn't realize how much worse it could get when I was in active labor hours later. The doctor checked me, I was only 2cm dilated... a week ago at my checkup I was 1cm dilated 90% effaced. They told me I was not in active labor so just to go home and come back when my contractions were so bad I couldn't walk through them or talk through them, as well as when they are five minutes apart for two hours straight. After that I was livid, how can I deal with this pain for two hours straight, my contractions were already coming three minutes apart and I remember saying to my mom "these things actually get worse?!".
Luckily by the time I got home after eating a little and getting something to drink my contractions slowed back down to 10 minutes apart and didn't seem as bad. I was able to take a nap for an hour, waking up at 11am from another contraction. It wasn't too long after that before they started getting closer & closer together. Around 2-3 pm my mom asked if I wanted to go to Ikea to walk around as walking was supposed to boost labor. At this point I was sitting on a big yoga ball for comfort and to boost labor as well. After a while though I could no longer sit there & have a contraction, I only felt slightly comfortable while standing during a contraction. Literally I had to stand, slightly bent with my hands trying to hold my 9 month belly up during a contraction each time. I told my mom I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around Ikea, and was afraid my water would break in the store causing much embarrassment. However, I did tell her that she can drive me down a cobblestone road which was an old wives tale that it will boost labor (it actually worked for me!). We drove me down this bumpy road and almost instantly my contractions got stronger and were timed four minutes apart. The bumps helped a little with the pain, but I was still grunting and arching my back through every contraction. It also felt a little better to push my hands on anything I could get them on, like the seat in front of me. Shawn asked if I wanted to go to the hospital around 4pm and I said I still want to wait until 5pm just in case they send me home again. I'd much rather go through this pain in the comfort of my own home, then the hospital beds hooked up to all of the equipment.
My contractions came strong, and the pain was nothing I could have imagined... I was prepared as all I read was "period like cramps" consistently while googling what I would feel when labor started. Period like cramps is not what it felt like for me, I can't really explain it in good terms, especially for those who are first time parents as I am... all I can think about it now is that it was a sharp radiating pain that felt as if the baby's head was going down the canal (she wasn't). I wasn't really grumpy, I wasn't yelling and I wasn't pissed off at Shawn like I honestly thought I would be. I remember after every contraction I was totally relaxed again, and forgot all about the pain I just had. I even remember wishing they would come back when they were gone so I knew that the baby would be here sooner than later. After a while the standing didn't work for me anymore and I had to sit back on the couch, arch my back while pushing on the couch or Shawn's hands. Shawn was very supportive, reminding me to breath through each contraction (it was hard) and helped me with whatever I needed.
At 5 I told myself I would wait until 6, and when 6 came around I said I would wait until 7. In the moment of a contraction it felt like forever, but the whole day honestly flew by when I looked back on it at 7pm (19 hours since my first contraction).
We headed to the hospital again, and this time I got frustrated any time Shawn hit a bump in the road. In triage they told me I was 3cm dilated, I just remember thinking only three goddamn centimeters?! I asked when is the soonest I can get an epidural, and luckily for me I was able to get it as soon as the anesthesiologist came in after being called. They rolled me to my personal L&D room, not even 15 minutes later he was coming in to give me my epidural. Everyone had to leave the room besides us two and the nurse, and I had to sit still (the hardest thing to do while having contractions) in an "indian style" position. There was a little prick from the numbing needle, I felt pressure but not pain from the epidural needle itself & after that I felt nothing.
