After being immersed in birth and motherhood culture for the last 5 years, I believed that I knew what I was getting into. I mean, this was my 6th pregnancy and hopefully third healthy baby.

To say, I had no idea what this pregnancy would bring would be an understatement. After loosing my third pregnancy due to an incompetent cervix, we needed some intervention in the form of a cerclage to keep my healthy babies baking longer.

birthing mother leaning on bed breathing through birth contractions

Unexpected

Naturally, I assumed that would be the case again. Well that was the first major difference. Meeting with my high risk specialist, we discussed options and followed our usual plan, to monitor my cervix and intervene if needed. My body must have learned that is was supposed to keep the baby safe in the womb longer, because I never needed it. (I will add here that I chose not to take progesterone this time on a hunch that is reacted differently with my body than it was supposed to.)

Then there was the fact that this little bundle moved differently. My prior pregnancies would kick and punch and somersault all over. This baby decided that she didn’t want to kick and punch, she wanted to only squirm. My mother called it swimming. Overall, I loved feeling her move this way, but this kind of movement is also harder to feel so I would worry often that she wasn’t moving. Thankfully she was okay and just being different than her siblings.

Finally it came time to prepare for birth. Even with having written birth plans in the past and even creating a birth plan template for other mamas, I procrastinated yet again to write this one. I even procrastinated on packing my hospital bag. I procrastinated so bad that it wasn’t until the first night I took my family into the hospital, thinking I was in labor, that I finally made a list and had my husband grab it all. Oops.

Is it Time?

Well, the day of my baby shower (my 36th week - cutting it a bit close I know), I had steady contractions all day. After having braxton hicks most of my pregnancy I knew these were different, but since I had prodromal labor with my son, I was not trusting in my body to say much about it. Until on our way home I started to time them and discovered they were consistently at 5 minutes apart.

Hopeful, I drug my husband, mother, father in law and children to the hospital to see if this was it. The nurse came in and informed me I was dilated to a 2. Now, those of you who have followed my blog and read about my sons birth know that I was stuck at a 2 for 9 whole days with him. So this news dropped my heart. I did not want to do this again.

Of course, I wanted this baby to stay put another 2 or more weeks to develop more but I also did not believe I could handle weeks of steady, painful contractions again. Not with two small children running around needing their mama.

All the wires and cords of being monitored while in labor walking around

Needless to say, they sent me home yet again - stuck at a damn 2.

Contractions continued in a painful, steady manor for 5 more days. Impatiently waiting for my last baby to come, I again tried anything I knew to do to help my body either progress or relax.

On day 5, as I affectionately told my family, I was rage cleaning my house. They all said it was “nesting.” You know that sweet and crazy thing us moms do where we clean our home and do all the fun things like decorate a nursery in preparation of our little ones arrival. I am here to tell you this was NO nesting. This was rage cleaning. I was exhausted, my body hurt, my mind was a mess, my house a disaster and I needed to get rid of my whole house. I rage cleaned 5 rooms and did 16 loads of laundry. (Why does any house have this much laundry?)

babys big sister providing counter pressure for back labor

My Water Broke

Well something in this cleaning frenzy must have worked because at 4:10 in the morning, I awoke to a strange sensation up in my girly parts. So I went to the bathroom to see what was going on. I barely made it there before water was gushing out - my water broke.

What was this? My water had never broken before and so I legitimately didn’t know what to do. My body didn’t feel ready to push and my contractions were the same as they had been. So I called my doctor.

They wanted me to head in. On the way, I called my birth photographer, DeAnna owner of Mama Dee’s Birth Photography, and my mother. With my experience of crazy fast labor with my son, we agreed everyone would meet us there. This time, I was dilated to 4. Oh my this had to be it, and yet something just didn’t feel the same.

My contractions had STOPPED.

What the heck right? I had been having so many contractions for so many days and now - not a one. Not even a braxton hicks contraction. What on Earth was going on?

stalled labor mom having older brother breastfeed to help start labor

Getting Things Going

We waited for a few hours and with very few contractions at all, I agreed to pitocin. This was something I really wanted to avoid. I have heard many stories of pitocin and wanted no part of it. But here we were, hours into “labor” with little to no contractions to speak of.

They started me on a small drip of pitocin but that did nothing.

So up the dose.

Still nothing.Up the dose.

Now it kicked in.

Instantly, my contractions were hard and only 2 minutes apart.

detail photo of mothers belly right before birth

This was it.

Be sure to check in to read part 2 on Friday.

I’d love to hear about your birthing experience in the comments or in a message. If you are ready to start a conversation about having a maternity, newborn or motherhood session, please contact me.

All images in this blog were taken by the talented and sweet DeAnna of Mama Dee’s Birth Photography. Read all about the photographers view of this birth on her blog.