The moment I’d been waiting for for 39 weeks was finally here! It was 8:30pm on Tuesday evening & my water just broke all over my kitchen floor! I yelled to my husband who came running around the corner to my aid, towel in hand and says “we are going to the hospital!”

Now, I’d recommend to anyone, have your hospital bag(s) packed ahead of time. I packed ours when I was 36 weeks pregnant (just in case) & let me tell you, there’s enough to think about once your water has broke, it’s not ideal to have to be running around the house grabbing things !

So we get to the hospital (and I swear my water broke again on the 20 min drive) and upstairs we go. They hand me paperwork to fill out, while I’m having slight contractions & I’ll admit, it was a good distraction from the slight pain. Once that was complete, it was off to the ‘waiting area,’ where they put 1000 pads underneath me and hooked me up to monitors. I felt like a superhero getting strapped in, as they put one monitor snug sound my baby belly.
Now, on Monday I had a cervix swab done and I was 2cm dilated. Given that I was still only 2cm, I may be sent home, but was encouraged to walk around first (walking can induce labour). During my pregnancy, all I did was walk! 6-8 hours a day, 5 times a week (waitress), so I loved walking ! In fact, I always felt more comfortable being on my feet. The uncomfortable part was when I laid down. Anyway, I got off the bed to go for my walk and bam! A strong contraction hit me! I took note of the time and started walking again! Not even 5 minutes had passed and bam! another strong contraction. I’d never felt anything like this, but knew to take them one contraction at a time.

When the nurse came back to check on me, I was 4cm dilated. That solidified her decision to keep me overnight & not send me home. Thank goodness!

Funny moment: I had a cold cloth on my forehead to keep me cool during contractions. My husband was lying on the floor on a yoga mat, resting. A STRONG contraction hit & I whipped the cloth from my forehead & it landed smack on his face! The funny part was, he thought for a split second he had just got hit in the face with the 1000 pads they had put under me. He lost his beans for a second and was relieved to notice it was only the damp cloth. He told me about it after my contraction had passed & I’ve never laughed so hard!

Time passed & I decided I wanted the epidural. The nurse checked & since I was less than 6cm dilated, I could have it. Off she went to get the IV, when I felt the sudden urge to push. I yelled ‘I want to push!’ ‘I’m pushing!’ And my husband is saying, ‘don’t push, don’t push!’ But I couldn’t help myself, it was relieving to push. The nurse came back quickly & I was ready to have our baby! That’s right, no time for an epidural so I was going to have this baby naturally!

Not going to lie, I was a little scared …first child remember?! Well, my husband and the team of nurses & doctors at the hospital were wonderful! They helped keep me focused on breathing and pushing & before I knew it, our baby was out in the world! I did it!

Seeing the look on my husband’s face when he first saw our daughter was indescribable (and it’s not just because it was 2:42am)! It’s amazing how you can have so much love for this little person the minute you see them!
As a disclaimer, don’t be afraid of having a natural birth. You’re so focused on breathing and pushing that the time just flies by & before you know it your little angel is here!

You will start to forget about those sore days post-birth & instead focus on each new day with your little one! They sure do grow quickly, so take in every minute of your new lives together!