The night of our anniversary I began to have some uncomfortable contractions at about 12:00 a.m., but I just went to sleep. I awoke at 2:00 a.m. and stayed up for a couple of hours, watching a movie. I then decided I didn't want to go into labor in the middle of the night, and I went to bed.
Contractions continued the next day, on and off, but not consistent enough to bother the midwife. I would even go hours without any contractions, but I kept losing a lot of mucus. After a two hour nap I called my husband and he thought I should at least call the midwife and ask. They had me come into the office since I was a week away from my due date. The nurses said that there was no way I was in labor and when the midwife saw me she too thought I wasn't in labor. When she checked me I was five or six centimeters dilated. I had my two-year-old with me and no overnight bag, but she made me go to the hospital. I thought she was wrong, because it didn't feel like labor at all.
My labor continued that way until I was about eight or nine centimeters dilated. My labor then turned intense, but I still did not need any drugs. It was wonderful. I pushed for over two hours but I could not get the baby over the cervical lip. That part was torture. She got stuck after her head came out and several people came running in and pushed my husband aside. They got her out, but her collar bone broke and she was very bruised on her face. Little did we know she was ten pounds and five ounces!
I hope all of my labors are as great in the future, but pushing could get better and shorter. Of course future babies could also be smaller.
