Chronicles of J + M: Bennett's Birth Story

This photo recaps the active labor part of Bennett's arrival. I was actually in labor for 48 hours prior to the active labor starting. I had these slight contractions (felt like menstrual cramps) about every 10 minutes for two days, but they never intensified until Thursday afternoon.

My mom and Jessica arrived on Wednesday night. My mom thought for sure that I was going to go into labor that night. We spent Thursday going for a walk outside then walking through the entire mall. Looking back, I kind of wish I would have rested but maybe that was what brought on my labor. The cramps started to get a little stronger after lunch that day. I also started to notice that I felt like I needed to pee every time a contraction came. I had a slight thought that maybe my water had torn and I was leaking but I wasn't for sure. I called my doctor at around 4pm and talked to the nurse. She said to wait it out a little because she wasn't sure if my water had broke or if it was the baby pushing on my bladder. We watched some tv at home, had some pizza for dinner and tried to play some cards. During the card game I realized I was too uncomfortable to sit in a chair (labor was progressing!). I started timing my contractions then. They were still pretty irregular so I tried to get some sleep, but wasn't able to fall asleep. I labored at home (in the nursery so Jeret and my family could get some sleep). I ended up calling the on-call doctor around midnight and decided to go to the hospital. I went mainly to check if my water had broken because my pains were still not regular. I think they were about every 5 minutes but only lasting about 45 seconds.

We arrived at the hospital and the staff was so gracious and comforting. They first checked if my water had broken and it had! They strapped me to a monitor and I was contracting every 4-5 minutes but they were not too intense. They said that I would be admitted because of the risk of infection after my water has broken. They didn't check my dilation because of the same risk of infection. I got all set up in my room and labored on my own for a few hours. At around 2 or 3am I asked the doctor to check me. I was 5cm, woo hoo!!

I spent a lot of my labor on all fours and also leaning over the labor ball. I can tell you that it was not too bad. I did try the shower but I didn't like how slippery it was. We also tried a hot pack on my lower back but that induced me to projectile vomit all of the floor (never expected that)! Jeret was so helpful throughout my entire labor. What a guy! I could not have done it without him. He rubbed my lower back through every contraction. It eased the pain SO MUCH!

I started getting REALLY uncomfortable. I can not explain the pain. The contractions were SO STRONG and right on top of each other. I felt so out of control. I asked them to check me again and I was 9cm. I thought to myself, "Can I endure this pain any longer?" I decided right then and there that I needed the epidural. The pain was incredible. Looking back, I probably could have managed but I am glad that I went with the epidural. I was able to relax and enjoy the birth of my baby boy. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking: