When I found out I was pregnant with my second baby just 13 months after having my first, I knew I wanted to do things a little differently this time around. With my son, Sawyer, I was overdue and so anxious to meet “pie baby” (we didn’t know the gender). Because of that, I decided an induction was the perfect solution. After 18 hours of labor with three of those hours spent pushing, I knew I wanted the birth of my second baby to be brought on naturally.
Fast forward nine months, and I couldn’t believe how unsure I was about labor. Was that a true contraction? Is this painful enough to be labor? Should I call my husband from work? Because my first labor was spent only having Pitocin contractions, I wasn’t sure what a true contraction was like!
The weekend before my due date, my husband, Michael, was off work, and my doctor was on call. I wanted so badly to have the baby that weekend. We walked, played outside, completed yard work and did some last minute shopping—all with the hopes of having our “team green” baby arrive while my husband was off.
Saturday morning at about 5 a.m., I was having contractions that were often enough to make me time them but not overly painful. When a few of them stopped me in my tracks—I knew it was time to go in. After our arrival we found out that I was 2 cm and contracting irregularly, so they sent us to walk the halls.
By the time our doctor arrived to check my progress, I was at a 4, and my contractions had slowed. She said I had two options: I could stay and receive Pitocin, or I could leave and let labor come on naturally. I had a baby shower to attend in a half hour, and I didn’t want to miss it. So, off we went, leaving the hospital still very pregnant!
Our day went on, and I had a few contractions here and there—but nothing too alarming—so I prepared to be pregnant for a few more days.
