I have to start by saying this is MY story, and it’s just a story. It’s not my opinion on how anyone else should give birth. I made my own choices, and I believe every mama is entitled to her own choices as well! When I write Milo’s birth story, you’ll see that my decisions changed quite a bit based on the circumstances. Every labor is different, every mama is strong!

Sammy turns 2-and-a-half at the end of this month, so technically this post is verrrry late! I wrote all the details in a journal shortly after he was born, but I’m just now making the story public. It’s been fun to go back and remember all the moments and feelings. I hope you enjoy reading it!

I’ve been very blessed to have experienced two normal, healthy, complication-free pregnancies. Both Sammy and Milo were “easy” to carry… ahem. That being said, I do not enjoy being pregnant! My body feels awkward and puffy, maternity clothes don’t look chic on me like they do on some mamas-to-be, and it felt like both boys decided to grow into my rib cage instead of my uterus. Breathing was difficult, especially in the 3rd trimester. Carrying Sammy though the hot southern spring and summer was torture! I would randomly have miserable hot flashes, even when I was in air conditioned buildings all day. In hindsight, I wish I had taken advantage of living near the beach and jumped in the Atlantic to cool off!

Sammy is a rainbow baby. It’s not something I discuss often, although I’m trying to be more open about it. We found out I was pregnant the first time in June 2015, and I miscarried on my birthday in July. It was a very brief pregnancy, but as anyone who has dealt with losing a baby can understand, that pain never disappears completely.

When we found out I was pregnant with Sammy in October 2015, it took several months for me to let my guard down and become excited again. Once we heard his tiny heartbeat, we were ecstatic! I think we bought all his nursery furniture that weekend! My husband was already predicting a boy long before my 20-week ultrasound, and he was over-the-moon excited when we found out Sammy was on the way.

In my third trimester, I made the decision to switch doctors so that I could deliver in a hospital that had a higher rate of natural childbirths. Long story short, I was working full time and hadn’t really given much thought to how I would deliver. After watching “The Business of Being Born” on Netflix and taking a natural birthing class from doula friends, my husband and I decided that we would do everything in our power to have a natural birth. My husband has a medical background from college, so he was excited to take on the role of birth coach. He wanted to be completely involved! He did an amazing job being my advocate in the hospital. I don’t think I would have gone through with an all-natural birth if not for his complete support. He knew I could do it, and he pushed me through the transition when I wanted to give up!

My due date was July 29th. We had a doctor appointment on the 28th, and I was only 2 cm. dilated, but 90% effaced! My back had been bothering me all day, but I assumed it was just typical pregnancy pain. We decided to get dinner at a local steakhouse and then catch a movie to keep our minds off the baby. During the movie, my back pain started increasing and decreasing at random intervals. Still thinking it was nothing serious, I mostly ignored it and tried to stay comfortable.

Now, if you’ve had back labor before you can probably guess what happens next! Being a newbie, I didn’t recognize it. I was in for a long night!

We got home from our date night around 9:00pm. I felt completely wiped out, so my husband told me to go upstairs and take a shower while he locked up. I made it up the stairs and into our bedroom before feeling like I just came down with the worst sort of stomach flu. Everything I ate for dinner came back up, and my whole body started shaking uncontrollably. Because I had been in labor without knowing it, I was already entering the transition stage! I managed to call my mom who was on stand-by, and when she heard what was happening she told me we needed to head to the hospital.

We arrived around 10:30pm, and I’m telling you… that was the worst 20 minute car ride of my life! I was still experiencing violent shaking, so the nurses suggested putting me into an “active rest”. They gave me a relaxant drug to calm down my body so I could breathe correctly. I don’t remember much about that night except my husband being a watch dog at the door so the nurses didn’t break my concentration through contractions! My pain tolerance is high as long as I can focus without interruption. Every 2-3 hours I stood in the shower to try relieving the back labor. Every time I went into the shower my contractions kicked into high gear, but lengthened out again after I cooled off.

Around 9:00am the nurses checked on me and said it would probably be another 2-3 hours before I would be ready to push. Sensing my discouragement, my husband suggested that I try the shower one more time. This time I only lasted 2 minutes! As soon as the hot water hit my back, I felt Sammy’s body descend completely. Terrified that I was going to give birth in the shower, I yelled for help to get back to the bed!

Being the superhero that he is, my husband decided to check for himself and see what was going on. All I remember was that he told me not to move (like I was going anywhere?) and ran out of the room. He was back a few minutes later with the nurse, who looked very skeptical! She did a check, and then suddenly hit the emergency button to bring my doctor into the room! 15 minutes and 5 pushes later, and Sammy came screaming into our world! My doctor arrived just in time to catch him. I found out later that when my husband checked me, he saw the whole top of Sammy’s head and flew out of the room to get the nurses! They thought he was being a typical new dad and overreacting, so they didn’t take him seriously. Once they came into the room, they were shocked at how fast I had dilated!

Sammy arrived on his due date, at 10:00 AM on the dot, weighing exactly 7 pounds, and measuring exactly 21 inches. We laugh about particular he was, and how it matches his picky personality today!

Tell me about your labor in the comments! Did you have back labor? Did you have an epidural? Did you labor at home before going to the hospital?