37+ Hours of Labor and Delivery: My Birth Story

Post Updated: December 27, 2023

If you haven’t already, make sure you read my pregnancy story first! Click HERE to read it!

Now let’s get into labor and delivery! Possibly the LONGEST part of this whole pregnancy!

The Final Stretch of Pregnancy

At 38 weeks pregnant, I woke up on a Sunday and I was spotting.

Later that same day, I lost my mucus plug.

I read that losing your mucus plug was a sure sign that labor was on the way so I knew I had to start preparing for this baby to come out at any moment!

The next day, I had a scheduled appointment with my OBGYN.

I told him how I had started spotting but I didn’t feel any pain yet.

The nurse hooked me up to a monitor that measured contractions and while I could not feel anything, the nurse told me that yes I WAS having some light contractions.

After, I was checked to see if I was dilated.

This has to be one of the most uncomfortable things that they do during your labor. I hate it!

I was not dilated. He did however become concerned when he looked at his hand and thought there may be a leak in the amniotic sac.

The First Trip to the Labor and Delivery Unit

I was sent to the hospital to do further testing that they could not do at their office.

By now it’s around 5pm and I was starving! My mom picked me up and bought me food so I figured I would try and scarf it down before arriving to the hospital.

The car ride from the doctor’s office to the hospital was the WORST!

All I kept thinking was I was not ready to have this baby. Oh, and I had not yet packed my hospital bag!

I was only 38 weeks pregnant, I really thought I had more time.

How they test for leaks in the amniotic sac – they take one of those large swabs and gently insert it into your vagina and then test it for traces of amniotic fluid. Pretty simple and painless.

While waiting for results, the nurse told me that if it comes back positive for traces of fluid that I would have to be admitted, otherwise, I could go home.

Test results were negative and I was free to go. I was told to monitor my bleeding and to come in right away if it became heavier or if I started to feel pain.

When I got home I should’ve packed my hospital bag, but I was so tired I went to bed and said I’d do it the next day.

The Start of a VERY LONG Labor

Tuesday 3am. The window was open and it was FREEZING in the bedroom.

I started feeling mild cramping but I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.

I woke up again and by now it’s 8am. I could not find a comfortable position to save my life.

Now, to say our bodies sometimes do strange things is an understatement.

In the middle of contractions my body said “We need to poop and now!”

I went to the bathroom a good 5 or 6 times so I spared myself the embarrassment shitting myself mid push during delivery.

Which by the way, is completely normal and you should not be embarrassed if it happens!

But that was a fear of mine!

After I literally had nothing left in my insides, I quickly jumped in the shower.

I figured I might as well start preparing for baby to come and I was NOT about to deliver a baby without having showered!

The contractions weren’t getting stronger but they were getting closer.

After I got dressed, I crawled right back in bed and called the doctor’s office.

“Go to the hospital, you’re about to have a baby!”

And Back to Labor and Delivery We Go

I called my boyfriend and told him he needed to come get me because we needed to go to the hospital right away!

I packed my hospital bag (finally) and was ready to go!

My water still did not break at this point. I thought it was odd but didn’t think too much of it.

I was hoping it did not break while I was fully clothed!

Once we arrived at the labor and delivery unit, they hooked me up to the monitor to check my contractions. The nurses had me walk around the unit to see if I would dilate.

They told me that if I wasn’t dilating, they would send me home. I walked around for a good hour or longer and nothing.

I know all pregnancies are different, so I’m not sure why I thought I was going to get to the hospital and just push out a baby within an hour. Man was I WRONG!

They really wanted to send me home – I was not dilating, nothing was progressing so mentally I was prepared to leave.

They decided to test once again to see if there was a leak in the amniotic sac and this time the results came back positive meaning I was getting admitted!

Getting Admitted to labor and delivery 

The nurse was getting the supplies ready to start an IV. I looked at her and asked if I really needed an IV.

She said it was in my best interest to get one so I did.

Now, I panic at the sight of needles. I told her she could put that needle anywhere BUT my hand.

She tried my right wrist. The vein was not cooperating and started bleeding everywhere. I wanted to cry.

She said she was going to try my left wrist and thankfully that one didn’t give her any issues.

By now it’s around 4pm. I remember getting up to pee and I was definitely bleeding more than the day before.

There was a shower in the bathroom and I thought maybe I could labor in the shower if I needed to like I had read about other women doing.

Wrong again!

I think I stepped foot in that bathroom twice, three times at most! This delivery was not playing out like the one I imagined in my head.

Rushing My Labor

I was at 2cm, dilating VERY slowly.

My water still had not broken and my doctor decided that he was going to break it to see if things would progress faster.

The water broke and I felt the warm fluid just splash out everywhere. It felt so gross.

They had me wait to see if I would dilate. NOPE!

I was pretty hungry and asked if I could eat something.

I was so disappointed when the doctor told me that I could only have a snack and after that I couldn’t eat until after I had the baby!

“We HaVe To LiMiT YoUr FoOd InTaKe InCaSe Of EmErGeNcY C-sEcTiOn”

Biggest crock of shit given the fact that I was in labor for OVER 37 hours. No complications, just a very slow labor, but whatever.

I was pissed

My boyfriend got me a cup of grapes with cheese and that was literally the last thing I ate until the next day.

They kept an eye on me, kept checking to see if I was dilating. NOTHING!

“I’m going to give you pitocin to hopefully speed up the process and we will take it from there.”

I had read about pitocin but I had NO IDEA what I was in for.

WHEN I SAY I WAS IN PAIN, THIS WAS THE WORST PAIN I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE!

Pitocin Made EVERYTHING Worse

I thought I was so brave and strong when I managed to get through my contractions at home with what felt like tolerable pain. I started sobbing!

This pain was UNBEARABLE. I asked if they could give me anything for it.

Whatever they gave me only worked for the first 20 minutes and then the pain was back. This lasted about 3/4 hours.

They asked me if I wanted an epidural. I didn’t. I wanted to be physically and mentally strong and not need one.

It was at that moment that everything went out the window and I could NOT take it anymore!

I felt so weak and thought I was such a failure as a woman for opting to get an epidural.

Listen to your body. If you are in PAIN and they offer you an epidural, do NOT be afraid to take it!

I tried everything to relax my body and mind and nothing worked.

Getting An Epidural and finally getting some Relief

I could barely sit up on the bed. The anesthesiologist said I could lay on my side if it was more comfortable, so I did.

He said that he needed me to be very still given that he was about to inject a needle into my spine.

The first poke that I felt, my body jerked and all I could think was oh my gosh I’m now paralyzed!

By the grace of God I was still able to move.

Thank God the anesthesiologist was such a nice man. He told me it’s ok but I needed to try and be as relaxed as possible.

I felt the needle slowly going into my spine. As painful as the thought of that is, it was nowhere near as painful as those pitocin contractions.

He told me that the needle was staying in my back because it would be slowly releasing the medication into my body that would begin to numb me from the waist down.

They taped everything down and slowly helped me lay back down in the bed.

They also put in a catheter since I was not getting up to pee anytime soon.

Slowly, I began feeling my waist then my legs go numb. It was such a relief that I could no longer feel those dreadful contractions anymore.

A nurse came in to check my cervix and of course I wasn’t dilated but I could not even feel her when she checked me!

The nurses told me that I would be staying the night.

I was not dilating fast enough to the doctor’s liking so it was certain that I was not having this baby any time soon.

The Following Morning with little progress

I didn’t get much sleep that night. I woke up each time the nurses came into the room which was every 2 hours.

They moved me around a couple times throughout the night too but baby did not want to come out.

It was a rough night. I felt so helpless as I could not move my own body and the nurses had to do everything for me.

I know it’s their job but still, I just wanted to feel normal again.

It was now morning and I was EXHAUSTED. The mental exhaustion took a toll on my body, what I could feel of my body anyway.

A nurse came in to check my cervix and I was now only 4/5 centimeters dilated.

I was so fucking over it. I needed this baby out!

My doctor was there bright and early. He was glad that I had dilated but became concerned because I was not dilating fast enough.

He said that we could wait a few hours more to see if baby decided to come out, but if I didn’t become fully dilated soon that I would have to go in for a c-section.

That was the last thing I wanted to hear.

At around noon, they checked me and told me I was about 6/7 centimeters! This was great news, we were getting closer to delivery!

The nurses began preparing all the delivery equipment.

I thought, “Perfect! I’m still numb from the epidural, I won’t be able to feel the pushing! Maybe I can spare myself of the pain everyone says is associated with delivering a baby.”

I was in for a rude awakening 

Once the equipment was set out and ready, they all left the room and nobody came back in for another hour. I was so confused.

“Why would they set up everything and then just leave?”

But I was starting to get anxious and impatient. “I thought we were getting ready to deliver the baby?!”

My boyfriend asked if it was ok for him to leave the room and go get himself something to eat and that he would be right back as soon as possible.

I told him to go ahead, and jokingly told him that by the time he came back I’m sure there would still be no baby. I was right.

He took about 30 minutes and by the time he came back, the nurses still weren’t back in the room to begin the delivery process.

I was getting annoyed.

Then finally, the doctor came in and said he was going to give me another dose of pitocin to hopefully try and speed up the process.

Fuck My Life!

Since I was numb from the epidural I figured sure why not, anything to get this baby out!

They monitored the contractions and told me that they appeared to be getting stronger.

I thought maybe now if the contractions are stronger and I am further dilated, baby would be sure to come out!

Then the unexpected happened…

THE EPIDURAL WORE OFF!