Labor Begins!…Well, Sort Of.
INTRODUCTION: This is the PART FOUR in a series of blog posts about my pregnancy and birth experience with a j-pouch. Please keep in mind that I’m not a healthcare professional (read my disclaimer for details). I cannot advise you on your medical care. I only write these blog posts to share my own experience and show that you can have a successful pregnancy and childbirth with a j-pouch. Please consult your healthcare team to find out if a natural childbirth is safe for you. Then get a second or third opinion! Do your research. NEED RESOURCES? ASK ME! I’m a firm believer in women being allowed to choose how they want their pregnancy and childbirth to go. If you’re in good health, then I don’t see any reason why you cannot give birth naturally and using the healthcare team that best suits you.
August 11, About 9:30pm – Prodromal Labor
My due date was August 12th, so naturally I got excited when I started having contractions that came approximately every 7 minutes. I never really felt a whole lot of the Braxton Hicks contractions. After timing a few of the contractions, I texted my midwife (Kristin) to tell her what was going on. She texted back, “Well, we might be seeing each other tonight. We’ll see!”
The contractions continued for hours that night and consistently appeared to be progressing, but eventually they stopped. After a brief texting exchange with my midwife, it was decided that I must be in what is called Prodromal Labor. Prodromal Labor goes by many names. One of which is “false labor”. Curses!!!
40 Weeks
And so, I’d made it to the 40 week mark. Some people and medical professionals think you shouldn’t go that far before giving birth. Many midwives, and women who’ve done their research know that not all babies or women are the same. I personally believe we should let babies develop and grow in-utero as long as things are going smoothly. Kristin would have let me go 42 weeks and 5 days before handing me off to an OB to be induced.
So, I kept waiting. Every night after beginning Prodromal Labor, I kept having Prodromal Labor contractions. It was so annoying. Not to mention exhausting. I tried everything I could think of to speed the process along, but Baby Ninja was determined to make me wait.
41+1 Weeks
August 18th, 12:01pm
I texted my Kristin again to explain that I’d been having about 5-6 contractions per hour. Some of the contractions felt moderate, while others felt stronger. It also felt like Baby Ninja was trying to push her way out.
8:05pm
Kristin texted me to ask me how things were going. I was still having 5-6 contractions an hour. Most of them were strong. I began counting and timing again.
August 19th, 1:45am
I texted Kristin. My contractions were lasting about a minute every five minutes–the ideal contraction timing and spacing. Some of the contractions were intense and hard to work through. So Kristin told me to meet her at the Birthing Center at 3:00am.
3:00am
Dave and I arrived at the Birthing Center. Sadly, on my way there, the contractions slowed down, but they were still happening. Seriously?! Kristin looked me over and told me that I’d probably see her again later that day. “You’re still talking and functioning well, so go home and labor some more.”
So we went home. Dave got back in bed and fell asleep. He swears up and down that I slept, too. But I didn’t. I was in labor!
I tossed and turned and tried to breathe through every contraction. At one point I got up and sat in a warm bathtub to labor. It helped, but the contractions were really intense.
8:30am
The app I was using to track the contractions had an option on it suggesting I might be in active 
labor, so I texted Kristin. She asked how they were feeling. I told her that they weren’t bringing me to my knees, but I was reclining through each contraction. So, she told me to meet her at 10am.
My contractions continued the whole car ride over to the Birthing Center. They were intense. The trip over was kind of a blur to be honest.
10:00am
We arrived and I was sitting in the car. I couldn’t think of anything else except, I want to relax and try to have this baby. Kristin leaned over to Dave and said, “See? Her demeanor has changed. This is the real deal.” Dave helped me in and we started making phone calls, texts and we got settled in.
