Ten things about My first Pregnancy and birth:

 

This pregnancy has been beautiful! I have loved every part of it, from my growing belly to feeling my baby kicking and the free foot massages. However, if I had to highlight ten components of my pregnancy and birth, it would be the following:

 

1. I went into labor because I raced my brother: 

 

Ten days before my due date, I was at basketball practice when, towards the end of the training, I decided to challenge my younger brother in a race. I honestly can’t tell you how or why I felt the need to sprint at eight months pregnant. It happened. Of course, not without some persuading, as my brother was not interested in racing his pregnant older sister. We had someone start us, and I took out as fast as possible for no good reason. Immediately I felt pressure in my uterus area. 

2. I did not know I was in labor:

 

At the time, I didn’t know it, but I had gone into early labor. I was so oblivious that my husband and I went to a high school boys’ game after basketball practice to support some family. When walking up the stairs to enter the competition, the clerk admitting people asked me, “You’re not bout to have that baby on this floor, are you?” I just laughed and told her, “Oh no, my due date isn’t another ten to eleven days,” but little did I know what was already happening.

3. My water broke: 

 

We went home, and around 11 pm, I went to use the bathroom. However, a couple of hours later, I had to go again. I was a bit annoyed because I was tired and just had emptied my bladder, but I accepted this as a symptom of pregnancy. So I went to the bathroom again, only this time, when I returned to my bed, I kept peeing on myself, or so I thought. 

 

I knew something was weird immediately and called my mom.”What is it like when your water breaks?” I asked her. “Ummm, if you think your water broke, you must go to the hospital now.” She told me and then instructed me to time my contractions, which I was having, but they felt so light that I didn’t think anything of it. I timed my contractions, and they were like three minutes apart, so my husband and I drove to the hospital.

4. The contraction did not hurt.

 

I had heard so many horror stories and comparisons about contractions and giving birth that I believed I could not be in labor because I was not in pain. During the car ride to the hospital, my husband and I laughed because we felt we were about to be sent home.

5. I was 7 cm when I arrived at the hospital:

 

We arrived at the hospital around two in the morning and went to triage. I was still unsure if I was in labor, so I asked the nurse if I was. She had already attached me to machines monitoring the baby’s heart rate and my contractions. When I asked her, she looked at me and asked, “You don’t feel that? You are experiencing a contraction right now,” “Oh yeah, it’s not bad,” I simply replied. The doctor walked in at that moment to check my cervix, and with only two fingers, she erased any thought or idea that I would give birth naturally.

6. The nurses tried to convince me to go natural:

 

Although the contractions felt like little nothing (especially for my first pregnancy and birth), or very mild period cramps, I still wanted meds. The fear of pushing after knowing what two fingers checking my cervix was like compared to a whole head let me know. That did not stop the doctors or nurses from telling me how amazing I was doing and how chill I was handling the contractions at seven and eight centimeters.

 

They kept saying things like, “Really, you’re seven centimeters; you are doing so well,” or “You got this. You can go natural,” “Are you sure you want the epidural?” “It might not make it,” But I reassured them I was sure I wanted and would get my epidural.

7. I got the epidural around 7-8cm:

 

Sure enough, My epidural came thirty minutes later, and I was chillin’.

8. The urge to poop:

 

Our parents and my sisters arrived, and just like a movie, it was showtime, and I felt the intense need to poop. I was ten centimeters, and My son was ready to meet the world.

 

9. I felt no pain, but everything that was happening:

 

Because of the epidural, I felt no pain, but I felt pressure. I felt my son moving down into position. I felt the ring of fire when he was crowning and myself tearing a little. I was aware of when I needed to push, and I even felt him move back and forth as I went.

10. They put a little cottage cheese alien on my stomach:

 

Around six in the morning, my beautiful baby boy was born, and they placed his cottage cheese-covered body on my stomach. Let me tell you, most moms are lying when they say their baby is so cute and beautiful when it first comes out. They look like little aliens Between their cone heads and bodies covered in chunky fluids. However, they are our little cone-headed aliens and are perfect and beautiful.

 

I hope my experience will encourage you if you are a first-time mom or provide a balance between all the horror stories you might have heard from family or friends. Pregnancy and giving birth can be smooth, beautiful, and unique.