"My 40wk appointment 2 days before my due date. I had been getting weekly checks in my platelets (too low and you cant have an epi if you need it) and since they were at a good level, my doctor booked me in to be induced at 3:00pm on my due date. I also asked about a possible leak I thought I was having but the midwife did a “check” and told me it was just the usual discharge. I really thought it was different but assumed they know what they were talking about. I was so certain when I went to bed the night before that I was going to show up to hospital already in labour, I was really trying to stay positive after the last 2 days of researching what I was in for. On the Wednesday morning (my due date) I woke up not in labour and I was so upset but I showered had some breakfast and finished packing my hospital bags.
About 10:30am I sort of started having some slight feelings in my belly, but it just felt like period cramping so I didn’t think much of it. At about 12pm I could feel they were coming pretty consistently at 3 or so minutes, BUT assumed maybe they were Braxton hicks because they weren’t too painful and I was always told contractions will start way further apart then this. After another half an hour I rang the midwives to update them and ask if it could possibly be that. She said just come in at your normal time that you were booked in. Over the next hour I was so sure I was in labour that I started to worry because our drive to the hospital was around 40 minutes and my contractions stayed around 3 minutes apart and definitely intensified. We ended up leaving early to get there by 2:30pm. When we did they checked me and told me I was 3ish cm. I also found out I did in fact have a hind water leak so they had to start administering antibiotics and took a blood test to check my platelets. The pain was ramping up but I could tell everyone thought I was being a tiny bit dramatic. I tried the gas and hated it, I just wanted to hop in the shower to see if that would help.
I hopped into the shower at around 3:45pm and the pain just increased. After being in there a little while my body started uncontrollably pushing. It shocked me how my body just did it. I asked the midwife about the feeling and she told me it’s too soon you don’t need to push so just try stop yourself. I asked her to check my progress but she didn’t really make any moves to do so. After another 5-10 minutes of trying to stop my body from pushing I finally begged the midwife to check how dilated I was. I either knew I was very far along or something was seriously wrong. She got me on the bed and said “omg there’s his head you are definitely 10cm he is coming out you are ready to push”. I felt immediate relief that my body knew exactly what was happening and was ready for it. Pushing was such a relief and after 45min my perfect boy Henry was here at 7pound 8. I ended up having two tears, a 1st and a 2nd but I didn’t even feel it. I was so proud of myself and of my body. Being able to watch my boy come out was the best experience of my life so far, and I am so lucky for my experience. If anyone is ever in doubt, stick your ground and listen to your body; I do wish I had stuck my ground more about the hind water leak and the pushing but in the end it didn’t matter too much because I had my boy. So a little under 3 hours after I arrived at the hospital I was being showered and walking to my room. How amazing are women, I definitely knew they were but I also have a newfound appreciation for every single woman out there"