23 and a half hours. That's how long I was in labor for giving birth to my daughter, who came on August 21st. It was the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life.
It felt like my bones were being stepped on by a horse, over and over again. It was like someone was ripping my spine out of my back and through my skin, muscles, tendons.
If you have ever been through labor, you know what I'm talking about, especially if you have had back contractions. Those are the worst, I promise you. I promise you will want to die and pull your child out from inside you so you can relieve the constant pain of the muscles of your uterus cramping and releasing. I can tell you that I felt these contractions until midnight, finishing Saturday night and entering the early hours of Sunday. My contractions started at six in the morning and I received my epidural at midnight. It was about four minutes before midnight so, it counts as Saturday.
The pain as my daughter reached 10 cm, I didn't feel. I couldn't handle the contractions in my back so I opted for the easy way. As my daughter hit 10 centimeters, I then felt everything again, as her head was pushing massively on my pelvic bone. Here she was, ready to come out. My contractions now 1 minute apart.
At 5:33 in the morning, my daughter was born at 7 pounds, 8 ounces. I will tell you it was the most wonderful thing in the world. I can tell you that the 23 hours of labor didn't matter. I can tell you the pain was just something that happened. I can tell you I cried because my daughter was finally here. I waited nine months and three long days to hold her in my arms. I had experienced the most wonderful thing in creation.
I wouldn't trade my whole pregnancy for the world. I wouldn't trade the final moments of labor. I wouldn't trade hearing her cry for the first time. I wouldn't trade the look on my boyfriend's face as he saw his little girl enter the world.
Labor is hard and exhausting. It makes you want to give up because you think it will never be over. You ask yourself, why did I do this? When you hear their first cry, nothing matters besides that your baby is here. I promise you everything is worth it. Don't be scared.
