My daughter was born on September 3, 2013 at 4:26am. My water broke at 8:15pm on September 1. My contractions started at 3:00am September 2. Do the math…

Word for word, this is the email I typed to some close friends and family about going into labor with my daughter. Maybe it makes sense, maybe it doesn’t. I typed it while still VERY exhausted and on painkillers the next day. Read below only if you’re not squeamish – I say things like “vaginal checks” and “I had to have my contraction with the needle in my back but no medication yet!”. You’ve been warned! 

My water broke around 8:15pm Sunday evening [September 1] and I started early contractions around 3am. They were fairly regular but around 2pm (5-7 mins apart, lasting about 50 seconds) so we made out way to the doctor and he said I was 2cm dilated but flexible enough to be stretched to 5 so the baby would come tonight and I should work my way over to the hospital. By 11pm I was having crazy strong contractions every 3 minutes (where I could barely breathe through them and I was screaming!). I was convinced I was about at the point of transition because they were so fast and strong and regular and I got the chills, etc. Silly me, I had told florian I didn’t want too many vaginal checks so that I wouldn’t get an infection so he kept telling the midwife not to check me and we’d just wait for my urge to push. At 11:45 they said it wouldnt be much longer. 

At 12:41 I begged florian for her to check how far dilated I was. I told him if I was 8 or 9 cm I would keep powering but if not I wouldn’t make it to the end. She checked and I was only 5cm!!!! I told them to get me that epidural NOW lol They agreed that with the strength and length of my contractions and the fact that I wasn’t dilating would mean I would be too exhausted to push by the end and it would have ended as a c-section if I had tried to continue naturally. 

So, here came the anesthesiologist. We agreed right after a contraction would be the best time to inject so we said ok we’ll wait until right after the next one and then that bitch surprised us all and just shoved a needle in my back without telling me!!!! And of course I moved!!!!!!! You stab someone in the back unexpectedly they are going to move, I promise you that. Then, of course, came a contraction and I had to have my contraction with the needle in my back but no medication yet! Not cool.

But anyway the epidural was amazing, pain was miraculously gone and I immediately fell asleep and florian went outside to smoke because he said watching me in so much pain and watching me get stabbed was too much for him lol

I slept for about 2 hours but woke up because the baby’s heart rate was dropping too dangerously low. We tried a few techniques to bring it up but ultimately the midwife had to call my doctor and get him in to deliver ASAP because the baby was too at-risk. 

He came and saw the results of the monitoring and said we’re delivering now, let’s see if it’s csection or vaginal. The baby’s head was almost not low enough and I almost wasn’t 10cm but he said we could do it vaginally with a vacuum. Luckily the epidural was wearing off by now anyway so I could feel the contractions and push with them. 

I had to have an episiotomy (the one thing I REALLY didn’t want!!) but the baby came out and that was most important! Turns out her heart rate was dropping so much because she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck so it was good we got her out nice and quickly. 

Now she’s here and safe and everything about her looks normal and healthy 🙂 

Florian said next time he’s scheduling my c-section for me and we aren’t doing any of this ever again lol I think it was almost harder on him than it was on me!!!

And Emilia was thisclose to being named Annabelle but she just looks like an Emilia to me. 

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Two other random things I want to mention:

  1. Remind me to write a post about the Swiss healthcare system – it’s AMAAAAAAAAAAAZING.
  2. If you want to know what my birth plan was or steal it for yourself since I already did all the research, you can find it here.