On Tuesday October 20th I went in for my weekly OB checkup. We checked Hayes’ heartbeat which was great as usual and then did the much anticipated cervical check to see if I’d made any progress from the week earlier where I was barely at a 1.

Good news: I was at a 2 and very thinned out but very posterior. This all made me pretty giddy even though in reality, none of it really matters. I know people who have been at a 4 for weeks before going into labor so I was just stoked I’d made some progress. Since we had an induction scheduled for the 27th, my OB decided to just cancel my appointment on the 26th. 

I went home and went about my normal day. We played, took my bump photo for the week, shot a campaign and in the afternoon went up to do some laundry while the kids watched some tv in our bed. Around 2:00pm I started to feel some crampiness... all typical just from having my cervix checked so I thought nothing of it. 

The crampiness continued but it was nothing too extreme and they weren’t getting stronger or longer or closer together. After about an hour of this, I called my OB just to confirm that this was all normal from the cervical check. The RN I spoke with asked me to head over to labor and delivery just to check on everything since before this baby, I had never really experienced labor before — with Ava my water broke before contractions started so we went straight to the hospital where I got an epidural before anything got strong and with Franky, I was induced so also got an epidural before I felt any true, strong labor. So this was totally all new to me. I’d never had to determine when to head to the hospital.

Well, here’s the thing... my dad was set to come into town on Thursday so he’d be here ready to watch the kids when I went into labor. So I texted my sister to be on stand by for me and around 3:30pm after I spoke with my OB office I asked her to head our way so we could head to get checked out. 

From then until my sister arrived at around 5:15pm nothing worsened. And in many cases, it actually eased up. Some contractions were barely strong at all and really just felt like cramps and some were as far as 12 minutes apart. 

I honestly thought we were coming back home that night with no baby. I was convinced this was just crampiness from my appointment that morning.

We packed the rest of what we needed for the hospital (just in case) and headed to CVS to pick up some snacks for my husband and at 6:08pm I texted my sisters that we were about to leave the store to head to the hospital. 

Still, I was certain that no baby was coming that day.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 or so, parked and unloaded and headed up to labor and delivery. I put on the hospital gown, peed in a cup and got hooked up to the monitors. Probably around 6:50 or so is when she did the first cervical check on me.

Still at a 2. Still very posterior.

Since I hadn’t made any progress since that morning at my regular OB checkup, we still weren’t thinking it was the real deal and because no progress was made, the nurse decided to check me again in an hour before admitting me or not. 

Perfect - We had some time to rest and hang out so we turned on the Dodger game.

At around 7:45 or so, my nurse came back in to do another cervical check.

I was at a 4.

The contractions were definitely stronger and Hayes was flipped the wrong way so back labor it was (just like with Franky). She left the room and then it happened just seconds later...

I told Frank to call her back immediately. In sheer panic I told her I needed that epidural. I NEED IT NOW. And I really needed to poop. Like really badly (for those of you who have had a natural birth, you all know that it wasn’t poop... it was a baby).

The nurse calmly explained to me that she was working on paperwork to start getting me admitted now since minutes early we saw my very first progression to a 4. I could now be admitted — paperwork, getting the IV in, having the doctor chat with me, calling the anesthesiologist to come to the hospital to give me an epidural, get my COVID test done, etc. After I was admitted, I could get that epidural.

At this point, contractions were suddenly unbearable. I just kept saying, “I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this” and “please give me an epidural - I need it NOW!” 

And then it happened... POP!

My water broke and it was just like the movies. Like a huge pop you could hear and a huge gush of water everywhere and I told her, “He’s coming out of me and I need to poop!” 

Less than 10 minutes earlier I was at a 4 so she (and Frank) for sure thought I was crazy. She asked the doctor to come in and check me and meanwhile, she was attempting to get an IV into my hand but it wouldn’t stick because my body was covered in sweat and the tape was just slipping over and over and over (she never did end up getting that IV hooked up). 

The OB arrived probably around 7:58pm and asked me to flip to my back. I couldn’t do it so I told them to just flip me over themselves. They flipped me to my back, opened my legs and sure enough, there he was at a +3. A bit of chaos with nurses running everywhere trying to get set up, trying to keep me calm and meanwhile I was just yelling that I needed to poop (oops!). I pushed for maybe 2 minutes max (I told them I couldn’t stop between contractions - I just needed to push), and there he was placed on my chest at exactly 8:00pm.

On 10-20-2020 @ 20:00 our sweet Hayes Olov Hallak was born at 7lbs 5oz, a completely un-planned natural birth. And while I’d never want to do it that way again, I kind of feel cool that I am now part of the “Natural Birth Club.” 

But funny story — right after they placed him on my chest, one of the nurses said “she” (talking about me) and I was like “wait, it’s a GIRL?!” I couldn’t believe I’d had a girl... which obviously wasn’t the case but amidst the shock of all that had just happened, the extreme shakes I got immediately after he was born and the confusion, that “she” totally threw me off. But it made for a real good laugh in the room.

He came fast and furious and he’s just as perfect as ever. And it was kind of nice that I was able to walk around and feel my legs right after I’d given birth... but no, I’d never choose to do that again. 

... and then I was admitted into the hospital haha