Yup…that’s right early labor has started and man does this story just seem so unreal. Monday March 23, 2020 (38 weeks 2 days) I took a trip over to my moms because I’m so exhausted and needed to just get out the house and have Paighton play with her uncle Aiden. As I got to my moms house I started to feel my stomach tighten but I had a thought that Emmalynn must just be moving around. I put Paighton down for a nap, registered for the hospital, and changed my last name officially on my insurance. Which took me a whole hour on the phone waiting to talk to a representative when the actual procedure took the lady less than 10 minutes. Crazy how calling the insurance company takes forever!!!!

Anyways….the tightness started to get more noticeable to the point I needed to go on a walk. The pain was nothing I couldn’t handle but it got to the point where every contraction made me stop or have to squat just a little to get some relief. 5 pm they started to be on a schedule to where I could time them. At first they were 8 minutes apart last 50-70 seconds, and slowly and gradually got to the point where they were around 5-2 minutes apart. My mom and Peyton insisted that I should call my doctor and get checked to make sure I wasn’t in active labor and gonna pop her out any second. But of course my stubborn self I just wanted to stay home in comfort and not leave Paighton. We finally made our way back home and I took a warm shower thinking it would ease the pain.

We gave Paighton a bath, put her pjs on read her a book and tried to put her to bed. My contractions are getting closer and closer together and each time getting more intense. Our bags were already packed and Peyton finally convinced me that I needed to go get checked. He packed the truck up with Emmalynns baby car seat, both our bags and Paightons sleep over bag. My heart was racing at the fact that this might actually be labor! I might actually meet our second littlest Middleton. We dropped Paighton off with my mom around 11 pm at night and made our way to the hospital. Ironically our birth tour for our new hospital got cancelled due to the virus outbreak so we had no idea where to go. My contractions were getting stronger, more intense and we were for sure I was in labor. Walking up to the hospital the pressure was noticeable. Before we could even get 10 feet into the hospital they checked our temperature and once again asked us a few questions before we could make our way.

Thank God for the precautions the hospitals are taking because I don’t want to get this virus at all. I must say sitting in the wheelchairs while having contractions ISN’T FUN! Especially when the nurse who’s bringing you to labor and delivery hits every corner and bump. As soon as we got to the labor and delivery unit Peyton turned to me and expressed how peaceful this experience is compared to our old hospital. And he’s so right because everyone was so much calmer, nicer and just happy. Who knows if this will be our experience next time! I got hooked up to the monitors and instantly my contractions showed up. Crazy to see how intense they were yet I wasn’t in extreme pain.

They were about two – three minutes apart and back to back. At this moment I didn’t want to get excited but I was so excited to probably be close to active labor. Peyton on the other hand was sooo comfortable and just ready to be a dad of 2.

He swore that this chair was the most comfortable thing in the hospital so far. The time was about 1 am now and we were waiting for the doctor to come check my cervix to see if they would keep me. So far the contractions were looking promising and we thought for sure we were having a baby! I was calm, and ready for the journey to start and just content with how I left Paighton at my moms. The contractions weren’t dying down and I was crossing my finger that I would be dilated enough to stay! Finally the doctor came in checked my cervix and GUESS WHAT!!!!…….

I was still only 1 whole centimeter dilated (the size of a Cheerio), six whole hours of contractions and nothing changed my cervix at all. The disappointment I had for myself was intense because I’m ready to have her! The doctor informed us we could go home and that I’m just in early labor right now. Most ppl don’t even notice the contractions in early labor till they are about to be in active labor. That’s how it was when I delivered Paighton. My labor with her was fast and nothing like the movies. However I did have Braxton Hicks with P every night for the last week till I had her. The doctor said that my early labor could last days or even another week till my body finally goes into active labor. The patience a mom gains from these last weeks of pregnancy is so beneficial I think for parent-hood.

Two day’s later and I’m exhausted from the contractions. They fade away and come back stronger every night. On top of that having a toddler who runs around and doesn’t want to just sit still is on a whole different level then exhausting. My mind is ready for labor but my body is still preparing. I’m cherishing these last moments with Paighton and getting as much sleep as I can get before Emmalynn arrives!