MY POSITIVE BIRTH STORY: On 10/30 I got contractions every 10-min from 1:30am-5:30am. I thought labor was coming, so my parents came over to watch our toddler but the contractions stopped. I felt guilty having my parents drive in the middle of the night, to not actually be in labor. But since they came over they took Luke to their house knowing labor was imminent. That following night I got contractions again at 9pm, but ignored them thinking it was false labor. On 10/31, 2am the contractions got more intense and I felt a small pop inside me. I then felt a trickle of water. My water broke. The leaking didn’t stop, so I called the hospital while Josh packed the car to leave. 4am my contractions were 4-min apart. We were on our way to the hospital. I ate bread in between my contractions remembering how hungry I was last time, knowing I’d need fuel. 4:30am my contractions were 2-min apart, 45-seconds long. I arrived at the hospital 4cm dilated. I breathed through my contractions, relieved baby was in the optimal position since the contractions were bearable (last time baby was sunny side up and the contractions felt 10x worse). 5:30am I got the epidural. Everything was progressing naturally, so I didn’t need anything after that. Even with the epidural I could feel the pressure of everything and move my legs/toes, it was just painless. 11:30am I got an intense desire to push, so called the nurses. I was fully dilated at 10cm. I pushed for 30-min, barely tore, and our Halloween baby was born. I cut the cord myself, and got immediate skin to skin for golden hour. It was a very positive birth experience and I’m so grateful to now be a mother to 2 healthy boys. Our family is complete. 🫶🏼💙 #birthstory #halloweenbaby #birthstories #sanfranciscomom