My labor & birth story. 💙 I had been having prodromal labor (“false” labor) for a few nights prior to Aero’s actual birth date. Basically they felt like early labor, but the contractions would stay very mild/tolerable and then die off. It was frustrating for me because each time kept feeling like it could be the real deal, so I’d text my midwife team and stay up for half the night, anticipating a progression. After the 3rd time it had happened, I decided to try to do everything in my power to help get my body ready for actual labor. I went to the acupuncture and chiropractor just to get realigned (not to induce labor), was REGIMENTED with all my daily supplements & teas, and was constantly doing stretches and exercises to open up my hips for baby to descend. On Monday morning, I was bouncing on my birth ball in my office while working / answering emails. Around 9am I lost my mucus plug, & shortly after started having very very mild contractions about 30 min apart. I went about my day with them being so mild and inconsistent. I did more work emails, Hudson and I went to Whole Foods, played with Blu, went for a walk up and down the hill in our neighborhood, etc. By 6pm, the contractions had still been inconsistent- between 6-12min apart. So I told Hudson I’d go back to answering work emails and he took Blu to the playground. By 6:40pm, my contractions had been picking up in timing but still, I was able to manage them on my own. One of the girls from my midwife team called and asked if I thought they should all start heading over to my house yet. I told them I wasn’t sure, and that maybe I should feel it out again in another half an hour or hour. By 7pm, I had a HUGE contraction and my water broke! 🙈 So I instantly started filling up my bathroom tub and got on in. I texted my midwife team and my birth photographer and said they should maybe head over. I told my birth photographer to take her time because I still thought I was many hours away from giving birth. Hudson and Blu still weren’t home, so I called and told Hudson I prob wouldn’t be able to put Blu down for bed after all and that things were progressing. 🤣 (cont. in comments)