My Birth Story: Prodromal Labor, False Alarms & When Labor Began (Part 1)

I was in prodromal labor from July 5 until July 12. Yup, a whole week of Braxton Hicks contractions playing mind games with my body. I tried everything to get things moving: walking (yes, in this Texas heat 🥵), curb walking, the Miles circuit, drinking what felt like gallons of red raspberry leaf tea, and, of course... doing what got me pregnant in the first place 😅. (Check out the video at the end of this blog post for some real-time labor prep.) Still, nothing. Baby was just not ready. (And let me tell you, this was when I really started ignoring the “is the baby here yet?” texts. 🙃)

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/978f28_9082ff6f135247c0a26106763e5c4dfc/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Curb walking around the neighborhood

Almost Go-Time! (July 7-8)

After having waves (aka surges) all day on July 7, I was just praying Baby would stay put until the next day. Selfishly? I didn’t want him to crash our anniversary or make us cancel our dinner plans 🫠. But the surges kept building overnight. I truly thought it was go time.

We had everything set up for our homebirth. After calling, texting, and video chatting the birth team (who were all over an hour away) they decided to come just to be safe. What were they greeted with? Me writing thank-you cards and cooking my post-birth meal: collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread 😌. Yeah... they knew it wasn’t go time.

Then came my very first vaginal exam. And to my surprise...no dilation. At all. 🥹 I felt a mix of disappointment and relief. (More on that in a later post.) The team gently encouraged us to relax, rest, and “enjoy each other.” So we did. 🥰

Preparing my postpartum meal: collard greens, black eyed peas, and cornbread.

The Wait Continues (July 9-10)

Surges were off and on, but never consistent enough. I kept busy by: going on a date to see Thor, taking walks, and finally giving in to a full day of rest. Still, no Baby.

Getting Closer (July 11)

At our next prenatal appointment, I finally agreed to a membrane sweep (at this point, I was around 2.5 cm dilated). We also had the “just in case” talk about induction. I wasn’t ready for that emotionally, but I knew I had to be realistic. They sent me home with cotton root tincture*, and we crossed our fingers.

By 7pm, I was taking drops every 15 minutes. By 9:30, I was vomiting and surges were every 3–5 minutes. At 10:31pm, my midwife and doula arrived. Labor was really happening.

This was the waiting. The teasing. The almost-there. In Part 2, I’ll share what happened when labor truly arrived and how everything I thought I knew about birth shifted in real time. I hope you’ll keep reading.

Author’s Note: To honor our family’s privacy, I use the term “Baby” throughout this post. Thank you for holding this story with the same care it’s shared.

*A gentle note: I mention the use of herbal tinctures as part of my personal birth experience. This is not medical advice. Every body, pregnancy, and birth is different, so it’s important to talk with your provider before using any herbs, supplements, or medications during pregnancy or labor.