No matter how many books or articles you read on babies, child birth, and everything in between, nothing really prepares you for when it actually happens.

The morning of July 12th, stomach pain woke me up, and I immediately thought, "this is it! it is my due date today after all..." Boy was I so wrong.

I got my The Bump app ready so I could start timing my stomach pain intervals to confirm whether they were contractions. I had doubts because they only felt like period cramps. This was happening at around 7:30 AM. The pain came and went every 5-7 minutes, so I decided that they were indeed contractions! IT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! I didn't want to call my health insurance just yet because I was scheduled to see my OB that day anyway, and I'd rather talk to her before rushing to the hospital.

So we see my OB and she told me that I was having early labor. She checked my cervix and told me that I was 3cm dilated! She also did a membrane sweep to help speed up the opening process, and she had my contractions monitored to see whether I was going to have my baby that day. The reading showed contractions alright, but the nurse said that my baby wasn't going to come just yet. I felt a little bummed about that because I really wanted to give birth already! The last few weeks of the third trimester can be really exhausting!

Anyway, that same day, Jorge had a doctor's appointment because he injured his toe from playing soccer two nights before and he could barely walk! The nurses and doctors were laughing at the way we looked, because I had to push him in a wheelchair - a pregnant woman at 9 months, pushing a grown man in a wheelchair! Tell me a funnier sight at a medical clinic! 😂 After Jorge got all checked up, we went to the Filipino restaurant close to our house to get halo-halo because I was craving it. Nothing's better than a nice cup of halo-halo on a hot day, especially for a super HOT pregnant filipina! The store manager even took a photo of me when he found out that it was my due date! Haha.

Matthew's Grill Stories: Ate came in one day, we saw that she was pregnant. So we asked her when was she due to have the baby. Her answer was TODAY! Nothing could stop her from getting her Matthew's Grill Halo Halo! Not even labor! 😋🤤 #HALOHALOVE #beatinit #filipinofood

A post shared by Matthews Grill (@matthewsgrill) on Aug 3, 2018 at 6:26am PDT

While all of that was happening, I was still having contractions every 5-7 minutes. The pain got stronger as the day went on too so Jorge and I decided to call my health insurance to get advice on what to do next. At around 6:30 PM, we were adviced to head to the hospital. OMG! IT REALLY WAS HAPPENING! So we grab our hospital bags and headed to the hospital.

We got to the hospital, checked myself in, got inside those little rooms where they monitored the contractions, and waited for the doctor for about two hours, only to be told I was just 2cm dilated (my OB was wrong haha) and that I should go home! The doctor said that she would keep me in the hospital if I was at least 5cm dilated. The nurse additionally said that I looked too comfortable and cute (her own words! haha) to be in the active labor phase. We had the option to stay at the hospital until I get fully dilated, but they said that it could take hours and that it was better for me to do the painful waiting at home. I agreed, so at around 9:30 PM, we drove back home. Again, I was bummed, and all I could think of was, "wait, there's more?! there's supposed to be more pain than this pain?!!" I honestly didn't know what to expect, but the nurse was right, I was a little too "comfortable" when we were at the hospital because at around 10 PM, the pain started to really increase and my goodness, IT WAS PAINFUL! We thought about going back to the hospital, but I didn't want to be told to go home again, so I waited the night out in agony.

Fast forward to the morning, July 13th, when I couldn't take my contractions no more, and when my contractions started coming and going at 3-minute intervals, Jorge and I decided to go back to the hospital. We repeated the same process as the night before, and I felt relief when the doctor checked my cervix and I was 5cm dilated. Finally, 13TH WAS THE DAY! I was going to have my baby on Friday the 13th! Haha.

I wanna say we got to the delivery room at around 7:30ish AM. We met our nurse Amy and I just want to say that she was absolutely awesome! She made me feel very comfortable, and she answered any questions we had. Any worries I had about child birth was erased because she made me feel secure and at ease. BUT the contractions were still EXTREMELY painful! I was really tired from not having enough sleep from the night before so I decided to take the epidural. I mentally tried to NOT take it, but I had a feeling my labor would take long, and I knew that I wouldn't have the physical strength when I would need it the most, so I said yes to the drug. The epidural didn't take its time to kick in and it was honestly the best decision I made that morning haha. I instantly felt relief! My contractions didn't hurt at all, and I was able to get some much needed rest. PS: If you want a more in-depth story of my experience with the epidural, I am willing to write it here! Just let me know!

At around 3PM, I felt my water broke. I knew that that was a sign that the baby was coming soon, and I believe at around 4PM, the doctor checked me and said that I was 10cm dilated! PRAISE GOD! She told Amy that we should start pushing to see if baby girl was ready to come out. When the doctor left, Amy guided me through what was about to go down: Whenever a contraction came, Amy would take one of legs, and Jorge the other, and I would hold and pull my thighs back as I pushed.
*PUSH for 10 seconds* relax, *PUSH for another 10* relax, and another *PUSH for 10 more seconds*
We did that every time a contraction came. 7PM arrived and still no sign of baby, and I felt so sad that our nurse had to leave because her shift was over. I was also extremely tired that every push felt a little harder each time. Amy briefed the new nurse about everything, and when she was all ready, we were back in business: pushing baby girl out.

At around 8 PM, the doctor came in and checked me again. She stayed this time because I guess baby was already kind of out and was actually ready to come out. So we waited for the contractions, pushed, waited, and pushed, waited and pushed some more, and more and finally, after pushing for 4 hours, at 8:11PM, we welcomed baby Adeline into the world! When they were telling me to keep pushing for that last time, I bursted out crying from tiredness because I honestly felt I couldn't push any more, but when I felt Adeline literally slide out of me, it was one of the most amazing moments of my life, and then I cried some more. I looked at Jorge, and he was crying too, and when we heard Adeline's cries, she just felt even more real. She was finally here:

Adeline Sky Suarez
7.13.2018 • 8:11PM • 8.06lbs

Watch the short video Jorge put together for our birth reveal:

Jorge cut her cord, and I held Adeline for the first time in my arms. I don't think there are words to describe what I felt that night, in that moment. There was just so much love overflowing from my heart for her.

I became a mom on Friday the 13th, Adeline's mom. And she was mine! My baby. My sweet Adeline.

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