by Missy Bell

Created on: May 22, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Five centimeters. This measurement had become my arch enemy.

Three weeks ago I had attended my regular, weekly obstetrician appointment and of course had opted to be "checked". I had reached that time in the third trimester when pregnant women will do just about anything to get labor to begin: walking, raspberry leaf tea, sex, you name it, most mothers have tried it to get the little bugger out of there.

When my doctor said that I was at four centimeters I was ecstatic! He said he expected me to be in active labor anytime in the next few days but to "go ahead and make [my] next appointment just in case."

I made an appointment for the following Tuesday thinking I would NEVER make it that long sitting at four centimeters.

Two nights later, I began having regular contractions. My husband timed them: two and a half minutes apart.

We packed up our three year old son, trucked him off to the neighbors', and headed off the the labor and delivery floor of the local hospital.

Luckily, my obstetrician was there already, completing an emergency Cesarean Section.

I settled in for the pain.

My first child had been delivered after approximately five hours of supremely intense labor. My friends all told me they hated me for having such a short labor - I knew the truth, however, there was no pain like the pain I had experienced.

No drugs for me.

This time I was hoping to go all natural again.

The nurses started in with the monitors.

Of course the baby was not cooperative, moving around every five minutes so the nurses had to start their twenty minute vigil all over again, trying to get a long enough read on her heartbeat and my contractions.

They permitted me to go into the hot tub for awhile.

They checked my progress.

I was now at five centimeters.

It had been around three hours.

Three hours later, they checked my progress.

There had been none. No progress. Zero. Nada.

My obstetrician told me to stay at the hospital for the night. He was certain progress would be made.

In the morning we checked again.

Still five centimeters.

I was sent home with orders to not return to the labor and delivery floor until my contractions were so intense that I could not walk or talk through them. My obstetrician expected that I would be in labor anywhere between two to six hours and two to four days.

A week passed.

I kept my appointment with the obstetrician. He entered the room shaking his head.

I made an appointment for the next Tuesday, which would be a day after my due date.

I kept that appointment

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