[hardbirth]

"I think I'm ok right now. We need to start timing the contractions. When they're 8 minutes apart, we need to go to the hospital. I can't tell how long the contractions have been so far. It's hard to keep track when the pain hits. Here comes another one." My whole body tenses up as my belly tries to push the baby further down. I take deep breaths to keep my focus as the contraction rages on. You have a cold washcloth to rub against my forehead. The contraction reaches its peak and feels like a knife in my stomach. As the pain subsides, I let out a groan and begin to pant.