G Arrived on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at 6:03pm weighing 7lbs 2oz's and 19.5 inches long.

Beginning at 26 weeks, I was put on part time bed rest due to an irritable uterus and was put on meds as well to control my contractions that before meds were coming every 6-8 minutes.

Everyone expected my labor to start at 36 weeks, including myself and my docs, when they took me off the meds,DD had other plans.

I made hardly any progress in those weeks and at my 39 week appt on May 1st, while in the waiting room, i started to get some painful uncomfortable contractions. My doc did an internal, still no dilation, i was a fingertip dilated and 80% effaced. I made an appt to start induction for 6am the next day.

I figured i'd keep myself busy and do last minute things, well while doing laundry 2 hours later another painful contraction that stopped me in my tracks. okay still, i was used to having contractions so i blew it off, i was getting induced tomorrow, so i wasn't thinking i'd go into labor.

My parents came up to CT for the induction, my IL's were going to come up in the afternoon. My mom kept telling me i was in labor, my contractions were coming every 10-12 mins, but they weren't really any more painful than they were when i had pre-term contractions. Everyone left at 8pm, and by 11pm we figured we go to bed.

Well as soon as I laid down, i saw stars, the contractions took it up a notch and i went downstairs to sleep in the recliner like i did so many times throughout my pg to not disturb DH with my tossing and turning.

They didn't go away, and by 2am they were 5-6 mins apart, and I couldn't take it anymore. I called my doc and he told me to come in but not to rush.

I got to the hospital at 4am and was put on a monitor and checked and i was indeed in labor-no need for the induction.

By 8am, i was 4cms and in so much pain. The nurses MADE me LIE DOWN and hooked me up to the IV and it made my contractions brutal! I was working through them without drugs standing up and doing just fine, but i couldn't cope with them when they made me lie down. They offered the epidural and I took it gladly thinking why be the hero? OH the BEST THING EVER!! By 9-10am my whole family was in my room, i was chatting, talking, eating my ice pops and chips. It was great!

At 3:30 pm, i was dilated to 10cms, and nurse said it was time to push. I pushed for 40 mins, and my DD crowned. All we could see was a full head of hair, the nurses were playing with it :). Her head though was too big to fit out of my vagina and she kept goign back up the birth canal when i stopped pushing. I did that for another hour-pushing and nothing. I was exhausted and crying, i just wanted to hold my little girl.
At 5:50pm, my doc FINALLY came in, and with one push, with the help of forceps that were barely in, i just needed to be cut, my beautiful DD was born at 6:03pm, crying with Rod Stewart Hair. Everyone was crying and my mom took pics. She looked just like my DH with huge blue eyes.

The recovery was brutal for me. I had a 4th degree episotomy-worst you can have-basically it's a rectum to vagina cut- and from pushing so much, i also tore.

Sore is not the word to describe the PAIN I felt. I was in a good deal of pain for at least 4-6 weeks after her birth and still on a daily serving of motrin to deal with the pain from her birth and the fissures. I couldn't walk for longer than 15 mins at a time cause the pain would start. If i could go back, i would stop pushing at that 40 min time when she crowned and demand for a doc. But you can't go back and the end result will always be worth it for me.