I was 5 days overdue and wanted to see my baby so badly!!! I had actually been hoping to get her here early, and so had been walking for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours each morning for the past month! Obviously, she was quite cozy in my belly and didn't really care how hard I was working to get here out! Luckily, I had an incredible pregnancy and although I got really worn out by the end of the day, I really had not experienced a lot of the backaches, sciatic nerve, and leg pain that most pregnant women feel once they are that far along. I don't know; maybe it was because I walked so much.
That particular day, I was incredibly busy. I don't even remember exactly what all I did, but I just remember what a relief it was when I finally got in the car with Mark and sat down. I decided to go to class with Mark that evening because he was giving a presentation that I wanted to hear. Plus, I had been having contractions on and off all day long and sure didn't want to be home by myself if I went into labor! As soon as I sat down in the classroom, I saw the clock on the wall. It was 7:00 and I began timing the contractions. From the time I sat down, they were exactly five minutes apart! I didn't want to mess up Mark's presentation by getting him excited or worried, so I didn't tell anyone. I had to work really hard to not let my face show how much pain I was in! The class lasted two hours. I knew I was having regular contractions, but it was so hard to believe that I was finally in labor! It kinda felt like one of those things that you look forward to but don't really expect to actually happen :) So I went downstairs to chat with some friends and all of a sudden, my water broke! I'll not describe it, but I will say that my contractions intensified 100x over once my water broke! Needless to say, I was in shock! I was so overcome that I couldn't even find the words to tell Mark what had happened! But he figured it out soon enough and we ran home to grab our bags and soon were off to the hospital, calling everyone we knew to let them know that the time had finally come!!!
I had a great support group! Both my parents and Mark's parents were there, along with Mark. I was soooo glad to have them in the room with me! We got to the hospital around 10:00pm and I didn't start pushing until around 9:00 the next morning, so they kept me company during that miserable 11 hour stretch. I labored without medication until about 5:00am, at which point my Mom thankfully convinced me that I wouldn't have any strength left to push if I didn't get some rest. I was unable to sleep at all because my contractions were so frequent and so strong. I had almost been awake for 24 hours at this point and was almost delirious. What an immediate relief that epidural was! It was painful to put in, but nothing near as painful as the contractions!!! Definitely worth it!!! I was finally able to doze on and off in between nurses checking me.
Finally, at 9am the nurse said that I could finally start pushing! It was truly the most exciting thing I have ever done! The nurse said that it would probably take several hours, but it just took about 1 :) I had decided to let both of the grandmothers be in the delivery room because they were so excited about their new grandbaby and I just really wanted them to be able to be there the moment she arrived! Plus, I really wanted my mom's support!
She finally came! Undoubtedly the most exciting and emotional moment of my life! She was waaaaayyyyy bigger than anyone expected! 8 pounds, 13 ounces and 21.5 inches long! I definitely would have had a quicker recovery if she had been early and not so big, but she was so incredibly healthy that I wouldn't change it for anything! She nursed like a champ the first time and every time after and was a fabulous sleeper. I really think it had a lot to do with the fact that she had time to grow big and strong inside me. I am so thankful for my sweet baby girl!
As soon as they took her away to clean her up, I was immediately reminded of how hungry I was -- I hadn't eaten in about 15 hours! Note to expecting Moms, no matter what they say, unless you are like 8 centimeters already, please hide food and eat while waiting! Who knows how long it will be before they say you can push? I felt so weak from no food! But don't drink water while you are actually pushing....I begged and pleaded and was immediately sorry :) But none of it matters now that I have my sweet baby girl! Every bit of pain or sickness was more than worth it!
