Birth Story

It was Sunday, February third. The baby was a week and a half past his first due date which was January 23rd. I had just said goodbye to some of the last guests at the baby shower that my friend had thrown me because I didn't have one yet(she thought that was why the baby hadn't come yet!). I took all the gifts into my room and was putting away and sorting things. While I was doing this I was talking to my mom and Shane when, at about 7:30pm, the first contraction hit me like a bullet! I actually had to stop and clench my sides and yelp a little. After two months of painful Braxton-Hicks contractions, I knew that this was the real thing! At church I had asked our home teachers to come by that evening to help give me a blessing. While we were sitting in the living room, trying to figure out when to go to the hospital, they came by around 8:20pm and gave me the blessing. Shortly after they left I had a bad contraction and thought we need to get to the hospital now! And Shane says to me, "Just let me know when you want to go to the hospital." So I looked at him and said, "Okay, I wanna go now."
We drive to Hoag Hospital and get there close to 9pm. The nurses check me in and get everything ready. Since we had a false alarm the week before they already had our birth plan on file, and that made things go faster and easier. The best thing about being in the hospital was the fact that they totally respected my birth plan and didn't even suggest an IV or anything that I had said I didn't want. I was even able to wear my own shirt that I had set aside to give birth in. They dimmed the lights and made it comfortable for me (as comfortable as I could get in the hospital anyway).
The nurse checked my cervix and said that the baby's head was right there and she couldn't feel the water and asked me if it had broken already. It didn't, I was sure of that! So she called the OB in. When he came in a few minutes later and checked me he said the baby was coming! I was having contractions and didn't even feel like bearing down yet, so I was a little surprised, especially since it had been less then an hour since I got to the hospital. My water still hadn't broken yet, so they did it right before I had to start pushing. I started to laugh. I think it was just sinking in that I was having a baby! Shane was sitting next to me holding my hand, kissing me, being there for me. We both started to laugh, sweet laughing. A contraction hit and they told me to push. I didn't push EmmaLily out she kind of just shot out, so I wasn't used to that. The baby didn't come out with the first contraction, so it felt like forever until the next one came! And it came at last, with one more push my sweet little baby boy came out and they put him right on my chest. He was crying but it was such a sweet little soft cry. I was still laughing. I felt so great, like a surge of energy. Of course that didn't last! but it was nice. I didn't hemorrhage like I had with my second birth. I think that had to do with the extra energy.
I love the feeling of the baby coming out. Then the placenta. Those are the best feelings of relief. Then the after pains start a bit later and that is probably the worst part of giving birth naturally. I didn't want any pain meds for the birth, but I was willing to take them afterwards!!