I was a week overdue and I was very miserable. I had gone through high blood pressure, swelling in my legs and feet to the point that my shoes wouldn't fit, and my amniotic fluid was low. The nurse said my baby was a little angry squeaking around in my belly!

I was at the doctor's office making sure things were going well and she said that she thought I should stay in the hospital right then and get an IV solution. I was instantly terrified. I was not even prepared to stay at the hospital then. I knew that I should have been seeing as I was a week overdue but somewhere in my mind, it still didn't compute that I was really going to have a baby. I guess I thought I could get away with not having to go through with it somehow.

I talked to my doctor and she let me go home and we made an appointment for me to check into the hospital the next morning at 5 A.M. and take the pitocin and start my labor. I went home from my doctor's office and packed a few things but didn't finish up as I thought that I wouldn't be going in until the next morning.

At 7 P.M. that evening though, my doctor called me and asked me to go on to the hospital and check in because they weren't busy. The plan was that they would induce my labor by administering the pitocin and breaking my water and I would have the baby the next day in the afternoon. I hurriedly packed the rest of my things up and went to the store with my husband to get a book. This was my first pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect. I thought I would have time to read. They said I wouldn't have the baby until the next day anyway!

My husband and I walked into the hospital and went to the main area to check in, but as I was signing papers, I began to feel sharp pains in my belly unlike any other ones during the pregnancy. I thought to myself...perfect timing if I'm in labor. They sent my husband and I up to the birthing room where the main nurse helped me get situated and took all the necessary information. My regular doctor wasn't there because she didn't expect me to have the baby until the next day so I had another doctor for the night. I had only had one other visit with him but he was a very pleasant man.

I told the doctor about my pains and he decided to forgo the pitocin but he did break my waters for me. My contractions began to get stronger and stronger. After an hour, I could only breathe to keep my mind off of the pain. I really wanted to go to sleep! After another hour, the doctor finally said that I could have an epidural. I was in too much pain to sit up straight, though.

The nurse, my husband, and another nurse had to hold me up to put the epidural in. My husband had to be in front of me though and not behind. I guess they were afraid he would pass out. After a crunching sound, they taped the tube to me and I felt so much better. All of the nurses and the doctor was very surprised because the epidural did not hurt me at all like most people. I was really in a LOT of pain.

The epidural immediately began to take effect and the pains that had controlled my every waking second before now only felt like I needed to have a bowel movement! After a while of that, the nurse gave me and IV drip which I HATED because it hurt very much the entire time it was in my hand and they put internal monitors in and put an oxygen mask on me which was scary to me because I was afraid something would go terribly wrong. I had already had a scare early in my pregnancy with one of my ultrasounds. The doctor had seen a cyst on the baby's head and told me that, if the cyst continued to be on his head that he would die when he was born from a severe case of Down's Syndrome, but after a while he said he saw the cyst no more so the baby would be fine. By the way, I had lots of doctors..so bear with me.

The nurse kept giving me ice chips and gave me some sips of orange juice because my lips got very dry in my breathing. I had never taken lamaze classes so I was on my own. I was given a catheter to make sure my bladder wasn't full but I didn't feel it because of the epidural. Soon, I began to feel as if I needed to push. I kept grunting and the nurse asked me why and I told her. She said that I couldn't possibly be ready but the doctor came in and said that I was.

The strangest thing happened then. Outside my window, over the river, fireworks began to go off. There were no regattas or anything of that nature so I don't have any idea why they would be setting off fireworks but I guess my baby was telling me he was going to have an explosive personality!! I began to push and it was so very hard because with every push, the epidural began to wear off even more but all I knew was that, if I didn't push, it hurt worse than if I did push.

What was kind of funny is that I'm only 5'1 and I was too short for the stirrups so the nurse had to take one of my feet and push it towards my head and my husband had to push the other one towards my head so I'd have something to push against! After two hours of pushing, the doctor gave me an episiotomy so that I wouldn't have to push so much longer.

Shortly after that, I gave one or two more pushes and my baby boy's head came out. The doctor pulled the rest of him out and my husband cut the umbilical cord. The doctor put the baby on my stomach and told me to wipe him off but I was too exhausted and in pain to do it. I gave a feeble effort. The doctor pushed on my stomach and removed the placenta which also hurt.

The nurses took the baby and cleaned him up and weighed him. Another nurse came in and stitched me up with lots of complaint from me about the pain because of the lack of the epidural that had worn off. Not only had I had the episiotomy but I had also torn. Finally all was done and my beautiful son was handed to me.

He had been born at 1:59 A.M. on June 5, 1998, weighing 7 pounds and 1/2 ounce. He was 19 1/4 inches long. He didn't cry at all, just began to suck on his two middle fingers which have become his favorite thing to suck on now. I let his father hold him and we both marveled at his beautiful blue-gray eyes and his hair and his perfect little fingers and toes and I was so grateful that he was okay.

My husband then went home and the nursery took my son to do whatever else they do with him and I went to my other hospital room. The nurse had to catherize me again which was a little painful this time because I couldn't urinate and you have to urinate before they will take the IV drip out and I wanted rid of that thing! All in all it was 5 hours of labor and over 7 pounds of baby...well worth the price!

The rest of the hospital stay was awful and I was grateful to get home because the nurses on my floor kept forgetting I existed but all is well now and I have a beautiful baby boy to show off! He's my first and my last! He doesn't need any competition. He knows how cute he is!

Wyatt