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Main Page Site Index Getting Pregnant Pregnancy Parenting Pregnancy and Parenting Journals Fertility Nutrition Pregnant Moms Morning Sickness Women's Health Child Health	Birth Story By Patti       I signed up for Lamaze classes, because I wanted to have a natural birth. Unfortunately, halfway through the classes, my doctor sent me to the hospital for monitoring and a probable C-section. (I had toxemia.) Well, the monitoring turned out okay, so they sent me home on complete bed rest. My doctor knew I wanted a vaginal birth, so he was trying to do what he could toward that end, while also watching out for the best for me and the baby.       Two weeks before the baby was due, I went into labor on my own. I was actually in labor for several hours before I was convinced it was the real thing! Once I saw the bloody show, and the contractions were between 2 and 8 minutes apart, we called the hospital and went in. I was at 5 centimeters.       I made it without pain medication all the way to 10 centimeters. I just breathed through the contractions. I didn't exactly use Lamaze breathing, but what I did worked. At 10 cm, the doctor came in and told me that he was afraid I wouldn't be able to deliver; whenever someone touches me vaginally, I tense. So, at a full 10 cm, I had a epidural. It was still about 3 hours before the doctor came in and said, "Ok, we're going to use forceps and the nurse is going to help you push."       They wheeled me into the labor room. I panicked! I'd been in my Lamaze class long enough to know what to expect from labor, but the delivery classes came after I'd had to drop out. I didn't know what to do! The doctor laughed and said they'd tell me what to do.       He'd come in my room at 5 pm and told me what we were going to do. My beautiful baby girl was born at 5:19. It was a medically assisted delivery, and I'd hoped for a natural, unassisted one, but my baby was here, and that was what really mattered! Search the Birth Stories Match All Terms Any Term and show results in Standard Form in Compact Form Hint! Enclose phrases in quotes. For example "home birth" [ Return to Section Eight Birth Stories Index ]