The Birth...

At 5:30 am the nurses came in and told me I could get up and take a shower or do whatever I needed to do before we got things going. At around 6:00 they checked me and the cervadil had done it's job and I was between 2 and 3 cm and my cervix had softened quite a bit. At 6:30am they hooked me up to Pitocin and things started to progress from there. I was getting a lot of good contractions but had not opted for an epidural yet. I did not sleep much the night before and I was a bit worn out. At 10:00 my doctor came in and broke my water. I have always had a lot of fluid when I am pregnant so it was like a flood when she broke my water. After she broke my water she told me i could get my epidural whenever I was ready. She also told me it might be a good idea to go ahead and get it as there were a few inductions going on that day and she didn't want me to get into a lot of pain and not be able to get it immediately. So I told them I would go ahead and get it.

 I look so uncomfortable and swollen in these pictures, but I really wasn't uncomfortable. ( I didn't realize until after he was born, just how swollen I was at the end of the pregnancy) 

 Here is a picture of my contractions. This as close to the end and they were close together and lasting longer

The anesthesiologist came in and I got  my epidural. They told me that they didn't want me to feel pain, but I should be able to feel pressure. The reason for this is so that I would be able to know I was pushing. The epidural worked immediately and felt so good. I felt like I could relax and rest for a while. Before getting my epidural I was between 2 and 3 cm and 70% thinned. Once I got my epidural I had to lay on my back and slightly on my left side.
The epidural would help lower my blood pressure as well. After getting the epidural the baby started to be affected by it and they had to give me some medication to actually raise my blood pressure back up a little. He had become so used to my pressures being so high that when it dropped to a normal blood pressure he didnt like it at all. Everything was fine though. By 12:00 I had progressed to 4 cm and at this point got a good contraction that made me throw up. (this happens every time I deliver).

By 2:00 I was really starting to notice my contractions and having to breathe through them. I was feeling a lot more then pressure. I called my nurse in and she checked me and I was between 6 and 7 cm. They decided to drain my bladder and after doing that I was between 7 and 8 cm. The anesthesiologist came back in because I was in pain and he checked my block to see if it was working. It was, but he could tell I was in pain. Due to the fact that I was between 7 and 8 he wasnt going to up my dose or anything but then he said "I am going to give you a little cocktail to take the edge off" He gave me a narcotic and a dose of something else with it and it did the trick! I couldn't feel the pain any longer just pressure. At 2:45 they came in to check me because I was really feeling intense pressure and I was at 9cm. They got everything ready and I started pushing around 3:15. He was completely face  up and due to that my doctor was trying her best to keep me from tearing like I did with the other two boys. I had to stop pushing so she could work the baby out so that I would not tear. When this happened it was unbelievable pain. My doctor kept saying "I am so sorry, I know it hurts." Finally she was able to get his head out and I only had a first degree tear! I only pushed 4 times with him. Everything went very quickly and he arrived a beautiful little baby boy with a fully developed set of lungs.

 My heart was full, holding him for the first time. 

 My amazing doctor (Dr. Rebecca Keith at Carolina Women's Health) She is the most amazing and wonderful doctor and she has delivered all three of my boys!