Thanks for your comments everyone!! I feel so loved!!
Anyway, now to answer your questions.
Many of you want to know if I went all natural by choice or if there just wasn't any time. Okay, here it goes, I did indeed CHOOSE to go all natural. I know, I know, about half of you guys just fainted on me.
All you friends who know me know how much I LOVE my epidurals. So let me explain as best I can. Oh, and some of you wanted details so here they are. If you don't want details, just skip the following.
With the boys, who were both posterior (head facing up toward the ceiling instead of down towards the floor) I went into the hospital in tears all scrunched in a ball from intense back labor. (Hey, I'm not afraid to admit I cry and don't like pain) It wasn't even a question whether I wanted an epidural or not.
While my contractions this time hurt like the dickens, it was still quite bearable so I figured she must be positioned right. So, we go into the hospital and they check me, I was already dilated to a seven! So, at first I thought they would tell me it was too late since I was so far along. But the contractions were still coming fairly slow, about every five minutes, so they gave me a choice.
Okay, I don't know if this is sad or not, but my first thought was, well, if I go natural, it would save on our hospital bill! Then Luke started encouraging me, telling me I could do it, blah blah (which is where the "I hate you" comment comes in later). I probably never would have said yes if he hadn't been so encouraging.
Then those little white lies people tell you like, oh this is your fourth so the way has been paved and it will be so easy, started to find their way into my brain. I also think that every women has been implanted, no matter how small, because believe me, mine was very small, with a slight desire to try it or see if they could do it naturally.
So, with the combination of all of the above, I finally decided to "give it a shot". So when the doctor came to break my water, I thought I was ready! Boy was I ever so very very wrong.
First, the doctor had a hard time breaking my water and had the hook shoved up me for a good two minutes then he finally said, "oh there, I THINK I got it but that's not a lot of fluid." I should have seen that as a bad omen.
Still, I will say that when I stood up and suddenly a bunch of fluid just came out between my legs without warning, it felt embarrassingly like I had just peed on the floor. I started laughing it was so awkward. Which only caused more fluid to pour out.
Anyway, contractions start picking up, but still bearable. After about a hour or so, the nurse come in to check me and finds out that I still had a sac of fluid between the baby and my cervix. So, she's got her hand up there trying to break it with her fingers!! Okay, now that hurt. After she managed to give me a strange desire to strangle her, the contractions really started to pick up and I suddenly started to question my totally irrational decision to go drug free. Pretty soon I was doing that silly breathing to see them do in the movies and using language such as, "I can't do this!" and "I want an epidural!"
But it was too late.
But it was too late.
Then came pushing time. Oh my, it was like.... let's see, how can I possibly describe it... like pushing a bowling ball that is covered in spikes while on fire. Eh, that's pretty close.
I remember sweating like crazy and yelling, "get her out!!" That's all you want is to just get that dang spikey bowling ball out!
And when she finally did come out, I expected the immediate relief that everyone claims comes right after the baby is out. Oh, there was still plenty of pain, thank you very much, and getting that placenta out was no picnic!
Now, don't let my story discourage you from trying it out if that is your desire. Many of you reading this went all natural. And again I say, my hat is off to you, and better you than me!!
I love this picture! She is so cute! I do good work! Not that I'm boasting or anything... okay, maybe just a little =)