[This post is for those of you that like the details of all that takes place in the labor & delivery room.  Don't worry, I'll get back to blogging about other stuff soon.] 

Going into this birth, my ideal situation was: a quick, natural, and drug-free birth. 

Here’s a short summary of all that actually took place.
- I went to the doctor Monday morning to check on baby’s position.  The mid-wife saw that his head was down,and called labor and delivery to have me admitted.  I didn’t want to be induced, I really wanted to see my body labor naturally, but given the circumstances, I’d rather be induced than risk him turning breech again and having a c-section. 

- We got to the hospital at 2pm and they told us that Bethany had switched shifts with the mid-wife on call and she was on her way.  She was the mid-wife I had hoped would be there for the delivery.  She is a Christian and had been very encouraging with me throughout the pregnancy.  Knowing she would be there gave me some hope.  When the nurse hooked me up to the monitors they saw I was having contractions- I just wasn’t feeling them yet.  I was really hoping they would pick up to avoid being induced. 

- Around 3:30pm Bethany arrived and broke my water.  She didn’t want him turning again (he was still pretty active) and it would likely help the contractions pick up.  At this point I was dilated about 3.5 cm. 

- Over the next couple hours the contractions started coming more often.  It seemed that every time the nurse mentioned pitocin (the hormone drug that forces your body to have contractions), things would speed up.  I was trying to avoid pitocin because I knew if they gave it to me I would definitely get an epidural (that’s what I did with both of the girl’s deliveries). 

- Between 7:30- 8pm contractions started coming stronger and I was definitely feeling them.  Bethany came to check on my progress and I was about 5 cm.  I was a little discouraged because I thought I would have been further along by then.  So Bethany suggested I get into the shower and that if things didn’t pick up soon, they would start pitocin. 

- One thing I liked about our hospital was they didn’t make me have an IV, and they had wireless monitors (for the baby’s heartbeat) that could get wet so it made it easy to walk around. 

- While in the shower things went from bad to worse- most of the pain during contractions was in my lower back.  The hot water helped a lot and Bethany would press into my back during a contraction to help ease the pain.  But, about 30 minutes later, I started giving up.  It hadn’t been long, and to me it  felt like things would take a few more hours.  I didn’t think (nor did I want) I could keep going.

- Bethany suggested she check my progress and then discuss my options (meaning drugs).  I quickly agreed to that!  When she checked me, I was completely dilated!  But she said the baby still needed to turn- in my mind I thought that meant a long time.  At this point I was losing my mind and was asking (maybe begging!) for an epidural.  Little did I know that it was too late, but the nurse started to put an IV in my hand anyway (I think they were just trying to appease me).

- Five minutes later Bethany said that all I had to do was push, but at this point I had completely given up.  I had no idea how I was going to push this baby out- I just didn’t have it in me.  It was in that moment that I felt like something or someone supernaturally took over my body (I’m convinced it was God).  I was still miserable and in unbearable pain, but strength came from somewhere because within 5-10 minutes, he was out and it was all over.   

- Bethany did an amazing job delivering our baby.  The baby came so fast that his head was bruised coming out, and the cord wrapped around his neck twice (probably from turning so much, but you never know), but everything was okay and he was completely healthy.  Within the next hour the bruising on his head was gone.   

- Filipe did an amazing job too!  He was great at encouraging me to keep going- even when I was losing it.

- Hours after delivery, I was still in shock (in a good way!).  Filipe kept saying how he was proud of me and how I did it, but I kept telling him, “No, you don’t understand, I didn’t do it!  Someone else did it because I gave up!”  And a week later that is still how I feel.  I can’t take the credit for it, maybe for being willing to go through it, but it wasn’t my strength that got me through it- it was God’s strength in me.  

I’m amazed at how God answered every prayer about this delivery- down to the smallest detail.  I had a quick, natural, and drug-free birth- and I even had the mid-wife I wanted. 

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who prayed for us during this process- your prayers were answered!