Today was the day 4 years ago I went into labor with our little Monster. So hard to believe four years has already passed. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

I wanted to get it all typed out before we have another birth story to get it mixed with.

You know how in the movies a pregnant lady is just going about her business, then all of a sudden, WOOSH there’s a mini-lake at her feet. Cue the crazy running around and rushing to the hospital, all while screaming at the top of her lungs that she hates her husband?

Yea, you know what I’m talking about. Then you hear from your birthing class instructor that that’s not actually how it goes at all?

Or is it?…

I waddled walked around for nearly 2 weeks 2 cm dilated and 90% effaced. At my 39 week check, which happened to be on a Thursday, Dr. B did his thing, and as he was taking off his gloves said, “well, see you this weekend!” and walked out the door.

No way I thought…this is my first kid…first kids always come late. I’m still a week from my due date. I still haven’t even had any Braxton-hicks contractions…

My workweek rounded out like any other week, but with Dr. B’s “warning” I had copied my assistant on every email I sent that day just in case. Friday night, I ended up sleeping on the couch, sitting up, most of the night because that is the only way I can seem to get comfortable.

Saturday morning Andy and I headed over to the home of some good friends to help them pack up their moving truck…well, he helped, I sat in their front yard making sure their rocking chair didn’t disappear. {What? I was clearly a big help} When they decided that their rocking chair was safe, they sent me on a lunch run for the crew.

An hour later, there we were, sitting cross-legged on the floor of their now empty living room eating sub sandwiches, strategizing how the rest of the truck would be packed when Rich, one of the homeowners, asked me to toss him a bag of chips. As I leaned forward to grab a bag of Doritos to send his way, he joked “Oh don’t lean over too far or you’re water will break!” I responded with some witty remark and threw the chips his way, laughing with the rest of the group.

I straightened up. Then cocked my head to the side…what the?…did that?…Wait a minute…

I quickly got up and made my way to the bathroom. Sure enough…my water had broke! I proceeded to yell for my husband and instructed him to go get the extra pants I had in the back of our car. We paged the doctor. He told us to head into the hospital. But before we could go to the hospital we ad to head home, grab our bag and make sure the dog had food. At that point, I still had not had a single contraction.

On our drive to the hospital we called our family and friends to let them know we were on our way to have a baby!

We checked into the hospital and made our way to the L&D room.

We walked. We played cards. We joked. We visited with family. I listened to Andy have a 5 minute debate with himself whether or not the car he saw out the window was the car he sold 2 years ago or not.

Still no contractions.

Cue the IV & petocin…or as I like to call it, the devil drug.

They upped my petocin 4 times within an hour and all of a sudden it was game on.

I was still pretty comfortable, no drugs needed. Contractions were steady, but not unbearable. We continued to visit with family. I bounced on the birthing ball while we played cards.

Then BAM! I dilated 5 cm in 45 minutes.

I had Andy kindly usher our cheering section out to the waiting room.

My contractions got stronger. My breathing became more shallow.

And then, just like in the movies, when I finally said I needed an epidural they told me it was too late! I was at 9.5 cm and about ready to push. I ended up going the route of intrithecal and I was again a happy mama.

The doctor came in just as my legs went numb. Got the bed ready and I was pushing within 5 minutes.

We had the radio on and between pushes, Dr. B was asking us trivia questions and telling us jokes.

30 minutes of pushing later (11 hours after my water broke) at 12:13 AM, I was holding our perfectly healthy 6 lb, 14 oz baby girl in my arms.

Seriously, I swear the only thing this “just-like-in-the-movies” labor & delivery lacked was me yelling obscenities at my husband.

It all seemed too easy.

But…then the drugs wore off and I could hardly walk for the next 2 weeks.

They never show you that part in the movies…

Happy almost birthday, my little monster!