They don't call it LABOR for nothing...

So here is my birth story :) or rather my baby's birth story and my near death experience...

I was scheduled for an induction on January 21st, 2011 at 5am. I really wanted to go naturally but I also was dealing with anxiety and high blood pressure due to the reality that Matt might not make it back in time to see our baby be born. My doctor was really nice and decided that it was a good idea to induce to guarantee that Matt would be there. I still had hope that maybe I would still go naturally somehow. That did not happen.

We arrived at the hospital at 5am to check in. We basically sat around for the first hour waiting to be escorted to labor and delivery. Until FINALLY someone came and got us and showed us to our room. I changed into my beautiful hospital gown (yuck) and got hooked up to an IV to constantly give me fluids. They put the monitor for my contractions and the fetal monitor on my belly and started the pitocin (it helps start labor and create consistent contractions). I was already contracting when I came to the hospital but they weren't strong and not consistent. Well, within minutes of starting the pitocin I began contracting but they would wear off shortly after. The nurse was scheduled to come in every half hour to increase the pitocin and check my contractions. So this went on for the next 12hrs (6am to 6pm). Finally they decided that after no progression, they would start me on cervadil. Cervadil helps ripen the cervix and makes it more favorable to induction and eventually labor. I had this in for the next 12hrs. The most exciting part about starting this was that I was finally able to eat! (I hadn't ate anything since 7pm the night before because I went to bed early so I was able to get up at 4am) At 6am the next morning they removed the cervadil and started me on pitocin. I was 100% effaced but still only 1 and half centimeters dilated! By this point I was disappointed and tired. I felt like this was never going to happen for me. They put me back on pitocin and came back to check me an hour later to see if anything had happened. I had dilated to a 2. Not a BIG difference but at least it was something! 5 hours later at 12pm my doctor stopped by to check me again and determine what we should do. When he checked me I was still at a 2! What the heck! I was so frustrated! But he decided he was going to break my water and get things going. After he broke my water (weirdest feeling ever) I immediately started getting contractions. They were horrible! I labored without an epidural for about an hour and a half. At that point I thought I was going to die. Dramatic? NO. The weirdest part was that I labored in silence. I didn't want to talk, I barely moaned, and didn't even think about screaming or whimpering. I just breathed and rocked back and forth. I scared Matt a bit and he said that it was like I was in my own world. I also was shaking uncontrollably the whole time. I guess that is how my body responds to pain. My teeth were chattering and it was like my whole body had a twitch. So when that epidural came... I WAS IN HEAVEN! How my mom labored with 6 kids and had to pain medication is beyond me! I have so much more respect for that woman! lol the first thing I said after the epidural was "I think I am going to live!". I was still shaking after the epidural but I couldn't feel the pain. And the greatest part was that I could still move my legs. I wanted to be able to push but not be in pain and the epi doctor did a great job in helping me with that! They checked me again after an hour and lo and behold I was already at 4cm! Then an hour later... 7cm! Matt and I were in complete shock. All the sudden it felt real. This was going to happen, we were going to meet our baby! An hour after that I was at 9cm! Then I was scared. Reality hit. Oh crap. But I was stuck at a 9cm for 5 hours! I was becoming more and more anxious. Finally the doctor said that I was going to push at 9 and a half centimeters and they were going to massage my cervix to help it dilate to a 10. At this point, my epidural had worn off. I immediately started crying. I could feel everything and I was denied anymore pain medication. Matt coached me through the whole thing. He grabbed my right leg and counted through each contraction. What a trooper! Well I pushed for 45 min and not only had my cervix dilated to a 10, I was CROWNING! The first thing I asked Matt was "Does the baby have hair?!" lol, well it did. At that point the nurse told me to stop pushing so she could call my doctor to come to the hospital. Wait... WHAT?! He wasn't even around?! Well it took him 20min to get there and that was the WORST part about my whole labor. How could I not push when that was all my body wanted to do?! As soon as he got there it only took about 15min and.... NIKOS APOLLO TORRES WAS BORN! We didn't know the sex so Matt was the one to yell out "ITS A BOY"! They put Nikos on my stomach and cleaned him up and I just couldn't stop crying. Even thinking about it now makes me tear up. Matt had the biggest grin too. That moment will forever be one of the most amazing experiences. Immediately I was painless and all the hard work had paid off.

I have never experienced a love like this. It is so different then the love I feel for Matt and for my family. I can't describe how it feels to be a mother. It's like he has been here my whole life and I think in a way he sort of has been. I am beyond happy.