I really appreciated reading others' birth stories so here is mine:

I gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Sunday, November 6th at 1:45am.  The previous day I had to go into work at 7am - my office is on the 45th floor and we're wondering if the ride up the elevator made my water break (I hadn't been in to work for two months as I had been out on disability due to complications with ulcerative colitis and the pregnancy).  I had just used the restroom so when my water broke I knew it wasn't that I had peed my pants...  I didn't feel a pop like some women have said they did - just a LOT of fluid.  I called my husband and then drove home to get ready for the hospital.  I showered and put on adult diapers as my fluid was still leaking.  I called my OB and then headed to the hospital.  They first had me in triage and tested my fluid with strips that are supposed to turn bright blue if the fluid is amniotic fluid - the strips only turned a bluish/green but they admitted me anyway.  I was continuing to leak fluid all the time and when the OB checked me, she said she ruptured the fore sac (?) that can sometimes stay in tact but I was only 1 cm dilated.  I had not had any contractions up to this point so they let me eat lunch and then started me on pitocin and penicillin (I was GBS positive).  I started to feel contractions about three hours later.  They're like period cramps but ten times worse.  I went for maybe 3 hours having contractions until the nurse said I could have an epidural (was still only 1 cm dilated).  The anesthesiologist came and did the epidural which was relatively painless - I was more scared of it hurting than it actually hurt.  THe contractions let up but I could still feel them and was worried that the epidural was not working.  I kept upping the amount but could still feel them.  The OB came in and checked and I was only 4 cm dilated at close to midnight (water broke at 8am).  Then I started to feel slight pressure about an hour later and the nurse checked me again - I was dilated to 8 cm and progressing quickly.  The OB then came to check me and said that I was dilated to 10 cm and ready to go.  While he checked on another patient, two nurses started me pushing.  I couldn't feel anything so pushing felt really weird - almost like you're faking it.  When the baby's head crowned, the OB came in to deliver the baby.  I had only a labial tear and two stitches afterward.

Things I did beforehand:

Things I didn't realize: