On the Wednesday night, we had burgers for dinner, lay down on the couch (watching pretty woman) and i had this weird pain down low that made me kinda roll off the couch and I said wow that was weird to hubby... he was like - is that a contraction? I said I had no idea! Got back up on the couch, laughed at something on tv, looked at hubby and said either I peed myself or my waters broke! He thought I was joking! I bent over and heaps more came out! Was super surreal! Called the hospital and they said to come in and check. So we went in around 10pm and they said yes it had, to go home and come back at 9am. Went home, had mild contractions all night, but they got down to 3.5 mins apart for an hour. So we were thinking it was imminent but the pain wasn't bad... got the doula to come over to come to the hospital with us, but I think it threw me off, they slowed down a lot. 

By the time I got to the hospital they were back to 5mins apart and sporadic... dr didn't check me, she said "no pain, no gain, go home" come back at 9pm tonight if you don't want me to induce you now. So we left again. Contractions basically stopped. We got home, had lunch and then had a nap. Woke up an hour later and I realized that wasn't good news if I hadn't had anything in all that time. Then I realized I hadn't felt her move so I tried everything and couldn't get her moving. Called they dr and they said to come back straight away. I was sobbing in the car on the way back fearing the worst... got to the potholes on 10th Ave (NYC!) and she woke up!! Said a quick thank you to whoever is watching over us and we made a decision that whatever happened next we were not leaving the hospital again!

Got checked, she was fine but still no contractions. Stayed in triage for an hour and a half bouncing on balls, doing squats everything and nothing. So they admitted us to l&d to be induced as it had been nearly 24hrs since breaking waters. Was a bit sad that all my birth plans were essentially gone now, no bath, constant monitoring, drugs, no food etc... but just knew I had to get her out and start that if I wanted to avoid the c section at all. 

So they hooked everything up, we decided to hold off the doula for a while, it felt like I wanted it to be more personal / intimate. 

They start the pitocen, adding more every 30mins... that shit is no joke... went from no pain to screaming my face off, crying, begging and pleading within about an hour. Got hubby to get the doula to come in (what was I thinking not having her!) 

They gave me the gas to try which helped a little but I was begging for more pain relief. Hubby was holding me off because I had told him I didn't want it... it was torture... the dr came to check me, after 5 hours of hardcore laboring, I was 3.5cm, the same as when I started!!! Fuck that!!! No progression after 5 hours of agony, I demanded the epi and it was the BEST decision I ever made! I could still move and feel my legs etc and feel the feeling of the contraction without the pain. Heaven. I would marry that anesthesiologist!! 

Kept going through the night, about 7am the next morning I was about 8cm... my dr and doula and nurses all changed over and I ended up with my preferred doula, an amazing nurse and the dr who I least wanted originally but who turned out to be the most amazing dr you could want. She has a bit of a rep of getting women there naturally and is a great laboring coach. Started pushing around 1pm. But bub turned her head sideways so we had to keep trying different positions etc. my dr was awesome, on the bed encouraging me, etc. after 4 hours of pushing I was starting to get too exhausted and sore everywhere... she was stuck on my pelvis and it was either forceps of a c section. I didn't do all of that work to have a c section so we decided the forceps. 

Holy crap, as soon as we said yes to that, 10 people descended on the room and gowned up. I saw the forceps and they are huge!!! They go in and I scream harder than anything you could imagine, the most intense pain / feeling ever! The dr and another lady are on either side of the forceps and have to essentially grab her head and pull her down and under my pelvis. Excruciating pain!! Lots of screaming (hubby said he had never heard anything like it!) 

They got her out to her forehead and then I pushed her the rest of the way out!! 

And then we got out girl!!! We didn't know gender and always thought boy so that was an amazing surprise.  

She had to go for a quick check with the pediatrician across the room then straight back to me. 

Stitches and two of the biggest massive hemorrhoids my dr has ever seen... to the point where she has seen it all, looks at me and says, wow that's really bad!! But she said it just shows how hard I was working / pushing. 

So they are the reason I am in a shit ton of pain and can't really sit properly! Hoping they clear up soon as they are really awful and make you miserable. 

so that's it!! 45 hours later, Miss Matilda Rose is here! 7pounds, 5 ounces and 19.5 inches long. 

My advice - go with the flow, trust your team and don't fear the epidural. I was set on a drug free birth but it would have been a miserable experience if I hadn't taken that control of the situation. 

Good luck to all those still waiting! You can do it!