I want to share my birth story because I remember how I loved reading everyone's stories and experiences! My original due date was on the 22nd of December. At 35w was 1 cm dilated and 100% effaced. I was aching and over being pregnant. I just wanted to meet him so I was hoping he'd be here a little early, but I made it to my 40w appointment. Again, I get told I'm 1 cm dilated and 100% effaced. Me being my crazy hormonal self, just went home and cried because I never thought he would come. Then at around 8 am the next day, I started feeling very crampy and uncomfortable. I brushed it off, and went about cleaning and preparing for his arrival. Later that night, the cramping and contractions slowly intensified and I started becoming even more uncomfortable. I tried timing the contractions, but I was getting different numbers. I blew it off and hung in there thinking it was false labor. It definitely wasn't. By 12 am, I was in so much pain that I told my husband that I couldn't take it anymore. I started timing them again and they were about 5 minutes apart. So we get in the car and head to the hospital, which is like 15 minutes away. We are almost halfway there until a train comes, and we get stuck waiting for it to pass. I'm sitting there gripping onto the car handle, and screaming at the train(like that helped). It passes, and we get to the emergency room, and we waited 20 minutes for this lady to bring a wheelchair down for me. She finally comes down, and wheels me to labor and delivery. I get in the room, and the nurse checks me to see how dilated I am. She tells me I'm only 1 cm. After hearing that I want to just flip on someone because with all that pain, I thought I would be farther along. She says she'll give me some pain medicine(which didn't help at all), and come back to see if I have made any progress. She comes back, and then tells me I'm only 2 cm dilated. She said since I progressed a cm, she'll call the doctor and ask if she wants me admitted. The doctor said she wants me admitted and then I get some more pain medicine. A couple hours later, the doctor comes in, to meet me and ask how I'm feeling. My husband left to go get a few things because he thought we'd be waiting for awhile. But as soon as he gets to the store, the doctor comes in, checks me, and I'm finally 5 cm. She breaks my water, and tells the anesthesiologist that I'm ready for my epidural. I call my husband freaking out because he's not here. He comes in right before I get my epidural, and then we wait for it to kick in. I call my family to tell them this is it, and play the waiting game. An hour or two later, the doctor comes in and checks me. I'm finally 10 cm dilated, and she wants me to start pushing in the next few minutes. My family leaves and I start pushing. I only pushed for about 30 minutes and I finally have him in my arms. I hardly felt a thing, and I was just speechless. Declan James Lyons was born at 12:01 pm on Christmas <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glow.android.eve">Eve</a>, weighing 8 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches long. Best moment of my life. ❤