My husband and I had fertility treatments and we waited 5 long years for our little boy. We suffered a miscarriage last July and found out we were expecting our boy 3 months later! It was a very hard road but we made it through and I am so thankful to be blessed with my baby boy! On 6/29 at 11pm I took a teaspoon of caster oil (3 days overdue) and at 1:30am I started having contractions 5 minutes apart. I didn't know at the time they were contractions. I'm pretty sensitive so I thought I just had to use the restroom and that the caster oil didnt work. Well after about 6 hours of then lasting 5 minutes apart and being in tears because I couldn't sit down, we went to Triage. They examined me and stated u was only 1 cm and 75% effaced. Feeling down, we went back home. Contracted all day and night but they were getting worse. At 3:30pm on 7/1 I went back because I was moaning through contractions, couldn't sit down or still and had no sleep. I was only 2cm and 85% effaced. A family member had taken me because I told my husband to go to work because it would be a while. They monitored my contractions and said they were very strong but my body wasn't progressing. They wanted to give me dilaudid yo give me a chance to rest and said typically in 6 hours I'll be ready to come back. I struggled for a long time before I said yes. I didnt want any medication through labor. I went home and tried to sleep, which I could between the 5 minutes but had to stand to get through them still. They were getting much worse. Next thing I know my water breaks, not <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glow.android.eve">eve</a> after being home for an hour. My husband shift ended at the time my water broke. I waited about 20 minutes and called him asking if he was close and he was. Told him my water broke and we needed to go in. This ride was the worst because the contractions were so strong. When i got there they started my water did break and I was at 4cm and was admitted. It was pretty surreal but happy to get the process started. My contractions were still very intense so I used the gas to help me through. By 11pm they checked me and I was only at 5cm. They started again that I need to try and rest because my body is really tense. I cried because I couldn't go through a whole 1 or 2 days again before reaching 10cm. I was progressing so slowly. I decided to get the epidural and it was the best decision I ever made.I slept in between contractions and by 5:04am on 7/2, my beautiful son was born. He was 23 inches long (wow!) and weighed 8 lbs 5.8oz. He unfortunately had inhaled some meconium and had to stay in NICU for 4 days. But he is home now and healthy. I

couldn't be more happy!