As a first time mum, you have so many questions and concerns. You wake up every day anticipating the arrival of this baby whom you know is about to change your life, but you cant quite explain or begin to understand how just quite yet.

I have lots of friends who all had me so worried for childbirth, saying it was the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives, and to prepare myself for the worst. I know now, that my personality and ease made my birthing experience the best I could have wished for.

My husband and I had tried everything to get little Maxwell to arrive. Red raspberry tea dates, castor oil, evening primrose oil, sex (lots of sex), exercise ball, walking, jogging even. Nothing was making him uncomfortable enough and he arrived at 40+6. I had been 3cm dialated and 80 percent effaced for 2-3 weeks. I recieved 2 membrane sweeps and both did nothing. Max was booked and we were headed to the hospital the following Tuesday for induction. However he decided he was arriving on a Friday. Around midnight Thursday I said to my husband I'm having contractions (Jokes on me) and we headed to the hospital. They checked my cervix and said no progression, you can head home or go for a walk. I was irritated and said let's just go home, at least there I will be comfortable. Once we got home, he went to bed because he worked in the morning and I stayed up watching a TV show. Well, things went from 0-60 in no time. Contractions I thought? Yea right! By 330 I was having REAL contractions. I tried sleeping through them, but that was near impossible. At 612, DH's alarm went off and I told him he wasnt going to work and instead we were having a baby.

Our bags had been packed for weeks. So we hopped in the car and headed to the hospital.... again. When we arrived at 730am they did another exam and to my disbelief, still no change. They said go walk around for two hours and we will see if anything changes. So here we were doing laps around the hospital in what I would say is the worst pain I have experienced. I made it through, thanks to DH's wonderful words of encouragement for an hour and a half until I said no more and we went back to the room they had for us in early labor and delivery. I got back to the room and was bent over the bed dancing to music trying to make it through a contraction when my water finally broke. This was around 945am. They brought us upstairs to our delivery room and gave me an epidural. I went from crying and not being able to talk to laughing in 2 seconds (I would tell anyone to get an epidural! They are amazing) they say "active labor" is when there is change in your cervix which only started around 230pm for me. I went from 4cm to 10cm in 4 hours and then there was 2 hours of bearing down when the say your body preps you to push. At 830pm the doctor came in and said it's time. I pushed... and I pushed.. I laughed at some nurses in our room which in turn made Maxwell crown. I pushed a total of 12 times and Maxwell was born.

I had less than a 1st degree tear, the doc called it a road rash. Max weighed 8lbs 10oz, 21.5 inches long and everything was absolutely perfect.

Long story short. It was easy, it's not scary, dont let other peoples story scare you. You will do great. Get an epidural.