Second 8 hour labor

This is my second baby and I had been expecting him to come earlier than his sister. He came 2 days before his due date. About a week before, I was having contractions but they stopped. I was having all the signs for a couple weeks before and was getting desperate not to be pregnant anymore. At my last appointment I was 3.5 cm and 50%. On 8/31, my leave started and my husband and I were trying to do things to get labor moving. My 2.5 year old daughter was at daycare so we walked around the grocery store, I ate some pineapple, and then we tried sex. Within 15 minutes after, my husband went to get my daughter and I started having contractions at about 5pm. They went quickly from 10 minutes apart to 7 to 4 (same thing happened with my daughter). My mother in law came and picked my daughter up and then we went to the hospital. I got there and was about 5cm and 80%. I was admitted and decided to wait to see if I wanted an epidural. After sitting in the delivery room for a little, my water broke and the contractions instantly got more intense and closer together so I decided to get it (I never got it with my daughter because it was too late). That experience was not fun but I felt so much better after and slept for a little. Finally after midnight, the doctors and nurses came in to start practice pushing which turned into real pushes. It was definitely a little more challenging since I couldn't always feel the contractions but it was less painful. I still slightly felt the ring of fire. They kept asking me to change which side I was leaning on and had to wear an oxygen mask because the baby's heart rate dropped but that helped. At 12:57 on 9/1 Liam Richard was born at 7lb 12oz and 20in.

I didn't end up having any tearing again and the labor took the same amount of time as my daughter's but was more relaxed. I loved my team so much more compared to the first time. I was discharged 9/2 and had to wear a mask through everything and get tested for COVID but the experience was not terrible. I did have one weird symptom where I got Bell's Palsy (probably from the inflammation caused by the effort of pushing). I can't move the right side of my face, but that should go away with the steroids I'm taking.