09.07.09 ~ Going into Labor on Labor Day ...

For our first time experiencing this, I think labor went really smoothly ... I had started labor on Labor Day ... ha, ha, ha ... around 9am in the morning. I had just finished mopping the floor - the last thing on my "to do" list before our whole place was spotless. Perfect timing, eh? Nate timed my contractions that morning as I tried to just stay relaxed on the couch and watch the US Open on TV. Watching tennis through all of this really helped me - it was soothing to watch the ball being hit back and forth and it took my mind off of the pain. When I thought the contractions were lasting around a minute, and were around 5 minutes apart, we went to the hospital, which was around 2:30pm. They admitted us and told me to walk around for an hour and they would check my dilation. An hour later, I was dilated at a 4, and by 6pm, I was dilated at a 6. I then got an epidural and "enjoyed" the rest of my labor. Nate's family came and it was a joy to have them there as well. The only thing that was weird about my labor was the fact that my body kept shivering uncontrollably. The nurse said it was my adrenalin and my body just dealing with the labor. I was glad I couldn't feel any of the intense labor ... just some pressure every time a contraction came. I then quickly progressed and was ready to push around 11:30pm. I pushed for a little over an hour and the last 15-20 minutes, I could feel EVERYTHING!!! My epidural had wore off and I had run out of my reserve. So pushing was extremely painful, but very well worth it to bring this beautiful baby into the world.

Just got the epidural ... I feel great!


Nate's sisters and mom witnessed the birth ...