For our inaugural post ...

My daughter Natalie's birth story! She was born on July 7 this year:

On Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning a week before I was due, I woke up around 4 or 5 a.m. with some pretty strong contractions. I couldn't sleep through them, so I got up, had a bite to eat, and used the computer a bit. Eventually, they faded away, so I went back to bed ... though of course my sleep for the night was shot!

Wednesday was a very rough day. I was exhausted from the night before and uncomfortable (I was having Braxton Hicks contractions constantly), the weather was sweltering hot, the boys were driving me up a wall ... it was a long, cruddy day. My husband ended up coming home from work early because I was in such pathetic shape! I was getting pretty desperate to get this kid OUT.

Then, on Thursday, July 7, I woke up a little after 5 a.m. with some pretty strong contractions. I started timing them around 5:30, and after about another half an hour, I decided that this was probably the real thing, and we should get going. (My previous labors were 3 hours and 2 1/2 hours, so I wanted to err on the side of caution!)

We made it to the hospital at about 6:30 or so, and on the way there, contractions were still coming about 2-3 minutes apart, though not terribly painful. Unfortunately, after we checked in, they stopped altogether! This was pretty unusual for me, as my previous births had been so fast. I was at 4 centimeters when I got there, but things didn't progress at all after an hour. After another hour, I was still only 4-5 centimeters.

At that point, the OB on call, Dr. M, said I could either go home if I liked, or they could admit me to labor and delivery, start me on antibiotics (I was GBS-positive yet again -- batting 3 for 3 on that score) and then break my water. While I hadn't had any inductions before and preferred to avoid them, I was frankly getting desperate, and I didn't want to have to go through the whole run-to-the-hospital scenario again (especially as it involved my husband missing work, as well as my mother-in-law, who was watching the boys). I also wanted to make sure I got the full course of antibiotics, as my previous labors had been too short for me to get the full dose.

Once I got to labor and delivery, things started right back up again. The contractions weren't particularly strong or fast, but at least they were there! We had a fantastic nurse who was very low-pressure and encouraging, and since things were moving slowly, for the most part, we were left pretty much to ourselves. I walked around the halls for a bit, I sat on an exercise ball, and our nurse poked her head in now and then to make sure we were doing OK. Dr. M asked at one point if I wanted to have my water broken, but since things had picked up, I said no, that I preferred to wait and see how things went on their own.

When the contractions started to get a bit stronger, I got in the shower, which was heavenly. Eventually, I wasn't sure if I could stand up much longer, so I got out. At 12:30, I was still only dilated to 6 centimeters, though. (I know that sounds silly to be discouraged by that, but at that point, I'd already been in labor twice as long as I had been with either of my first two!)

Immediately after that, things started getting very intense. This time around, I recognized it was transition -- I hadn't been very aware of it during my previous two births. I tried to quell the panicky feeling I was getting and to take slow breaths. I wasn't terribly successful -- I told my husband that I was scared, that I didn't want to do this, that I wanted it to be over ... he was very comforting and reassuring and told me we were almost done. (He knows better than me how my labors go, I think!) I also started thinking, "I wonder if I should have gone for the epidural after all" ... which I recognized as a sign that I was probably getting close to the end.

Things had started really getting in gear: At 12:45, Dr. M told me I was fully dilated and could push whenever I felt like it. I really didn't WANT to -- because pushing is my very very very least favorite part of labor -- but after about five more minutes, I felt that familiar, undeniable urge. I think I pushed maybe four times -- around five minutes total -- and Natalie was born at 12:56 p.m.!

They put her on my chest right away, and the first thing I noticed was that we were both covered with yellowish-green gunk. I immediately asked, "Is that mec?" and the doctor nodded. Natalie had passed some meconium in utero, and apparently not too recently, either -- her fingernails were stained with it. So after a minute, they had my husband cut her umbilical cord and took her to another corner of the room so they could make sure her lungs were clear. (They were, thankfully!)

Because I'd been so much more uncomfortable this time around, I was expecting her to be bigger than the boys, who were 7 pounds 6 ounces and 7 pounds 9 ounces, but our sweet little miss was a mere 7 pounds even and 19 3/4 inches.

We spent a couple of hours cuddling her in L&D -- she was nursing beautifully -- took photos, and made the requisite phone calls. Afterward, we headed to the mother-baby unit and had visits from a couple of friends and, later in the day, from my in-laws and the boys, who were immediately smitten with their baby sister.

While her birth was longer than I anticipated, and more intense, it was fantastic. Everyone we dealt with through our whole stay was great, Natalie is doing wonderfully, and I feel terrific. I truly couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Our sweet angel: