Elizabeth was due on Friday the 13th 
I spent most of the day having contractions, but that was not unusual since I'd been having them for weeks. I did have some other indications that made me cautiously optimistic that my little girl was on her way, but I was trying not to get my hopes up, because I was not going to head to the hospital AGAIN to be sent home. That evening we went out to dinner at O'Charley's with Kevin's parents and the kids. Then we headed over to the mall. We walked quite a lot of the mall and got some much needed shopping done.
After we got home and got the kids in bed I was still having contractions, but refusing to time them. We stayed up relatively late (for us) to catch the high school football scores and then I went to bed at about 11:30. Kevin of course went right to sleep and I laid there trying to decide if this was really labor or just more of the same old stuff. After about an hour I decided that it was the real thing and woke Kevin up. Then we had to drag the kids out of bed and take them to Kevin's parents house. We got to the hospital at 1:30 am.
When they checked my cervix for the first time it was 4 cm
I was still at -3 station and 40-50% effaced. Since it was 3 cm Thursday afternoon they didn't send me home. You don't know how happy that made me. After another hour the doctor came and checked me and her head was not bobbing up and down anymore so he broke my water.
The contractions got more regular and intense after that but I was really OK. I just relaxed and breathed through the contractions. By 5:40 I was 7 cm and 90% effaced at -1 station. Judging from William's birth, we figured that she would be born in the next hour, but things kind of stuck there for a while. The contractions were still not unbearable, but were definitely more uncomfortable. At about 7:30 I let them give me some Stadol (spelling?). It was supposed to make the contractions a little more bearable and help me to relax. I can't say that it really worked. I got really groggy but the contractions were still bad.
The nurse came in about 8:00 and wasn't going to check me right then, but changed her mind. I was at 9 cm and that's when everything started to really fall apart. I told her DO NOT LEAVE! and then I started yelling
There were about 3 nurses trying to get me to lay down and breathe, etc. Telling me not to push ha ha!! Then her head was out and they told me not to push and then I'm panicking "What's wrong with her? Is she OK?" It turned out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice and they had to cut it off. They cut the cord and then she was born at 8:15 on October 14. No doctor, just three very capable L&D nurses They were really great. The doctor came in about a minute after she was born and delivered the placenta. 
He still gets paid though.
No tearing so he didn't even have to stitch me up
I spent most of the day having contractions, but that was not unusual since I'd been having them for weeks. I did have some other indications that made me cautiously optimistic that my little girl was on her way, but I was trying not to get my hopes up, because I was not going to head to the hospital AGAIN to be sent home. That evening we went out to dinner at O'Charley's with Kevin's parents and the kids. Then we headed over to the mall. We walked quite a lot of the mall and got some much needed shopping done.After we got home and got the kids in bed I was still having contractions, but refusing to time them. We stayed up relatively late (for us) to catch the high school football scores and then I went to bed at about 11:30. Kevin of course went right to sleep and I laid there trying to decide if this was really labor or just more of the same old stuff. After about an hour I decided that it was the real thing and woke Kevin up. Then we had to drag the kids out of bed and take them to Kevin's parents house. We got to the hospital at 1:30 am.
When they checked my cervix for the first time it was 4 cm
I was still at -3 station and 40-50% effaced. Since it was 3 cm Thursday afternoon they didn't send me home. You don't know how happy that made me. After another hour the doctor came and checked me and her head was not bobbing up and down anymore so he broke my water.The contractions got more regular and intense after that but I was really OK. I just relaxed and breathed through the contractions. By 5:40 I was 7 cm and 90% effaced at -1 station. Judging from William's birth, we figured that she would be born in the next hour, but things kind of stuck there for a while. The contractions were still not unbearable, but were definitely more uncomfortable. At about 7:30 I let them give me some Stadol (spelling?). It was supposed to make the contractions a little more bearable and help me to relax. I can't say that it really worked. I got really groggy but the contractions were still bad.
The nurse came in about 8:00 and wasn't going to check me right then, but changed her mind. I was at 9 cm and that's when everything started to really fall apart. I told her DO NOT LEAVE! and then I started yelling
There were about 3 nurses trying to get me to lay down and breathe, etc. Telling me not to push ha ha!! Then her head was out and they told me not to push and then I'm panicking "What's wrong with her? Is she OK?" It turned out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice and they had to cut it off. They cut the cord and then she was born at 8:15 on October 14. No doctor, just three very capable L&D nurses They were really great. The doctor came in about a minute after she was born and delivered the placenta. He still gets paid though.No tearing so he didn't even have to stitch me up
