the delivery

So...I started having regular contractions about 6pm Wed night that were noticeably stronger than any others I'd had. I still kept wondering if they'd slow down like all the other times, but they were about 10 min apart and stayed strong. We arrived at the hospital around 8:30pm. I got in my room, answered the usual health questions while the nurse put my info in the computer and she said, "I guess I'll just check you while I'm here." She was so shocked and said something about how she wanted to cuss but knew it wasn't professional to do so. Then she told us, "You're NINE cm."

All the sudden the mood changed. Wes said she literally RAN out of the room. Going through the paperwork was hilarious b/c the nurse couldn't talk fast enough. Someone else was getting the delivery table ready, and there was a buzz of activity. I considered not having an epidural and was taking the contractions well. The nurses were amazed, but I didn't know what to think. I asked what they thought about an epidural and they just laughed and said, "Most people get them at 4 cm." I talked to Wes' mom (who was in the room with us) and decided it would be a better experience if I did get the epidural. I was getting to the point where each contraction was so strong that it was all I could take. It would pass, but I didn't think I'd handle it well once there was little or no time between contractions. Just a few more contractions after the epidural, it was time to start pushing. I pushed for about an hour. The strange thing was that my contractions didn't get closer than 5 minutes apart. Not what I expected. It was so calm and quiet and peaceful...not at all what I expected.

Levi was born at 1:22am. 6 lbs 13oz and 19 in long. He seemed quiet and calm to me. Beautiful, beautiful baby boy.