It's a girl!!

Fast as fast can be, baby girl makes it into the world. Contractions for a few days, on and off changes from the norm but nothing indicating actual labour. This evening contractions were very strong abdomen hard as a rock and gradually getting to be almost exactly every 5 minutes with small peeks in between. A good pattern is determined on the monitor at the hospital and the nurse comes in and says yes you are contracting in a good pattern, let me check you. Oh, you're only 1cm I must send you home. A shot of demerol in the bottom and off to sleep at home for mom. Only within about an hour of getting home Splah!!! a huge gush of amniotic fluid comes out. It's midnight now and suddenly the contractions are intensified.12:30 arrive at hospital. 1 am epidural. 1:40 6cm (at 10:30 she was 1cm) 2:05 fully dilated start pushing. 2:23 baby born! 13 minutes of pushing, 2.5 hours of active labour. No vacuum or forcepts no episiotomy no stitching required, just a beautiful baby happy at the breast. This birth had a very rapid flow to it once things got started. There was a scare with the way the decel patern was happening, it was actually very dramatic with every contraction but baby seemed to be bouncing back very well. The threat of cesarean was enough to speed things up down the normal natural route. It turns out there was a true knot in the cord, which in my true birth junkie spirit took many pictures of. I also was asked to cut the cord, a first for me and that was very exciting!! Baby is happy , healthy and gorgeous. Mama is thrilled to have had the birth she so desired, it happened just as she had envisioned. Now it's 4:30 am and I really must get some sleep, oh but that adrenaline is pumping!! Love those sweet baby smells on my sleeves...