My plan: Natural Delivery (my mother had fast labors with all four of us girls and my sisters had ultra fast labors...must run in the family, Right??!!...LOL)
Reality: Threw it out the window before even going to the hospital.
I woke up at 2 am Thursday night (Fri am) 29 May with mild contractions that were everywhere from 3 minutes to 10 min apart. I couldn't really sleep, not because they were that painful; I was more anxious to be in labor. I came downstairs and laid in the recliner and watched some TV. At 5am I dozed off for about an hour and when I woke up I didn't really have any more contractions. So, I went into work, figuring I should get some last minute things done since I probably wouldn't be there for 6 more weeks...or hoping I wouldn't be.
At 10am the contractions returned with a bit more intensity, but nothing too painful and nothing too consistent (again 3-7 minutes apart). I had an OB appt scheduled at 2pm, so I decided to go home and wait it out. Well, by about 1pm, they were starting to get much more intense. I packed my bag in the car, hoping this was going to be it. At 2, I checked in for my appointment and while we were waiting, I had some pretty intense contractions that were coming every 3-5 minutes. I was closing my eyes and gripping the chair and breathing through the contractions...noting several concerned looks from fellow patients in the waiting room. After about 20 minutes, his tech came out and said that labor and delivery was swamped and she asked if we could come back in 1 1/2 hours. I mustered the courage to say "okay", fearing that the ward was full and that I would have to come back in 1 1/2 hours, just to be told I would have to deliver at a British hospital.
So, we came back to our house (only 5 minutes from the hospital). And, in that hour and a half, was on all fours on the floor of our living room. Poor Aaron was trying to help, but nothing was doing the trick. At this point my body was telling me that I was on crack for wanting to do it natural.
We returned to the hospital at 4pm, to find out I was four centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. Eddie (my OB) declared "Let's have you a baby!" YEAH!!! Now, Aaron and I never attended a child birth class, so we did a lot of reading about L&D. And, I do remember reading that transition labor from 8-10 cm is the most painful....YIKES. I was claiming 7/10 pain at only 4 cm. So, I went back and forth about do I get the epidural or not. And, even though I really had wanted to try it natural, everything in my body was telling me to get it. I didn't want to labor for hours on end, just to get one anyways....(and, in hindsight, was the best decision given the size of Elsa!!). So, at 4:30 I got the epidural (they did a spinal first and that took effect in less than 5 minutes, then threaded the catheter in for the epidural) and at 5pm, he broke my water. Fortunately, since the fluid was clear, he decided to let me labor rather than administer pitocin. I found the epidural experience quite entertaining. I felt like a parapalegic! They had to change the bedding since he broke my water in the bed, so I had to have help rolling from one side to the other. The only downside I found of the epidural was laying in bed and requiring LOTS of fluid (my blood pressure kept dropping so they ended up giving me over 4 Liters of fluid!!) But, I was feeling no pain/contractions! He even commented how my contractions on the monitor were as intense as if he had given me pitocin (again, super happy about deciding to do the epidural). So, Aaron and I just hung out while I labored. I was dilating about 1 cm every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Every hour they were taking my vital signs and at 11 pm, I started to spike a fever. Suggesting that either the baby or I had an infection. He said that if it got any higher, I would require an antibiotic. When he checked me I was almost 10 cm and there was a little meconium in the fluid, so given that and the fever, he wanted things to progress sooner versus later. Fortunately, my body did what it needed to....And, at midnight, I started pushing....8 minutes later Elsa was born. It was the most incredible experience! Aaron was able to video tape from behind my head (very G rated as I really did not want to see the actually process) and I get teary eyed watching her being born. When he put her on my chest, i said "oh, she is so tiny!!". That was immediately followed by their comments..."oh, not really; she is quite chunky". They had to stimulate her a bit, but she started crying. They wanted to take her over to the table to evaluate her since she might have swallowed some mecomium and take her temperature. She had a slight fever, but it went down quickly. Aaron was with her while they were evaluating her; me...I had a few stitches to repair a small tear (again, happy that I had the epidural).
The recovery afterwards is what amazed me. I think I was a little naive about the post-delivery period. Fortunately, I DID know not to pack pre-pregnancy clothes! But, I really didn't consider how exhausted I would be and how sore I would be...especially after delivering a 9 1/2 pound baby. And, with all that fluid....I was soooo swollen. my feet were so swollen I couldn't even bend my toes. I could hardly wear my teva sandals home from the hospital.
Now, I am only 5 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight, but I think it will be ages before I can wear my normal clothes. The nice thing about being "all belly" when I was pregnant was that it was "cute" (at least that is what people were telling me). The bad thing (especially factoring Elsa's size) is that my stomach will never again be the same...I definitely have a "muffin top"...LOL. But, it was all worth it. And, I have an excuse to buy some new clothes! All the clothes I had bought in the past two years were more tailored/fitted. Factoring in the change in my physique with nursing and the "muffin top", all of my shirts feel like midriff shirts, if they do fit...I was joking that it was like my torso had elongated. And, my pants were more "low rise" and now accentuate my not so pleasant belly.
I have started walking with Elsa and doing light strength training, but am anxious to get back to the gym and really crank up the intensity. I think it may be awhile before I start running, but at least I will be able to do the elliptical/rowing and weights...
Here is a picture of her on her four week b-day. Aaron was excited that she was dressed in something other than pink. 
And, here is how she sleeps...in "touchdown" mode. She loves to be all stretched out...which is why she does NOT like her car seat or to be swaddled. Fortunately, she still likes to cuddle!
She is getting more alert as each day passes. We often lay her on her Einstein floor mat and she is so content just looking around. She even tries to roll around and gets her torso half way around. And, with tummy time she can raise her head a bit...but she gets frustrated after about 5 minutes of that. We are enjoying more frequent smiles and all the cooing... she's going to be a talker!
