...and on the 5th day, she rested

Approximately two hours following our very first blog post - the one where we had given in to being induced the following morning - contractions began.  Thought I would share some advice we had received to induce labor "naturally" (because some don't seem so natural...):

1) Walk... maybe even jog
2) Squats...every time you need to pick up something, even if your husband purposely throws it on the floor
3) Sex...lot's of sex, because that is exactly what is on your mind
4) Spicy food...mexican, thai, normal foods + tobasco
5) Trampoline... that made me laugh
6) Exercise ball... who needs chairs?
7) Wine... Ardiri 2009 pinot noir anyone?
8) Castor Oil... never.
9) Baths

Coincidentally, we did NONE of these Wednesday as we had given into the fact that induction was the next and only step. So on the 5th day from her due date, we did rested. So Jen's advice: 10) Try whatever you want, but spend plenty of time relaxing with your hubby, and your body will do as it is designed to. She must have sensed the anxiety I had over the whole ordeal. At 1:30am, we checked into Tuality Hospital. Because I was scheduled to be induced the following morning, they weren't going to turn me away.

For the next 6 hours, we walked the "loop," watched those numbers rise and fall with contractions, I jacuzzied (twice...note to self to make sure our next house has a jacuzzi tub) and was not dilating. At 8am, I was still at a disappointing TWO centimeters. Mind you, we had been awake since 8am the previous morning. They gave me some sleepy-time medicine so Roman and I could both rest before the finale. They also started the pitocin...

I awoke, rather rudely, about an hour later to some awesomely huge contractions and vomiting. Yes, awesome. See, the thing about pitocin is that it can only try and mimic the body's natural birthing process. It doesn't do a great job, but it does it's job. Had my water broke by doc and from there on out, we progressed steadily for the next 3 hours. I will say I was that pregnant lady complaining when the pain meds wore down. Turns out, analgesics don't even touch transition and beyond (aka the last hour or so).

If you haven't noticed yet, we did this sans epidural. That was the plan, and I was determined to stick to it.

Those last contractions were...tough. Telling me to "blow" through the contraction. Blow through the contraction? After telling the nurse "I think she is coming out!" after every contraction - and her telling me, not yet Jen - we realized that I was a full 10cm (thank God!) and +2 station (meaning she WAS coming down...I knew it). Doc got herself situated. Placed a chair behind Roman, as he had expressed early on that he wasn't sure if he could make it through the birth, and asked if I was ready to push.

 Pushing consisted of an exhausting string of contractions and doc's form of motivation "I can see the top of her head!" (to which I responded, "then just grab it and pull her out!"). Half an hour later, we experienced the most emotional and exhilarating experience of meeting Norah Marie Walsh.