labor story

the thing i keep saying about labor the second time around is, "i can NOT believe i had a baby before this and didn't feel this pain." when i had isabella, i went in for my 40 week check-up and was dilated to a 4 and didn't really even know i was in labor. my dr. had us walk around downtown for a couple hours and when i got back i was at a 6. eventually, i just got the epidural because i figured i knew i was going to get it, so might as well get it before it really starts hurting. seriously...i was feeling hardly any pain. so, this time i was SHOCKED by how bad contractions hurt. indescribable. i had been having false labor for a day and a half off and on, so when i woke from a contraction at 1:30 am, i didn't think much of it. but when i had two more each 6 minutes apart, i got suspicious. i woke mike up to let him know that i was going to go walk around (because that's how i got rid of the false labor contractions) and as soon as i stood another one hit. hard. and then another only 3 minutes later. and it was painful. they started coming every three minutes and i knew it was time so i told mike to call my mom. (she was coming so that we could keep isabella asleep at home). i pretty much thought i was going to die every time i had a contraction and it felt like forever before my mom got here. the car ride was even worse. i was flailing around and moaning and yelling that i couldn't do it any more and that i thought i was going to die. and then in between contractions i'd sit there in shock that i was actually yelling and praying that i would get a longer than 3 minute break. i didn't. it was pretty much a hellish 30 minute drive to the hospital. mike parked in the ambulance parking at the ER and i waddled in and told the security guard that i wanted an epidural. we were laughing at ourselves (well, i was laughing until another contraction hit), and how panicked we must have seemed. so, the nice security guard offers to walk me to triage while mike went to park the car. i was so mad i had to go to triage! i know its standard procedure, but i KNEW i was in labor and i was so nervous i wouldn't get the epidural in time. i figured i was dilated at least to a 6 because i was in so much pain. if i got to a 6 with isabella with hardly any pain, than surely i'm farther. well, i was a 6, and they sent me up to a room where i promptly told our nurse that i needed an epidural. she was amazing and i told her i loved her within our first few minutes of meeting. i braved moaned through the next contractions until i got the epidural. i felt relief almost immediately and then i was a happy lady. mike said it was like i was a different person. so, we rested and waited for my body to finish dilating. they broke my water around 7 am, and i was fully dilated and feeling like i needed to push by 9. the nurse paged the dr. and then he didn't show. so she paged him again, and when he came in and got "in position" he made an "oh, whoa, guess i should have come right away" type of face. so, i pushed a few times and at 9:31am we got to meet our sweet hadley kate! overall, i'd say this time was better/easier because it all went a lot faster and i only pushed for less than 10 minutes. (with isabella i was in labor for about 23 hours and pushed for 2 hours). but, i still just can't believe how different it was. and man oh man how bad it felt. thank goodness for epidurals!and here are the latest pictures of the girls: