Well it all started Friday April 11 2008 at 6:30am. I went to the hospital for a non stress test. (A test to measure the amount of amniotic fluid, they tend to do this if you pass your due date and I was just past 41 weeks.) So everything was normal, then the Dr. came in to check me internaly. Nothing new... cervix was soft but no dialation. boo!!!! Not what I wanted to hear, I wanted him to say "alright lets have this baby!" No such luck though. Then I asked if I could have a cervidel (a medication type thing that they put up in your cervix to help you dialate) So he said that would be fine since it doesn't look like she will be coming any time soon. He even thought that the cervidel might not work for a few days, and that I might even have to have a second one. So I got admitted at 7:30 and Karen my nurse put the cervidel in me at 8:00am. OH MY GOD DID THAT HURT! Now that was pain! I felt like she manually opened my cervix with her fingers. But once it was in I was over it, everything was fine again. Brandan got there at about 2pm, the contractions were getting closer and more frequent. The pain felt like a really bad period cramp, but as they got worse I would describe it as feeling like the muscles in my lower back and lower stomach were being ripped apart. At about 4pm I was dialated to a 4-5 so I got the epidural. The pain wasn't to bad from that a little pinch from the needle, and I felt a shooting sensation go down through my right leg and back up. For some reason I could still slightly feel on my right side. Some time went by and suddenly I was having a bad reaction to the epidural, and Rylee's heart rate went from being great in the 145's to 75 then 45 the 50. They (the nurses Brandan and my mom) were turning me back and forth trying to stabilize her heart rate. nothing was working. I felt like I was passing out. So since her heartrate was so low they called the Dr. and decided to prep me for a c-section. Suddenly my room was filled with respiratory therapists, nurses, and the anesthesiologist, they were all getting me ready to go into the OR. That was the scariest part, not having any control over what was going on, knowing that my baby was struggeling and I could hardly talk non-the less keep my eyes open. I can only imagine how Brandan was feeling, I remember seeing his scared face, and what looked like watery eyes from all the action of not knowing what was going on. Once I got into the OR the pain was getting pretty bad, tolerable but I could definitly feel the differance. I was worried about them cutting me open since I still had feeling on my right side, they loaded me up with more meds but all that did was make me short of breath and feeling like I was fainting. Thankfully when Brandan got all suited up and ready to come in her heart rate was back to normal, and my Dr. just showed up. He decided to check me because of all the pain I was in. Well well well... all these days of no dialation, and awaiting her arrival, I had gone from 4-5 centimeters to 9-10 in less then 20 min. Yup thats where all that pain came into play. So since she was now stable and my body was finally ready they asked me if I wanted to attempt a vaginal delivery. I'm like "well ya lets do this" they wheeled me back to my room and we started pushing. A good 4 pushes and she was crowning, I got to feel her head (i was a little apprehensive at first but so glad I did it.) Brandan and one of the nurses was snapping pictures so I got to see everything. They made me hold her in for a few minutes while my dr. got suited up ready for her delivery (that was not easy). A few more pushes and she was out. I remember feeling exhausted from all the chaos, and Brandan telling me to look at Rylee... She had to be suctioned because she had pooped inside of me. The meconium made her skin green. We're so lucky that she doesn't have any resporitory problems. She's perfect in every way. I wouln't change anything, I would still get an epidural even though I had some sort of reaction to it. Oh my God I was so swollen after she was born I looked like a huge blueberry in my hospital gown. But holding her for the first time wiped my head clear of any thoughts I had going on prior. She was just perfect her little fingers and toes. She lashed on with no problem and ate every hour. Brandan and I feel like all of our dreams have come true. She and all children are the best gifts ever. She will change our lives for the better. I'll be back to write more later.*****4 weeks after delivery***** For about a week now I was in some sort of pain down there, it was hard to sit, stand, get up from a sitting position, laugh, cough, the list goes on. Anyway I told Brandan how I was feeling then my mom. They decided that I should call my Dr. just to let him know, he said that it's just my body healing and it's normal. A few days later I was in the shower and I decided to feel down there, to my suprise I had no hole!!!!! (So I thought) I was crying not knowing what had happened to me. I got out of the shower called Brandan who was working out of town. He suggested looking at it. I was so freaked out that I didn't want to. But I did. Ok it was rather horrifying! I touched it and it was rock hard. So now I'm freaking out, I told Brandan and called my Dr. Again my Dr. down played it. Thankfully Brandan was coming home that night, he looked and described it looking like a baby's head crowning! It actually looked like little hairs with blood on it, about the size of a fifty cent piece. So I called my mom told her and she freaked out telling me she thinks he left a sponge inside of me! So she called his cell phone that night and demanded that he see me tomorrow first thing in the morning. We went in (I had my mom go so he couldn't down play it like I felt he was doing the whole time) layed down and he went to put one of those scope things in me that they use when they do a pap. I was like UMMMMMM Dr. Purdom there is NO way that will go inside of me. He's all let me see, he looks and his responce was enough. "ohhhh nooooo" -sigh- "I'm so sorry" Then he looked at my mom who looked so angry with him. With little warning on what it would feel like he tore the rock hard sponge that was filled with dried blood and bodily fluids, I could feel it scraping my insides as he pulled it. I screamed and cursed as he pulled it out, that pain was way worse the the delivery. It measured a whopping 5 inches long and 4 inches round. it was sort of shaped like a tupe. If you can imagine 4 super tampons shoved up inside of you swollen with blood then dried up after 4 weeks. ANYWAY after it was out and he helped me up, his next words were "are you going to sue me" UGH I was so incredibly angry that this happened, but in this short time I tried to think about my beautiful daughter, and how complicated her delivery was, and how that probably had to do with why this mistake had happened in the first place. But all in all were both healthy (to my knowledge). So I answered with "No I 'm not going to sue you, but only because your my moms co-worker and friend, and I like you too, but if I have any problems down the road down there, or if I have problems concieving another baby then I will take action". I had to write a letter to the board at the hospital telling then everything. I felt instant relief once it was out! I mean I could laugh, sit, stand, cough, I could pick up my now 4 week old daughter without having pain. I felt back to normal! All is good I'm healthy and I had no problems concieving baby #2 who is due 9/12/09.