The Surprises of Labor

After the doctors decided to have the baby induced they asked us to check in at 10:30pm on Monday night and told us we would be there till the baby would be born. They kept warning us that it can be a long process.
We arrived at the hospital a little early because it is hard to just sit and wait at home, knowing that in a few hours we were going to the hospital to HAVE A BABY! We got our room, and the nurse started the IV for fluids, mind you I was trying to stay hydrated before we went in, so after the IV was placed I could not keep my self from visiting the bathroom every hour! I was surprised and didn't expect that. The doctor on call came in after finishing another surgery at 1:30am that morning to start the first medicine to get me ready for labor. He told me it would take about 12 hours to work, so by 1:30pm that afternoon, I would most likely be getting the medication to start that contractions. He also said it was rare but that about 10 percent of people can feel contractions with this medication. (that was just feel contractions-not going into labor!) However as we know now, by 1:11pm, we had a baby in our arms! I think my body had agreed that it was time to deliver our little girl.
By 5am on the first, I started having random contractions, by 8:00am, they were definite contractions coming consistently and slowly stronger and stronger. By 9am, they were surprising me and coming faster and stronger. Between 9-10 was the longest hour ever! The rest is a little bit of a blur. But I do remember the nurses were great and so helpful and supportive. Michael was the greatest and did everything he could to take care of me. My mom was very helpful and supportive as well, helping me to get comfortable and feel the best I could. She also took some pictures so we could remember the day. The doctor that was on call that day was my regular doctor! I was very happy that he was the one to deliver our baby. He is a very good doctor, and is calm and cheerful. We pushed for 40 minutes, and then out came the cutest tiny little girl! There was a team of NICU people there in the room, so after they let me hold her for a second, they checked her out because she was so small. Babies under a certain weight, like 5lbs 5 oz or so are considered IUGR babies, meaning their growth is below the 10th percentile and they want to take extra care and watch over them.
Thanks to my awesome lactation and newborn savvy mom, she did not have to go to the NICU. We got her feeding right away, and did skin to skin holding of her, they call it kangaroo care, to help keep things like heart rate, temp, and blood sugar levels stable. She passed all her test, so we are so happy and proud of her. While we were pregnant, we often prayed that our little girl would be healthy and watched over. We really feel our prayers were heard by a loving Heavenly Father, and he not only blessed her while she was in utero but also blessed her with wonderful, skilled people to help her during labor and after delivery.
I was also greatly blessed not only by those around me helping, but also with what my body was able to do. The rates of a c-section double for first time moms who are being induced, but I was blessed that my body took over and i did not need to have the medication to start contractions and did not need a c-section.
We were so happy to finally see our sweet little girl and hold her in our arms!