I made it through the Family Reunion, thanks to Brethane and Albuturol, we didn’t want to have a baby in the mountains, even though my brother-in-law the doctor came fully prepared to deliver one for us. At my next appointment my doctor told me not to take the medication any longer and the labor began. I would have hours of regular contractions and when checked were apparently doing nothing.

36 weeks and 4 days I went to Labor and Delivery for the first time with regular contractions – no progress. However, they didn’t think the baby was moving enough and pulled out what the nurse called a "zapper" and what looked to me more like cattle prod and she guaranteed that she would get a reaction out of the baby. Well, she did get a reaction but not from the baby, she got it from me, "Your will not use that on my baby!" I then proceeded to disconnect myself from the fetal monitor and get dressed while the nurse and I discussed the scientific merits of her proposed methods. I swore to myself that I would only go back when my water broke.

At 37 weeks and 4 days, it was back to Labor and Delivery – no progress and home with "Percocet " to help me relax and determine if the "labor" was real or false. I found out that "percocet" also makes me "Ornery". In all fairness to myself, just before the medication kicked in I was busy sweeping a pile of ants out of our entryway and so after it did kick in I didn’t sleep well because I thought bugs were crawling all over me.

37 Weeks 5 days, 5:30 AM Contractions continued, 4 minutes apart, labor real – no progress and home with "Morphine", again to help me "r E e E l L l A a A a X". I stumbled from the truck to my bedroom with the help of my husband and I have no recollection of what happened until the next entry.

37 Weeks 5 days, 10:30 AM Contraction forces my eyes open, LABOR REAL, progress unknown. I take advantage of my semi-consciousness to go potty. I have no recollection of the rest of the day.

37 Weeks, 6 days, Contractions continued, labor seems real, I just don’t know anymore! I called the doctor and asked him if I should go back to Labor and Delivery, he said he didn’t and then he suggested that we schedule an amniocentesis.

38 Weeks, 2:30 AM Contractions 10 minutes apart, 5:30 AM still ten minutes apart. I got up fed the horses, cleaned the tack shed, cleaned up 40 cubic feet of horse manure, took a shower, blow dried my hair, lay on my on my left side and timed contractions.

38 Weeks, 10:30 AM, Contractions 3 minutes apart, back to Labor and Delivery – no progress. I called my husband and told him to meet me at the hospital. I waited for him in the parking lot and when he arrived he opened the door and I started to cry. I told him that I was a failure, that they were going to think that I was a big baby and that my doctor would never want to deliver another baby for me. He convinced me that I wasn’t a failure and that the nurses and doctor didn’t think that I was a big baby. They hooked me up and monitored me for an hour and the contractions did nothing.

38 Weeks. 12:30 PM, Contractions 3 minutes apart, to McDonald’s for lunch. We left the hospital and went home to pick up the kids to take them to lunch. I got sick to my stomach and then had to go to the bathroom. We then went to OfficeMax to get some software for the web site, while we were there I had to go potty again and felt a lot of pressure.

38 Weeks, 2:00 PM, Contractions 3 minutes apart, to my Doctors office for the amniocentesis. I sat down in the waiting room on a big comfortable couch and commented to my husband that it would be a shame if my water broke, but then I guessed that they probably had ScotchGuard. They called me back to the examination room and set me up on the exam table and my waters broke. Back to the Hospital.

38 Weeks, 2:45 PM, Contractions 3 minutes apart, time to check in. They were waiting for me at the hospital and told me to go the birthing room #7 (which is an overflow room, they were very busy). My husband went home to get the tripod for the video camera and I waited to be hooked up to everything.

38 Weeks, 4:30 PM, They turned on the PIT. They put in the "IV" and started augmenting my labor.

38 Weeks, 9:15 PM, Labor definitely real, it’s time for the epidural. I asked the nurse for the epidural and within a half an hour the Anesthesiologist was complete and I was A.O.K.

38 Weeks, 11:00 PM, Labor real, some progress. They just checked and said that I am about 7 cm dilated. They are getting the birthing room ready for delivery so something must be up.

38 Weeks, 11:15 PM, WHERE IS THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST?!? I need more pain medication, this hurts! The OB just told me that it is time to push, the Baby needs to come, now. I don’t remember it ever hurting like this.

38 Weeks, 11:20 PM, Joshua is here! I am so tired and sore. But, my baby Joshua is here, the nurse tells me to hold him and that brings me back from the edge of someplace I’m not sure how to describe. He is beautiful and with a head of black hair.