Addie's birth, reader's digest version

I went to OB triage thursday nite and they sent me home with instructions to not come back until my contractions were regularly 5 min. apart or less. i kept contracting all day friday, though only about 2 times an hour, and during the day saturday. saturday was a busy day with nate going to the service project, where we met up with him near the end. we then took ellie to the hospital's birthday party because they had a bounce house which ellie loved at the pumpkin patch. well, she didn't even want to go inside it this time. however, she liked the petting zoo and got to ride a pony. it was very hot out saturday, like upper 90s. we got home around 2:30, nate and ellie both took naps, though ellie's was too short! when ellie got up i took her grocery shopping with me. while in the store i noticed my contractions were more painful. we got home, nate woke up and the two of them ate dinner. i wasn't feeling like eating. i was timing contractions. painful, but still not regular. i told nate to just go to work since they weren't regular and that i'd call him if i needed him. well, he left and i watched tv online during my contractions. however, they were getting more painful so it was basically me lying over my excercise ball moaning, as i timed them. still not regular. finally around 9pm i couldn't stand the pain any longer and asked my sister to come stay with ellie so i could go to the hospital. she lives about 40 minutes away. my mom called and by this time i was in so much pain i could barely think. she decided she'd call my sister in law to come over, since she was only 5 minutes away. and my mom told me to call 9-1-1. i had been talking to nate and he was in the process of getting someone to cover his shift so he could come get me. after talking with my mom though, and having frequent urges to sit on the toilet to have a bowel movement (ha ha, that's not what it was), the incredible amt of pressure and pain, i decided to finally call 9-1-1 and told nate i was going to, that he wouldn't make it home in time. So JackieLee arrived just before the paramedics did and thankfully she did, otherwise it would've been a home birth for not having anyone to stay with ellie. the paramedics stripped me from the waist down and i got on the gurney and we drove off. by the time the paramedics arrived i was finally regular. about 2 minutes apart or less. and boy did it hurt. once in the ambulance i felt the urge to push, to which the paramedics told me not to push, right. so we went through the routine of me saying here comes another contraction, moaning "i need to push," them telling me not to push, and contraction over. then we went over the biggest pot hole ever. when i saw the street sign for van buren i thought "seriously, that's all the further we are?" and the paramedics kept talking amongst themselves saying "she's not going to make it," every time the paramedic would check me. nice guys, thanks for the optimism. it was at this time after them saying i wasn't going to make it that i started to tear up thinking nate wouldn't be there and i'd have my baby in an ambulance. i also started to pray that the baby would be safe and that we'd make it to the hospital. it was a very short prayer as i'm sure i started contracting all over again. and who could pray during that pain? not me. anyways, we made it to the hospital, pushed through the ER, up to the OB floor, through triage (darn triage, you should've just let me have this baby on Thursday when it would've been so much smoother), and then i saw nate. he pulled in to the OB dept just as we were. Hallelujah he wasn't going to miss it. we got into a delivery room, with nurses and doctors waiting for me. i slid over on to the bed and then with the next contraction finally they let me push! after a few pushes, moaning and not holding my breath, they told me to start holding my breath so i could give better pushes. at one point the MD said if i didn't get the baby out soon, they would have to open me up and take her that way. heck no. so, i shut up, beared down and pushed and pushed and pushed. finally there was a huge pop and release of pressure. head was out and my job was DONE. Addie was healthy, breathing, crying, perfect. they laid her on my stomach on a bath blanket, nate cut the cord. the MD asked if i wanted to push to get the placenta out and i said "not really." so she just pulled it out. like i said, i was DONE. so, i didn't get my epidural, didn't get my birth video that i really wanted, didn't get my holding the baby skin to skin right after delivery, didn't get all the cute naked baby pictures, but i did get to have nate there, did deliver a wonderfully healthy baby without much tearing at all, did have a super quick recovery, and do have bragging rights about having a natural childbirth (however, i still want the epidural next time!). Addie is a great baby. She eats about every 3 hours, sleeps a lot during the day and most of the night when she's not eating, takes a pacifier (love it), and is just precious. That's my story, not so short, but trust me, i wrote 6 pages of the story in my journal.