Ugh. We're leaving for Fresno tomorrow and DH and I are both sick. DH has had it for a few days, and I've been trying to avoid getting it, but last night I started getting the tickle in the back of my throat, and this morning I'm all scratchy. YUCK!! Owen is sure to get it now. Why does this happen right before we travel??
As for birth stories, I gave the summary earlier, but here's the details:
I'd been having contractions off and on for days, so I wasn't too surprised when they started up again while we were at our friends' house watching the Survivor finale. We got home, and the contractions were too strong for me to go to bed, but since that had happened twice before with no progress made, DH went to bed and said to wake him up if they got stronger or closer together. At 11:00pm, they were 16m apart, at 11:45 they were 12m apart, and then from 12:15-12:45 they went from 8 min apart to 4 min apart and at 12:45am all of a sudden it switched to back labor and I started throwing up. That's what woke up DH, and we called the hospital and packed up the car and headed over. By the time we got there, the contractions were 3 min apart, and I was throwing up every 2-3 contractions.
They got us checked in, and I was 3.5cm dialated. They gave me a narcotic right away to hold me over until the epidural, and that helped a little, but not much. When they gave me the epi, it worked for about 30 min, and then I started throwing up again. They tried increasing the dose, but it would only work for 30-40 min, and then the back labor would over power it and I'd be throwing up and in agony again. Finally they said they couldn't increase it anymore, and I'd just have to cope. (okay, not quite like that, but that's how I heard it...

)
I was taking forever to dialate, so they gave me some pitocin, which of course made the back labor even worse, but definitely got things moving. I suddenly went from 5cm to 10cm in about an hour.
By that point I was in horrific pain, so I really don't remember the whole pushing part. I remember throwing up through it all, and they tried to get me into a position that might ease the back pain, and I just focused on the voice of the nurse and pushed when she told me to.
Then all of a sudden there was a huge rush of people in the room, and someone was explaining that his heart rate dropped and they needed to get him out NOW. I'd pushed him down far enough that they could get him out with the forceps, so they had me push a couple more times and he was out and on my chest and I wasn't in pain anymore! The epidural worked perfectly once they got him out!!
Of course in the emergency forceps delivery, I ended up with a 3rd degree tear and all kinds of other lovely injuries 'down there'. It took them 45 min. to stitch me back up again, and I was told not to try and look at it until I was totally healed!

They also told me that I had enough muscle injury that I should plan on a slower recovery - more like from a c-section. It was almost 2 months before I could walk or go to the bathroom without pain.