I got admitted to the hospital around 12:30 pm on June 1st, 2000. I spent 3 hours in the triage area of the hospital & was getting bored and didn't feel like being sent home after scheduling 2 inductions. The OB that was tending to me did the eternal check around 2:30 pm & said that I was 2 cm dialated & that his fingertip could touch Hunter's head. He said,"You're getting pitocin & we'll get your room ready shortly." That was music to my ears. At 3:30 pm, they brought me over to my room & had me change into the gown that was there. The nurse on duty was ready to start the IV on me but had a hard time finding my veins. I had two bruises on my right arm from that. Then, she finally got it on the 3rd time in my left arm, by the wrist, on the bone or at least near it at 4 pm.

At 4:15 pm, she started the pitocin drip. By 4:30 pm, I started feeling contractions. They seemed to be coming every 2 minutes and lasting about 90 seconds each time. Not bad, I thought. The next OB on duty came in and checked me. She said that was at 4 cm dialated & 75% effaced & that was at 6 pm. She said that she wanted to put the internal monitor on Hunter since he kept flipping around too much and the external monitor kept losing his heart rate. They lowered my bed so that I was lying completely flat. She put the internal monitor in & then had the nurse raise my head part of the bed back up. As she was doing this, all of a sudden, I felt this huge gush come of out me. I told the nurse, "I think my water just broke." She checked me & sure enough, I was right. She kept one of those big bed pads underneath me to help absorb the water. After that happened, I noticed my contractions were getting stronger & coming every 2 minutes and lasting only 30 seconds.

Time passes by and while I'm in labor, we were watching "WWF Smackdown" on TV & I was trying to nap several times, but it wasn't working. The OB comes back in around 10:30 pm to check me & I'm still at 4 cm & 80% effaced. She asked me if I wanted the epidural now & I said "yes". Ten minutes later, the anesthesiologist comes in to give me the epi. I told them that Michael was to stay with me. I wanted him there, but everyone else left. I was hanging on to the nurst on duty & she was helping with my breathing during the contrax & when the epi was going in. I do remember feeling that needle go in. OUCH!!! But as soon as it was in, I was ready for relief. He finished that at 11 pm.

Now, I was really trying to get some sleep time in for it had been a long day to begin with. So, three hours and fifteen minutes later, the new nurse on duty tells me it's time to push. I love how they know when YOU have to push. So I start pushing. Then the OB comes in the room and tells me, "What are you doing? You can't have this baby without me?!?!" She had about 2 minutes, if that, to get all her garb on. Hunter was ready to be born.

Halfway through the process of pushing, I fell asleep for one minute. I also started getting the shakes from the epi while pushing. Finally, at 2:48 am on June 2nd, 2000, Hunter Sadgwar Johnson made his debut into the world. He weighed 8 lb. 11 oz. & measured 20 1/2 in. His Apgar scores were 8 & 9. While the nurse was tending to Hunter, the OB was massaging my stomach to get the placenta out. Let me tell ya, it felt pretty damn good!!! I didn't get up to my recovery room till about 5:30 am on the 2nd. Can we say TIRED???? I fell asleep for a couple of hours, but then was back up again to feed Hunter. And that's the birth story of Hunter.