If this is your first pregnancy / labor & delivery, you're probably feeling a little nervous about the big labor and delivery day.

Or, more than likely, you’re scared out of your mind! I was.

Well, I have to tell you, labor and delivery can be completely different for everyone.

But, friend to friend, I can tell you about my first experience and hopefully it can calm some fears or answer some questions.

With my first pregnancy, I was feeling a lot like you probably are. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I felt a little afraid – that fear of the great unknown.

I hadn’t taken birthing classes and didn’t even know anyone who had so I can’t tell you if that would have helped during labor and delivery or not. I’m a cynical person and I was under the impression that classes would be a useless waste of time.

After all, they can’t simulate an experience like labor and delivery, right?

My due date came and went – how disappointing! And I had been so sure it would all be over before my due date came.

Five days after my due date, I had an appointment with my OB.

He checked and announced that I was dilated to a “two.”

“Wow,” I thought. “That must mean my labor and delivery will go faster if I’m already that far.”

Oh! I was naïve!

Well, being “checked” apparently started something.

That evening, around 5:00, I had been laying down reading. When I stood up, I felt a strange peeing-like feeling and was surprised to see that my pants were wet!

Had I peed my pants? That bladder control muscle hadn’t been working all that well lately, but I had never PEED my pants.

I got cleaned up but the liquid continued to come.

So now I was suspicious that my water had broken.

But wait! Wasn’t that supposed to be a gushing, floor-soaking experience? I was having a trickle at best.

I called my mom. She wasn’t a lot of help – she had never had her water break on it’s own during any of her pregnancies.

So I decided to risk embarrassment (of having peed my pants) and called my doctor’s after-hours number.

To my horror and disgust, my doctor had left on vacation that afternoon! How dare he leave in my time of need!

He did however, have a partner whom I’d never met, who I spoke to and he advised me to go to the hospital. There they could confirm if my water truly had burst, broken or whatever it does.

Amidst all of my trauma, I hadn’t yet told my husband anything that was going on. He was working outside in the yard.

Finally I filled him in and soon we were off to the hospital.

It was a long 15 minute drive. I was to nervous to even talk.

To make it short (er), my water HAD broken. However, I wasn’t experiencing any labor pains so I was drugged with pitocin.

Pitocin is a labor-inducing drug, sure to produce contractions you never knew were possible.

Even on the pitocin (and my 2 cm headstart) my progress was very slow.

After several hours of intense labor pain, I received an epidural. Heaven bless the anesthesiologist or whoever it was who invented the epidural.

After that, I was able to relax, visit and even smile!

Still, it wasn’t until about 7:00 the next morning that I was deemed “ready to push.” I hadn’t really slept all night and was exhausted.

But wait! Where was this doctor? Wasn’t he supposed to be there for this pushing part?

In any movie I had seen, the pushing part of labor and delivery lasted for less than 5 minutes, I’m sure.

Well, my “pushing part” lasted for at least 45 minutes before the doctor even showed up!

I had apparently sustained a nasty tear, caused from trying to push a gargantuan baby head through a 10 cm. opening.

The doctor made a snip to further widen the opening, but still no baby, in spite of my best pushing efforts. I never knew this level of exhaustion was possible. I was on the verge of tears.

As I understood things, time was now of the essence. The baby could not safely remain in this position much longer. With every contraction, his heartbeat would slow.

Have you ever heard of vacuum extraction? It is both a blessing and a nightmare.

It was a plunger-type contraption the doctor attached to the baby’s head and with me pushing and the doctor pulling, the baby finally came out!

Talk about sweet release!

The baby was born at 7:58 am, after 15 hours total of labor & delivery.

I was exhausted. I was elated.

He was a beautiful (though now cone-headed) baby boy, weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz.

He was healthy. The vacuum extraction caused some bruising and swelling, but thankfully, no permanent damage.

So, does it sound bad? It was really hard. But I’ve heard worse stories.

I’ve also heard better stories. Three, four hour labor and delivery. In fact, my third baby was FIVE glorious hours from start to finish (I knew I loved that kid for a good reason).

Have I now deepened your fear and anxiety? Probably.

But my hope is to give you a realistic picture of how things may be.

Really, there isn’t anything to be afraid of. If you’re delivering in a hospital, you’re never alone.

It’s hard. I promise. But women have been doing it for decades!

You’ll join the ranks of those women who find out that they are stronger and braver then they ever thought possible.