I had just went in for my weekly appointment, it was Wednesday, November 6, 1996. I was not due until November 23. I remember sitting getting my blood pressure taken and asking another lady when she was due. She said the 10th, and I was like 'gee, I wish I could exchange due dates!'

I had a high risk pregnancy, so I was always on the fetal monitor. After my monitoring, the doctor said she wanted to give me a pelvic exam. I begged her just to wait another week, but she said she wanted to do it today, so I said okay. While she was checking me, she said,Do you feel any pain at all? I replied no. She then said,Are you sure? You haven't felt any pains at all? Again, I replied no, and asked why. She said that I was already five and a half centimeters dilated, and was about to have the baby! I was in disbelief. My doctor's office was in the hospital, so she just sent me upstairs to labor and delivery. I went out to the waiting area to tell my husband, and I was crying because I wasn't ready. He thought something was wrong with the baby, because I was crying, and our first pregnancy was a stillbirth. I said, no, nothing's wrong, I'm in labor!

We got to labor and delivery, and I asked them to bring me a mirror so I could see the birth. They gave me Pitocin to start contractions. Three hours later, hard labor hit. I wasn't yelling or screaming, but when a contraction hit, no one could touch me, and no one could talk, lol. I would just turn from side to side pulling my hair. I kept wanting to push, and it was hard not to, but I wasn't fully dilated yet. Finally, at 9 1/2 cm, they told me to go ahead and push, and out came my baby girl. She ripped me as she came, but I was just so glad to have her out, I didn't mind. She was 7 pounds, 4 ounces. The put her on my chest, and I think my first word to her was Eeww. I know, not too nice, but she was all slimy. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, and didn't even cry. Then, I gave her an Aaaaawwwww. In all, labor was 4 1/2 hours, no drugs, and they didn't have time to fix the mirror, so I didn't get to see it.