My husband and I conceived on the first try after a year and a half of marriage. We were thrilled when the home pregnancy test came up positive.

At 22 and a half weeks we found out we were expecting a girl. Yeah! We talked to her and sung to her daily in the womb and she responded with amazing kicks and stretches. My due date of December 3, 1999 came and went. I was more than a little discouraged!

Finally, when I was 11 days late my doctor scheduled me for inducement the next day. I was 1 centimeter and 50 percent effaced. Well, my body decided to kick into labor in the middle of the night that night. I quietly got up and went and read in the living room because I wanted my husband to have a full night's sleep. I recorded my contractions all night to pass the time and it went quickly! They were six or seven minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds a piece. It was the easy part.

We headed into the hospital at the scheduled time of 7 a.m. When we arrived the doctor checked me and said that I was 3 centimeters and 90 percent effaced. He broke my water and hooked me up to IV antibiotics (I was Strep B positive). He ordered Pitocin, but I asked to wait a bit to see how my body did on its own. I had had spinal fusion when I was 13, so if I needed anything for pain an epidural was not an option.

After several more hours with no progress I let them give me the minimum dose of Pitocin. I quickly wimped out and asked for some pain medication. They gave me a shot of Morphine in the IV. I soon felt very drowsy. Though it only took the edge off the pain, I slept soundly between every contraction. They slowly upped the Pitocin so that the contractions were coming every three minutes and lasting about one minute each. I had three more shots of Morphine and after 19 hours of labor, 45 minutes of pushing (the best part!), and a medium-sized episiotomy, Sarah Elizabeth was born!!!

December 15, 1999: 7 pounds 9.5 ounces, and 21.5 inches at 7:25 p.m. She cried as soon as she was out, but soon turned a bit blue and lifeless. They had warned me about that with the Morphine and had a shot of Diactin ready. Within seconds of getting that, she was pink and screaming! Music to my ears.

She is now 3 months old and so much fun. Can't wait to do this again. I actually loved giving birth. It was such a miraculous event and I thank the Lord everyday for our precious daughter.