[PrincessPerky]

Well I have 4 different stories if you are really interested.

first kid-boy, 3 days past due date, labor ~14 hrs, born ~6pm, 8lb3oz?:
Woke up in the middle of the night with some pain, mostly over before I was really awake. used a potty went back to bed, woke again when my husband was getting ready for work, again mostly gone before I was really awake. told him not to worry he could go to work and all. He declined and stayed home, so I decided if this was the day (with him not getting paid) we had better go for a walk, topped off with a nap.

Decided after that things were real, and made a ham sandwhich while my husband took a shower, called my cousin and durring the conversation essentially ignored her for a minute here and there due to pain, till she told me she had checked the ckock and measured my 'silence' at about 6 minutes apart, so I aught to get a move on.

Called the doc, they said to come into the office, by the time we got there it was more like 4 minutes apart, walking was not pleasant. they turned us right around and shipped us to the hospital, at which point things slowed down to about 6 minutes, nothing to terrible. arrived at I think 6cm, by 8cm I wanted to push. the nurse had spent the last hour trying to convince me to get an epidural, when everyone (ok so one doc and one nurse) told me to not push and get an epidural, I said fine. it was instant pain relief, but made me itch from head to toe, next hour was less comfortable than the previous due to itching.

Finally nurse decides to peek, apparently we are crowning, so she in that 'don't worry the patient voice' tells the doc to run back.
Pushed for 20ish minutes (no idea how, or what I was doing) and had a beautiful ... um ok funky looking grey elephant child. But he cutened up right quick.
Oh and the epidural was useless for the stitching...

Baby 2, girl, 3 days past due date, labor~9 hours born 6am,8lb1oz:

Minor contraction after dinner with company here, I distincly recall the gal offering to help with dishes, cause I must be so tired being 9 months pregnant and all. Mental note, NEVER decline help in your 9th month! (the dishes were still waiting to be done 3 days later when baby and I came home...)
by midnight pain was serious and frequent, called midwife, woke older son up and headed to hospital, by the time I got there I had major trouble walking contractions like 2 minutes apart...again soon as we got to the room things slowed down, till about 5 am when I wanted to push, again only 8cm, midwife said please wait. by 5:30 I was done waiting baby was born less than 20 minutes later, kinda purple, tiniest cry in ever.
BTW my oldest was in daddies arms counting for the pushes with daddy. He was fine with it all.
Oh and that topical stuff for stitching doesn't work any better than the epidural.

Baby 3, boy, 6 days late, labor...short, born 11:30ish pm, 8lb 13oz:

pain after an evening walk to the neighborhood playground, figured we had time, put kids to bed, woke them up around 9pm in major 3 min apart pain. Do you know how hard it is to pack 2 kids and a pregnant lady in a car at 9pm with that kind of pain? by the time we got to the hospital I wanted to push...before I got out of street clothes and into the sheet garb they give you. managed to hold out till the proper room, I think it took 11 minutes for his birth. no idea what he looked like oldest kid flipped out so as soon as new one was in safe hands I was worried about oldest. (girl was in daddies arms counting along just fine.)
So IME Toddlers are fine with birthing, preshoolers are not.

Baby 4, due date was never set in stone, but she was a day later than I expected, Labor....almost 24 hours, born in afternoon, 9lb 1oz

This Labor was totally different. started with my water breaking during lunchtime. I had Never had my water break before. I had minor paid around bedtime, enough to stop me from sleeping, but nothing too real. one 'real' contraction at 10 and I called my home midwife. I panicked afraid my midwife who was an hour away wouldn't make it in time, and called her. by 7 am the next morning no real progress had been made, and I was feeling stupid. (but you shouldn't happens all the time) She went home and I took a nap, woke up in pain, delayed calling till after lunch and by the time they got here I was ready to push. even though I was prolly 8cm, she said sure go for it. no problem we have plenty of time, you just do what your body wants. It was the longest 'pushing' but it was the easiest, No tearing. during the next half hour or so when I said I didn't want to push (even though my body was gearing up for another contraction) midwife said take a break, no problem. Little EL, was born kinda blueish, but by the time the midwife cracked open the oxygen (literally seconds) she pinked right up and started nursing.

BTW the older three were watching movies, reading books and in general ignoring us, youngest wandered in once or twice to peek, but mostly they didn't care. Until EL was born, then the crowded around to meet her, was awesome that night to have us all on the bed cuddling.

So from lunchtime one day of water breaking to delivery the next around 4ish. My longest weirdest labor,but also my easiest delivery, and fastest recovery.

BTW for the first kid (elephant) they said he must be way late (dry skin, long nails), and for the second they thought she was way early (lots of that white cheesy stuff, and hairy) Remember both were officially 3 days late.

Then for my third (6 days late) they said he must be right on time.... (oh and my oldest told me he would be born the day after he arrived, he was closest of anyone, kid was born well after 11pm, few more minutes and my oldest would look like a genius)
Which is why with my 4th I never bothered to check the due date, I was better at guessing than they were!

Oh and it took hours to check out after the first, and twice as long after the second (I mean 6-8 hours to get out!) After the third I said I was leaving as soon as they did the 24 hour 'test' and the fact that it was midnight was not my problem..it took less than an hour to check me out. Of course having the last at home it was no trouble at all. midwife had the room clean and her stuff out in less than an hour (including weighing the baby) she hung around a short time after, but all were doing well.