Be careful what you wish for...(long)

Let me preface this story by saying I wanted a natural birth. 

I woke up at 5am on 10/6/09 with some strong contractions that were intermittent (about once or twice an hour) until 2pm when they were coming about every 13 minutes. I took a bath and drank and nothing helped, I knew this was it. My husband came home and started helping me time them. Around 6pm they were coming every 5 minutes so I called my OB as instructed. We got ready and left for the hospital. By that time, the contractions were every 3-5 minute and painful...I coped by rocking on my hands and knees while DH rubbed my back. We arrived at the hospital at 7:45pm. They had me change into a gown and hooked me up to the monitors for baby's HR and my contractions. I got an IV and they took blood and tested my urine. I had to go to the bathroom pretty frequently - my body was cleaning itself out. At my arrival, I was only 1cm dilated and 90% effaced. The nurse had us walk around the maternity ward for 20 mins at a time and then return to the room for monitoring. I also tried rocking and bouncing on my birthing ball. I wasn't progressing. They said it could be false labor because my contractions tapered off once I had some IV fluids. I didn't agree - I was still in pain and was stressing out and I think it caused me to not progress. Anyway, they called the OB thinking she might send me home (yeah, ok - there was NO way I was going home, I KNEW I was in labor) and the OB said to give me an Ambien and induce me in the morning. I was so upset. I wanted to avoid induction at all costs. But I agreed. The Ambien did nothing for me. We turned off the lights and put my birthing music on and I could not sleep a wink because of the contractions and pain. My back was extremely painful. I started to vomit bile and they gave me Fenergan (sp?) an antistamine/sedative and it did nothing for me. About 3am I asked for an epidural my pain was that severe. I was on my hands and knees in bed with my face and chest on the birthing ball rocking. It didn't help. They would not let me get up and they said going in the jacuzzi tub was not possible b/c it was not set up (thanks a lot). The anesthesiologist came and they had me lean over the nurse so he could place it. He numbed my back and placed the epdural and man, did that hurt. I thought once it was numb it didn't hurt - nope! I was crying, asking the nurse - is it supposed to hurt going in? Is it? and she didn't really answer me. I layed on my back and my legs got tingly and I got a little comfort for about a 1/2 hour. Then I started getting severe pain again from contrations in my left side and back and severe pelvic pain (like a hot knife in my uterus). They called the anesthesiologist back in a total of 3 times and he said my dose was maxed out. He even gave me morphine in it when I said not to ( I was so pissed) but it didn't do anything! I think he screwed it up. They had another guy come up to check it and he asked if I wanted him to take it out and place another, I said yes, but he said he didn't think it would help - sorry, bye. They checked my progressed and I was 8 cm and 100% effaced. The pain was excruciating and I felt the urge to push...the OB arrived and said "stop pusing or you are going to get a C-section". It was impossible to resist the urge. I was laying on my side and griping the side of the bed, trying to breathe through the pain as my DH pressed my lower back. They checked me again and I was fully dilated and ready to go. I was literally begging for pain relief at that time but everyone just looked at me and shrugged - there was "nothing they could do for me". It was agony. I tried pushing for about an hour - in supine postion, on my side - my baby's head could be seen, I just had to push harder. Mind you I was in labor for 18 hours by this point with no (working)  pain control. I finally got it in my head that the sooner she was out, the sooner the pain would be over. I pushed with ALL my might and she arrived! It really was amazing to feel her body come out of mine. My OB did an episiotomy and I had a 2nd degree tear as well. I felt those too. It hurt like hell. It also hurt to push out my placenta. My DH cut the cord.They took my baby right away to assess her in the glass bassinet in the corner after showing her to me. My OB had to repair my episiotomy and 2nd degree tear so I couldn't hold the baby immediately. The repair hurt too - I jumped everytime she made a stitch and she kept yelling at me. (WTH?) I felt it all.
Finally, everyone was gone and it was just me, DH and our baby. I was crying so hard by then from the whole experience and the joy! I nursed her immediately and she took my breast with no problem. It was so amazing the way she was looking at me. I will never forget it.
She was worth the pain and I would do it again in a heartbeat.