Tossing and turning all night, I couldn't sit up or lay down comfortably. The last two weeks before the birth of my son was rough. I had no clue that he was 9 lbs.

My feet were swollen, my back was aching, and my hips were painfully shifting. I was so done with being pregnant you could stick a fork in me. At my last doctor's appointment, I told my doctor that if he wasn't born by the night of my due date, I wanted to be induced. I was done cooking the bun in the oven! 

As I predicted, my son had no intention of coming out on June 22 (my due date).

So, that night, I checked into Mease Countryside hospital at 7 p.m. as planned for a scheduled induction. My mom, four-year-old brother, husband and mother-in-law joined me. 

The plan was to start me on the drug Cervidil that night, which is used to soften and ripen the cervix in efforts to encourage increased dilation. If that didn't work, then the following morning, based on my progress, I would be given Pitocin. It's a drug used to cause intense contractions that will eventually lead to dilation.

I ended up not needing help with contractions because the Cervidil alone stirred up enough to cause my own contractions. I was in pain most of the night. I recall wanting to give up at one point. I was begging for a C-section just to get it over with. My husband actually had the nurse call my doctor and request a C-section.

But everyone, including my doctor, tried to talk us out of it and strongly encouraged me to go through with the natural birth.

I agreed to go through with it, and shortly after that, my water broke! I remember saying "I don't want this," and "I don't like this. They are phrases that my husband and I still joke about today. Even so, the next morning, I was still was only three centimeters dilated.

So I had to get the Pitocin drug to intensify my contractions to help move things along.

The next few hours were pure agony as I waited to be dilated enough to get my epidural. It seemed like it took  forever for the anesthesia team to get there after I got the green light for epidural. 

When they did arrive, I was glad to see them. I got the shot in my spine, and about 30 minutes later, I was in Heaven. It was serious relief - almost magical. From that point it was smooth sailing.

I was smiling and posing for pictures. I was feeling so good that I was ready to take on the world.

Before I knew it, I was fully dilated and the baby was so low that the nurses could feel his head! My doctor arrived and I started to push. She said ,"Oh, this may take awhile, so I am going to get coffee."

The nurses stayed behind and encouraged me through the pushing process. Once I got the hang of it I was on a roll, and by the time my doctor returned, my sons head was starting to crown and his curly head full of hair was clearly visible. My husband stood by my side and encouraged me to push. My little brother was in the room so my mom and mother in law built him a fort around the TV and kept him distracted with cartoons. They cheered me on from the corner of the room while keeping him occupied.

The icing on the cake was a mixed CD of awesome Christian worship songs played in the background. My husband and I made this CD for my son, and during my pregnancy I played it in the car for him all of the time.

As I listened to the songs, I was overwhelmed with emotion and encouraged to push. In just 45 minutes, my son entered the world.

My angel, Isaiah Jermaine Conwell, was born on June 23 at 2:45 p.m. He was 9 lbs. and 22 inches long.

Everyone, from my husband to the nurses, was in tears. It was amazing, and truly one of the best moments of my life.

This column appears once a month. Check Patch in mid-October for the next installment.