Fit Pregnancy Article Go with the flow This Mother's labor and delivery were the opposite of what she'd planned. My husband, Jack, and I couldn't have been happier when, in May 2000, we found out that I was pregnant. After two miscarriages and more than two years of trying to conceive, we were finally successful. With the help of our Bradley Method childbirth instructor, my husband and I formed our birth plan. Our wishes included a drug-free birth, no eipisiotomy, no Pitocin, no IV, no manual breaking of my water, no continuous fetal monitoring and no hospital gown. (I wanted to wear my own clothing.) We wanted our child's birth to be a simple miracle, not a medical procedure. That was our dream. This is the reality: 10 days after my due date, I awoke at 11:30 p.m. with contractions that were 4 1/2 minutes apart and that lasted about 30 seconds each; they continued through the night. At 6 a.m., I called my doula, Lisa, and my doctor to tell them that I had been having contractions all night. At 7 p.m., I spoke to my doctor again and he recommended that I go the hospital to find out how dilated I was. After 21 hours of labor I was only 2 centimeters. At the hospital, I was instructed to walk around and return for a re-check in 1-1/2 hours. At this pint, I was wearing a hospital gown and couldn't have cared less. When I want back for the re-check, the hospital decided to admit me. As I was brought into the labor-and delivery room, the nurse attempted to start an IV, at which time I reminded everyone of my birth plan. (My doctor and I had agreed on a heparin lock, which would allow for quick administration of an IV if needed but wouldn't hinder mobility as an IV would.) I got the heparin lock, but mobility was a moot point because the pain was so intense that I couldn't walk. I lay in bed staring at the fetal monitor (also against the plan) and found that it gave me peace of mind that my baby was doing fine. My contractions grew in intensity, duration and frequency, especially after the nurse broke my water (another intervention that was against my birth plan). By 3 a.m., I was still only 3 1/2 centimeters dilated. My discomfort was so extreme and I was so exhausted that I told Lisa and Jack that I needed something for the pain. My loving husband did what I had instructed him to do and delivered the speech that I had prepared for him: &lquo;Honey, let's wait a little longer and see how you feel then.&rquo; But by that point, I was ready for anything that would relieve the intense pain, so I got an epidural. By 7 a.m. the next morning, I had dilated to only 4 centimeters. The doctor wanted to induce me with Pitocin and I told the staff to bring it on. (What birth plan?) At noon I was finally ready to push. I have birth to a 9-pound baby girl, Tommi Jane Rose, in 45 minutes. After 37 hours of labor and a delivery that resembled nothing in my birth plan, how did I feel? Like the joyous mother of a healthy baby, which is what really matters.