by Melissa Willets posted in Pregnancy

Childbirth is said to be a natural process and that,  when it's happening, your body just takes over, as it did for billions of women, for centuries. At least that's what I figured when I went into labor with my first child.
Um, wrong. Because when it came to pushing, I was clueless, and this stage took longer than the last time I stood in line at the DMV, waiting to renew my driver's license.
I'll set the scene for you: There I was, having recently received an epidural, when my labor and delivery nurse informed me it was time to push. She explained that I should bear down, and, well, push into my bottom, almost like I was trying to go poop. Sounded easy enough. Except it wasn't. If pushing had been easy, then it wouldn't have taken me two hours to meet my baby. Honestly, my doctor looked bored after a while as I pushed and pushed and nothing much seemed to happen.
...