I won't write out the nitty gritty details, but in short, my water broke, 44 hours later, my baby was born. :)
I did get an epidural since my labour was taking so long. I passed out after the birth due to blood loss and exhaustion (I did receive a blood transfusion though). Breast-feeding wasn't easy since I had lost a lot of fluid, and was really really exhausted. Recovery from the birth took longer than usual. We were at the hospital for 5 days.
The baby was healthier than I was and was "discharged" on the 2nd day (long before I was discharged).
The first few weeks at home were very exhausting. We had a lot of visitors but we also had a lot of help. The most difficult part was the exhaustion... I was so tired I didn't want to eat, and I also always had something else to do besides napping. So I had to force myself to eat and drink, and forget about everything else (and trust hubby and helpers would get even the basic stuff done, like cook food and do dishes), so I could nap when the baby was napping and get my energy levels back up. I think it took about 4 weeks before my energy levels felt like it was back to "normal" (as normal as it could be for a breast-feeding new mom). Things didn't actually feel "normal" until about 2 months after though. By then there was somewhat of a routine established, though we did learn that once a routine gets established, it changes......
It was a huge experience.
Our relationship as hubby and wife also changed. We communicated a lot more, we also fought a lot more. There were a lot of changes in our roles and expectations, and it wasn't easy, but I think we also grew a lot, as people and as adults. We had a lot more responsibility on our hands and I think, that was the greatest adjustment....to find a happy balance of responsibility and fun, and being a parent and spouse.
But nothing is ever perfect, and we are still learning, and hoping to teach our baby the best we can. :)
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