My labor & delivery was NOT like I expected! (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

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Hi my fellow Mamás Latinas!

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoyed some delicious pavo! A few days before Thanksgiving, I got a wonderful gift–my baby boy Antonio Andres finally arrived and I am head over heels in love with my little guy! But the story of my labor and delivery was not how I was expecting it to go AT ALL!

Read more ¿Qué más? 5 Steps for a gorgeous baby bump! (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

Antonio was born on November 20, weighing 7 pounds and 5 ounces and measuring 20 & a half inches long. Isn't he a cutie?!

Okay, I'm done gushing–for now! I'm here to tell you what you really want to know about: The story of how my water broke and the CRAZY things a nurse told me to do to get that to happen.

I was 38 weeks pregnant on November 19 and I had a routine OB/GYN appointment. I wasn't feeling well at all. I felt nauseated, weak, extremely swollen, and overall, I felt ready to pop! I was completely over being pregnant. But when my doctor checked me she said I wasn't dilated or defaced at all!

The nurse suggested I try inducing labor naturally by having sex, stimulating my nipples, walking up and down stairs, and eating eggplant (ha! YES, eggplant!). My hubby and I gladly followed the doctor's orders! He took me out to dinner and we had eggplant for dinner. I walked up and down the stairs at home and my hubby and I got romantic!

I took a shower and went to bed and at around 12:30 a.m. that night, I woke up with my stomach KILLING ME, so I rushed to the bathroom and started throwing up. I thought, 'OMG! I must have a stomach virus!' Then, at 2 a.m., I started getting some cramps like I was having a bad period. All of a sudden, I had the urge to tinkle and on my way to the bathroom, my WATER BROKE! After that, the pains got stronger and more frequent. Fifteen minutes later, my hubby and I were out the door on our way to the hospital.

Thank God I had already packed my bag and had the car seat ready to go. My husband and my daughter, Skye, were SO nervous and worried for me because as we were driving to the hospital, my contractions were two minutes apart.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was 3 centimeters dilated. Not much, but my water kept flowing and the contractions were steady at two minutes apart. My nurses and doctors thought it was going to be a fast and easy delivery. Oh, but they were so wrong!

After seven hours of labor–with no epidural!–I had only dilated 6 centimeters, so the doctor decided to induce me … and OMG the pain!!! It was so painful that I quickly screamed, "Please, give me anything!!!!' I turned to Skye and told her I loved her and said to please help me. After the epidural, I felt much better and basically pain free.

My hubby, daughter and I just talked about how excited we all were that pretty soon the baby would be home with us. But ANOTHER five hours went by and after getting induced AGAIN, the epidural seemed to wear off. I was now 10 centimeters dilated and after 14 HOURS of labor and contractions and pain and breathing, it was FINALLY time to push!

I had to push for three hours. Every time I pushed, the baby's heart rate would drop. The doctors quickly realized that the baby was facing up, making it extremely difficult for me to push out (there could be a chance his shoulders might get stuck if he didn't rotate the right way). So, after no progress, the doctors decided to perform an emergency C-section.

After that was over, I heard my son cry for the first time. I can't describe the relief, happiness, hope, beauty that I felt. I looked over at my hubby and he was crying and kept saying, "He's so beautiful, Paula! He's so beautiful!" Nurses quickly worked on my son and brought him near my face so I could see him. My hubby was right: He was beautiful! A miracle! All of my pain and suffering went away. It was all worth it.

I was finally in recovery and was able to breastfeed right away. It was an amazing feeling to be able to feed my baby. I can't explain to you how special this Thanksgiving was for our family. Antonio and I are safe and healthy at home with my hubby and daughter Skye.

Thank you Mamacitas for all of your love and support throughout our journey!

Below, I want to share 17 photos of my baby exclusively with you all! ¡Las quiero!

Please share your birth stories and your Thanksgiving pics with me on Twitter! Don't forget to follow me on social media:
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Un beso,

Paula

All images via Antonio Hernandez