Matthew and Hava left for the hospital about two hours after the previous update was posted. Hava's contractions were 3 to 4 minutes apart and had been for an hour and a half. The hospital will not admit a laboring woman until her cervix has dilated to 4cm but Hava was experiencing too much pain and decided to risk being sent home. After waiting in the HOT WAITING ROOM with other non laboring people for 45 minutes (while having contractions at 3 minutes apart and less), Hava was given a room and found to be 4cm (hooray!).

After about an hour of labor in the labor room, Hava was still 4cm and in agony every 2 minutes for a minute so she decided to have the epidural. Having the epidural was one of the smartest choices Hava has ever made in her entire life (and she isn't exaggerating). She had a "text book" labor from that point on (according to the doctors) and dilated 1 cm each hour completely pain free (they broke Hava's water after two hours at 4 cm). Matthew and Hava saw Hava's new favorite movie, "Love, Actually" and enjoyed themselves while watching Hava's contractions come and go on the monitor. Hava could feel the pressure of the contractions but absolutely no pain. There were no adverse side effects to the epidural - contractions didn't slow down, and she was, in the end, COMPLETELY able to feel the need to push. Before the epidural, it was too painful to even see Matthew move or speak during contractions.

Anyway, around 1 am Hava started to feel like she needed to, well, make a BM. And as if she hadn't made a BM in around, say 100 years and really really needed to make a BM that entire 100 years but just couldn't. Unfortunately, pushing isn't allowed until 10 cm and between 7 and 10 felt like YEARS (Hava's contractions actually got so close together during this two to three hour period that the doctor became concerned and put an internal monitor in her uterus).

Alas, at around 1:30 am Hava was declared a 10 and she, with the help of her lovely assistant Matthew and the nurse, began the pushing process (one of Hava's legs was completely numb from the epidural and the other wasn't completely useful). The nurse said that pushing usually takes about two hours for a first time mother. Hava couldn't bear the thought of another two hours so she pushed with all of her might.

Simon Lucas Kagle was born approximately 30 minutes after pushing began at 2:08 am. Simon let loose with a loud cry, was placed on Hava's chest and Matthew cut the cord. Simon scored a 9 on his one minute and five minute apgar tests (out of 10 and the doctor said she had never given a 10 to a vaginal birth). An hour or two after giving birth, Hava was moved to the recovery area where she stayed for the rest of that night and the following night.

Simon was with her the entire time and everything was perfect. The beginning!