Thank you all SOOOO much for your kind comments and birthday wishes! I'm still so surprised that he came on my birthday. Too funny. Anyway, thank you again for your wonderful support!
So, the story...
I'll start off by saying that I began this pregnancy being pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to afford a home birth this time around, after having a really nice one with my DD a few years ago. Our current insurance company covers a hospital birth 100%, so forking out the cash for a home birth wasn't really any option. However, I had heard so many great things about the hospital here that I figured it would all work out fine, as long as I had a great midwifery practice behind me. Sure enough, everything was pretty perfect. :)
Anyway, I had let the midwives check me at 38 weeks and I was almost 4cm dilated and 70% effaced. I got a bit excited by that but for the next 2 weeks not a thing happened! At my 40 week appointment I declined the check, and since I was certain that my body would take this baby into overtime (like the last), we made 41 week appointments for an NST/ultrasound. Went home and planned my big weekend of house cleaning. 
Later that evening, my almost 3yo DD started sneezing and snotting out of nowhere - she hasn't had a cold in months, so I was surprised. It just got worse and worse, and by 10pm she very upset and couldn't sleep at all because of the mucous. I sat up with her in bed from 10ish - 2:30am breastfeeding her since I felt so bad. She finally fell asleep and I drifted off too.
At approximately 3:30am, I woke up with a decent abdominal cramp. Slightly surprised, I just figured it was a result of all the breastfeeding and that it would be the only one. I also thought that eating might help, so I wandered downstairs and ate some pretzels (and subsequently had a small BM :-)). About 15 minutes later, another one hit...again, I figured I needed to poo a little more or something (had some decent rectal pressure also) - no way this was labor. The next one was 2-3 minutes later...and then again, and again...I called the midwives around 4ish and said I wasn't sure this was really it, but the contractions were about 1 minute long and occurring ever 2-3 minutes, pretty consistently. They said to go with it for 1/2 hour and to call them back if it was still happening. Sure enough, nothing changed. Called 'em back and they told me they'd meet me at the hospital.
Of course we didn't have the car seat in the car, and had to pack a few more things...and my DD had gotten up around 4ish and was very upset with me for refusing to breastfeed, so that was a bit stressful... We finally got everyone in the car (we don't have family around so we decided to take DD with us to the birth :)) and arrived at the hospital around 5ish. They had been alerted we were coming, which was nice...a room was ready with a nurse, etc. The midwife showed up a few minutes after we did and she checked me - I was 6cm, 100% effaced, and 0 station (was bummed with that number!) I hadn't had any bloody show to speak of, or loss of mucous...but after about 15 minutes at the hospital there was a pink watery trickle running down my leg. Still, the midwife offered to finish off breaking the water for me, and I debated for a few minutes but finally decided it would be a good idea since I'd rather his head be giving me that terrible rectal pressure than the bag of water! What a weird feeling, that hot gush...LOL.
While she was doing this, I had asked the nurses for a TENS machine. Let me tell you - I don't know how much of a placebo that thing is but it TOTALLY helped me get through contractions. I knocked that thing up to 100+ every time a contraction hit and it was a complete distraction. Give it a google if you are interested, but basically it's an electric current applied to your abdomen and back. Seriously, that thing rocked. Try it out if you have the option! It helped all the way until the serious pushing stage.
I labored probably for only an hour or so more, and then they had me start pushing. Let me state here that I think I truly am a poor pusher. I pushed for 3+ hours with my DD because 1. I had no clue how to push; and 2. I just can't make my body push into pain - I prefer to withdraw from the pain ;-). So, sure enough, I had to have an extreme amount of coaching to get myself to push as hard as I really needed to in order to move him down further. We tried numerous positions and finally settled on having me on my back, with legs up, and pulling hard on a bed sheet while the midwife pulled at the other end. Sounds funny but that sheet really helped! I pushed for over an hour and he finally came out at 9:11am. Yay! 1 hour is better than 3! And pretty much everyone is convinced that all of the breastfeeding I did that night for DD got the whole shebang started. :)
His apgars were great, and I felt soooo much better than after birth #1. The hospital was awesome - nobody ever offered me pain meds, or complained about my DD being there (she did GREAT, btw), or offered anything but total support. We stayed overnight and again, they were very friendly to our AP parenting style - DD slept in bed with me (with DS on other side), and I tandem nursed frequently since DD was still sick. They were quite supportive.
We've been home for a few days and all is going well EXCEPT for DS having picked up the cold and now the poor 3-day-old has tons of mucous of his own. Took him to the dr. today and they say he's looking pretty good, considering...
oh, and does anyone have any experience with sacral dimples? He has one so we are getting an ultrasound on Thurs. to make certain it's nothing serious. Trying not to worry too much...
We still haven't quite named him...will update with that info soon, hopefully! :)
A couple of pics attached below. DD adores him except for when he's drinking "her" milk...sigh :)
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