Last month marked the most frenetic time of Tori Spelling‘s life. On March 13, the star of Tori & Dean: Inn Love gave birth to son Liam, her first child with husband of 11 months, actor Dean McDermott, 40.

But Liam didn’t come easily.

Spelling’s water broke 15 days earlier than expected and her doctor had to induce labor, which ended up lasting 17 hours. The contractions “felt like I was being Tasered!” the 33-year-old actress tells Us in an exclusive interview.

“As foolish as this sounds now, I wanted to feel how bad it would hurt. But I think I let the pain go on a little too long before I got the epidural.”

When Liam’s heartbeat started dropping, the actress’ doctor, Dr. Jason Rothbart (also Angelina Jolie‘s Ob-Gyn), explained he needed to perform a Cesarean section.

“I asked Dr. Rothbart if he’d do a good job, and he said, ‘Well, Angelina didn’t complain.’ So I was like, ‘If Angelina let him do a C-section in Africa, I am OK. I felt comforted by that.’”

Spelling’s good spirits can also be attributed to another recent significant event: She and her mom, Candy, 61, recently reconciled after a nine-month estrangement. In fact the two reconnected for the first time when Candy showed up at L.A.’s Cedars Sinai Medical Center on March 12 to be with her daughter while she was going into labor with Liam.

“I’m so happy she’s back in my life,” Spelling tells Us. “Having a child puts it all in perspective. Knowing the bond I have with Liam means that I get my mom’s bond with me.”