xp: Abbi's birth story

kerbear135 · December 2012

I enjoy reading other people's birth stories, so here is mine. I'm sorry it's so long, but I am detail oriented, and I want people to know that it is possible to have a possible induction experience.I knew from very early on that I would most likely be induced. I was diagnosed with diabetes that required insulin to manage (they tried to tell me it was Type II, but my #s pp have been WELL within normal levels without any diet modification or meds, so I am skeptical it was anything more than GD, which I have a genetic disposition to anyway) at 6 weeks. Shortly after, my high risk clinic noticed I also had a 2 vessel cord, so that was another reason they didn't want me going past my due date. When I went in at 37 weeks. the OB said they'd schedule an induction at my next appt for some time between 38-39 weeks. When I went to the next appt, I was only "maybe 1 cm dilated" and my cervix was still posterior and baby was really high, so they said they'd see me the next week and schedule one then. I spent the next week doing squats, pelvic tilts, bouncing on an exercise ball, anything I could find that might help baby drop. At my next appt, the OB said I was 2-3 cm and although she had not be the one to see me the week before, she felt baby had dropped enough to induce. I'm pretty sure she stripped my membranes while she was down there, because I spotted the rest of the day, but she didn't tell me she had done so. I was scheduled for induction Dec 20th.We woke up bright and early on the 20th b/c we had to be at the hospital at 5:30. When we got there, there was no room available (it had been a busy night) but they were cleaning one and so they had me wait. I got back to the room around 6 and they started the intake process. I had tested GBS+ so they wanted to get the antibiotics started ASAP. I am usually a VERY easy stick (very pale and my veins are easy to see) but they had to stick me FOUR times to get a good line (that was easily the worst part of the whole experience..omg OUCH). They finally got a line going and started me out on 2 units of pitocin around 8am. As she hooked the monitor up, she noticed I was having some fairly decent contractions on my own (I can't say that I had noticed them before, but I don't know if it was due to nerves or if they started about the time I got to the hospital). Around 10 the dr came in and I was up to 4 cm. She broke my water and they upped the pitocin again. I was doing ok but the contractions definitely got stronger. Around noon, I was up to 8 units of pitocin, with contractions every 30-90 secs apart. I was able to breath through them at this point, but I was starting to get very uncomfortable. The dr checked me again and I was only 5 cm, but I had effaced almost completely (I don't remember how effaced I started out, but it wasn't much). I decided to go ahead and get the epidural b/c I was starting to get uncomfortable and I had to get one by 7cm if I was going to get one at all. Around 2pm they came to do the epi. The epi itself didnt hurt, but bending over with strong contractions sure did! Once the epi got started, I was much more comfortable until they inserted the catheter. Every time I had a contraction, I felt this intense burning, like when you have held your bladder for a really long time. I told the nurse I was hurting, and she used some lidocane gel, but really it remained uncomfortable the rest of the time. They turned my pitocin down because they felt the contractions were a little too close and baby started having some decels. Around this time I started feeling really, really weird. I told them I thought my sugar was bottoming out, so I got a gatorade-type slushy and eventually started to feel better. Around 5pm the nurse checked and I was 10 cm, fully effaced, but LO was still at -2 station. They decided to let me labor down for awhile so I didn't have to do quite so much work pushing her out (and the next room was in labor, and I think the dr was busy). Around 6:30 pm I started feeling like I had to pass gas and they checked me and I was at +1 station, so they decided it was go time. I started pushing, and it was hard b/c I could feel what I was doing the first push, sometimes the 2nd, and almost never the 3rd time. The dr came in, watched for awhile, and said they might need to turn the epi down...but anesthesia was in a c-section, so they discussed turning it off. The nurse said she knew how to turn it off, but not on again should I need it (which freaked me out a bit) but the dr decided to turn it off anyway. I started regaining enough feeling to push more efficiently around 7:30. I got a new nurse (shift change) who was a close friend of my mom's (she works at the hospital I delivered at) and she was fantastic. She had me roll to my right side and push for awhile, and then roll over to my left and push for awhile. Then I rolled back over and started pushing while almost sitting up straight. I really started to regain feeling, and was afraid I'd loose all the epi's benefits, but it didn't hurt like I feared. Around 7:15 or 7:30, I was pushing, and she told me to stop, it was time to get the dr in the room. The dr came in, got suited up, and they broke down the bed for delivery. As she started crowning, I definitely felt the ring of fire, but at that point I knew all I could do was finish. At 7:44 Abigail Elizabeth was born, weighing 8lbs 1 oz (the growth ultrasound the day before estimated 8lbs 8oz) and measuring 21" long. I would add a picture, but I can't figure out how.