Successful induction
Declan?s Birth Story
I was scheduled to be induced on 2/21/10. We arrived to the hospital that evening about 8 PM where we were settled into our birthing suite. There weren?t many people giving birth that night so we got a good room. Around 9 PM, my cervix was checked and I was told there was no progress from my previous appointment on Thursday (not dilated, 50% effaced). I expected this, but was still slightly bummed. My doctor told me since my body hadn?t started the labor process on its own, induction would possibly a) not work and I would have to go home and b) gives me a 50% chance of a c-section. My luck being what it is, I was slightly unnerved by this statistic. After the check by our wonderful nurse, she inserted the cervidil, a cardboard like piece of paper to start the process of softening my cervix. This wasn?t necessarily supposed to get labor going, but I had a chance it would.
Matt and I had a pretty busy day earlier getting some last minute things done so we were pretty tired, but too excited to sleep. The nurse offered me an ambien, which I took knowing it would be difficult for me to sleep. I drifted off shortly thereafter (and was told the next morning by Matt I apologized to him for not going to the movie he wanted to see. Ah, ambien. We haven?t been to the movies in months). I got a couple hours of sleep in before the contractions started. They weren?t too bad, but kept me awake, so I went online (hooray for wifi) and listened to music. Around 2 or 3 the contractions were coming pretty close so I decided to time them because I could. I downloaded the ?contraction master? app on to my ipod and wanted to use it at least once. I timed them for a couple hours and they were about a minute long and 2-4 minutes apart. I thought that was pretty good ? that?s usually when you would go to the hospital anyway.
Fast forward a couple more hours. I was hanging out and all of a sudden, felt a ?pop? and the feeling like I pee'd my pants. I rang for the nurse, who was delighted to confirm my water broke. I knew that would also get things going and was getting pretty excited things were progressing on their own. Once the doc came in to check me (which was horribly painful ? and I was still only a fingertip dilated), things started moving along. I had an IV put in for the pitocin that would be started that morning as well as for the stress doses of steroids and boatload of antibiotics I needed. Contractions were still coming regularly, but I could still talk through them for the most part. The doc gave me the news I wasn?t looking to hear ? I was completely effaced (cervix thinned out), but not yet dilated. I worked all night with those contractions and had nothing to show for it. The cervidil did its job, however and thinned my cervix and (bonus!) got labor started. Even though labor had started on its own, they started the pitocin to get things going more. I was worried about the pitocin since I heard this synthetic hormone makes labor worse.
Matt?s Mom stopped by at some point for a little bit and we chatted. As we were talking I started getting really itchy and got really flushed. We finally figured out it was due to the antibiotics so that was turned down. The nurses were upping the pitocin about every 20 minutes so the contractions started getting stronger and stronger and had to ignore everyone at times during contractions to focus through them. MIL left shortly thereafter as my contractions were really ramping up. Starting about this time is when my back labor started getting really bad. My nurse suggested we try some different positions, so I got on the birthing ball for a bit, but that didn?t do much to help.
MIL gave Matt this cute book, ?Lessons for my unborn son? when she stopped by. This was a bit of a mistake because Matt wanted to read it ? as I was going through painful contractions. And as he was reading it, he was giggling ? as I was going through painful contractions. That only happened once or twice as I think my evil glare of death scared him enough. At one point, he was rubbing my back with one hand, holding and reading the book with the other and laughing as I was going through back labor.
The nurse thought Declan was turned in the wrong position, thus causing the back labor so they had a neat trick to try and turn him. They grabbed 2 inner tubes (like you float on in a lake) and put them on the bed. They got me on the bed with my belly in the hole of one of the inner tubes and I had to lay there for a half hour and it was pretty bad. They wanted me to stick it out for a half hour at least and I barely got that. And it didn?t work. I needed something more even though I originally didn?t want the IV narcotics since I read they made you all dopey, but needed SOME relief at that point. The doctor already had the orders in for it, so it was given pretty quickly when I asked for it. The nurse suggested I get into the tub next, which is something I had wanted to try. Matt hung out in the room while I was in the bathroom laboring in the tub, but the contractions were slightly better in the tub. The buoyancy of the water and the nubane really took the edge off. I heard the nurse call this the ?nubane express? ? when they give nubane and people go in the tub. It really relaxes people and lets the labor progress.
And progress it did. I went into the tub at 3 cm dilated. After being in the tub for a half hour or so, the contractions were coming fast and furious and were really painful. At that point I needed more pain relief and told Matt I needed the epidural. I got back into bed and told the nurse I needed the epi, so she called the anesthesiologist. As we were waiting the contractions were fast, furious and awful. This was where I wanted Matt?s attention all on me, I needed support and encouragement, but all that could change in a second. I wasn?t mean per say, but I didn?t have patience to explain myself either. It was frustrating feeling needy and helpless at the same time. I wish the nurses had realized (or if they did realize, tell me) I was in transition at that point. If I had known there was only 2 hours left and it would be over soon, I probably wouldn?t have gotten the epi. It seems silly now looking back to have gotten the epi after laboring for 14 hours and having only a short time left. After the epi was in, the doctor checked me ? 8 cm! Holy crap! That?s 5 cm in an hour!
Throughout labor, Declan?s heart rate was being monitored and gave the nurses and doctor some reasons to be concerned. After I got the epi, things got a bit worse in that regard. His heart rate kept dipping and slowing. I was very concerned of course, but was afraid this would put me into c-section territory, which was just not an option. Thankfully, my doctor and the nurses were all on board with avoiding a c-section unless absolutely necessary. Ultimately, if I needed a c-section because of health risks to me or Declan then so be it, but I am very thankful we avoided it. The nurses put oxygen on me and I flipped back and forth, side to side. His heart rate would do well for a bit, and then dip again. Dip, flip and swing.
An hour after I was last checked, I was checked again and was at 10 cm. This is when the drama started. My mom was on her way from TX to be here with me for a month. It just happened that she would fly in on the day I was induced. Her flight came into the airport (which is a half hour away) at 5. She was picked up at 5:20 with her bags and on her way to the hospital. At this point Matt?s Mom was in the room (with strict instructions not to freak out about the dipping heart rate), too. A little before 6 the doctor came in and we started to practice pushing. Even though I had the epi in, I could still feel the contractions and listened to what the doctor and nurse were telling me on how to push. My Mom arrived at the hospital at 6 and that?s when I started pushing for real. I knew she arrived, but was so focused on pushing I didn?t do or say anything.
3 sets of pushing and 19 minutes later Declan John White was born at 6:19 PM on 2/22/10. He had the cord wrapped around his neck twice (which caused the heart rate dips), but was otherwise perfect. 6 pounds 6 ounces and 19.5 inches long.