Adrian Alexander Birth Story - Natural Birth with pitocin induction

alanap

Let me preface by saying that I was totally looking forward to this birth experience since I had such a great labor and delivery with my first and I was mostly expecting that it would be even better this time (shorter, easier).  With my first, at 39w4d my water broke first and the contractions started 2 hours later and my daughter was born 6 hours later with no medical interventions and no tearing at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 19  inches long.

Okay, here is my birth story with DS.

40 weeks came and went.  41 weeks came and went.  Even with my midwife practice, they started me on NSTs and were pressuring me to induce by 42 weeks.  At 40w5d, I had an internal exam and was 60% effaced and 2-3 cm.  I tried so many different things to go into labor: EPO orally and internally, pedicures, tons of walking, eating pineapple, an induction massage and nipple stimulation.  Nothing worked and I went in to be induced at 41w5d.

My midwife had discussed with me all of the possibilities for induction and the pros and cons and was very open to me deciding which one to go with.  Since the two things that were most important to me was to go all natural and to be able to move around during labor, I decided on AROM (breaking my water); that way I didn?t have to have an IV and the contractions would be natural and not the artificial (and therefore more painful) contractions created by pitocin or cervical ripeners. 

After arriving at the hospital, my midwife checked me and I was still only 60% effaced and 2-3 cm.  Also, she said my cervix was a little posterior and therefore, it would be hard for her to do the AROM and it would be very painful for me.  She suggested starting with pitocin and then we could do the AROM and turn off pit once I got far enough along (4-5 cm).  She promised to be very conservative with the pitocin and go up very gradually and just to the point that brought on effective contractions.  I was disappointed, but consented.

They got me hooked up and we got started just before 11am.  I had my husband and my sister there with me as my labor support.  The IV was painful and very annoying to me and of course, because they were doing pitocin, I had to have constant monitoring, so I was basically confined to the bed.  NOT HAPPY.

They had to up it once and contractions started, but I knew that the contractions were not ?effective? so I told them to turn it up on more notch.  Then they started to be ?effective? ? where I couldn?t talk and had to work through them.  We did that for a while.  And then they got really intense, I was in constant pain, even on the breaks between contractions and the contractions required me to be VERY LOUD and all kinds of crazy breathing techniques to cope.  I knew this was good because it was probably very effective, so I let it go on for a while.  Finally, the midwife checked me and I was 100% and at 4cm. 4CM, THAT?S IT?!!!  Holy crap, I started to kinda freak out at that because it felt like what transition had been like with my DD birth.  I held out and kept going.  After a while, I asked that it be turned down one notch because I wasn?t getting any breaks in between.  They did, but it didn?t really get better.  After a long stretch of time, my water broke at 5pm.  MW checked me and I was at 5cm.  She said it would probably progress quicker after that.  Just under 3 hours later (by the way, I had no concept of time; this is based on what my DH and sister tell me) I was starting to feel intense pressure like I needed to poop really bad.  And that quickly turned into a feeling of my body bearing down and pushing naturally.  They had MW come in and she said I wasn?t ready yet, not to push but breathe through the pressure.  [TMI ALERT] Very soon after, I did go poop.  I have no idea how much, but it felt like a ton! They quickly cleaned me up and my body still kept bearing down and automatically pushing.  She checked again and said the baby was right there.  She had me sit up and they had to grab my attention and calm me down cause I was so amped up from all of the prolonged, intense pain I was coping with.  I felt the ring of fire and DS was out so quick; 4-5 pushes.  It was immediate relief and he was, of course, absolutely perfect; just like his big sister.  I had no tearing and he was 8 lbs, 1 oz and 21 inches long.

 

Although the end result was the same, this labor was SO different.  I?m very sure that if this had been my first birth experience, I would NOT have wanted to do it again.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever done?EVER.  I?m still glad that I did it, but it was not a good experience.

Treschic81

First of all, congratulations!

I'm sorry things didn't go exactly as you planned, but kudos to you for having pit and no epidural!  I'm probably going to have to be induced for pre-e so I'm trying to come to terms with being induced, instead of the natural water birth I wanted.  Sometimes these babies just don't cooperate, but the important thing is them getting here healthy! 

aylafsu88

You did an awesome job!  I can only image what pitocin induced contractions feel like and you were a champ to stick it out with no pain meds.  Congrats on your beautiful little boy! 

oliversmommy32912

Congrats mama!  You did awesome!  I could never have done what you did.  I had an unmedicated birth with my first but I have always said if there's pitocin involved I am Soooooo getting the epidural.  Women were not made to labor on their backs in bed strapped to a machine. You did it and you should be very proud!  

mystrana

I also had my DS early and am so sure that my second pregnancy will be 42 weeks long because of that!

Congratulations on your new LO and on your birth. You did wonderfully.