Induction, no pain meds
TayLynn
member
At 11:00 pm the hospital called. They had a room ready for us to start the induction. I finished packing, called the doula, and took a shower. Just after midnight, we left for the hospital. It was almost 1:00 am Thursday, when I got into the L&D room. My doula met us at the hospital to help get us settled.
The contractions slowed down a little which I know is common from the Bradley class. Being in a strange environment will often do that in early labor.
My nurse checked me and I was 4 cm already! Those contractions had been doing something! Since that drastically improved my Bishop's Score, cervidil was no longer needed to ripen my cervix.
The nurse said they would start the pitocin at 5 am. My doula left for a few hours to get some sleep at home. My husband managed to nap a little on the fold out couch while I watched the clock.
At 4:50 am, I was dilated to 5 cm and they started the pitocin.
Because of the pitocin, they had to keep me on constant monitoring except for trips to the bathroom. My doula and husband were a big help though. The nurse let me walk around the bed, sit on the birthing ball, and sway standing with my husband as long as the cords reached.
At 9 am, my OB checked on me. I was 7 cm so he broke my water. There was light meconium staining. My OB said that was common when the baby is over due. My doula asked if I would still be able to have the baby skin to skin immediately after delivery. My doctor said it would depend on the baby, but thankfully he didn't rule it out completely.
Labor wasn't that difficult for the next couple of hours. I spent a lot of time out of the hospital bed, swaying with my husband. The doula would whisper into my ear just what I needed to hear and would massage my back. She kept reminding me to stay on top of the contractions by relaxing as soon I started to feel the pain.
The bed was pure evil. The contractions hurt so much worse when I was flat on my back. I didn't want to go there unless the nurse was going to check me.
At 11:00 am, I was 8 cm. Transition had officially started. The next two hours were rough. This is when time stopped for me. I would look at the clock and only five minutes had passed.
The contractions wouldn't go away completely during transition because of the pitocin. My doula said they would peak or even double peak but never disappear like normal contractions during transition. At one point, I broke a little and said, "This really hurts." No kidding! My doula was so helpful in getting through that rough spot. That was the only time I ever said anything out loud about the pain. I so didn't want to be a screamer.
At 12:00 pm, I was dilated to 9 cm during a contraction. I was feeling more and more pressure. During this period, I kept wanting to go into the bathroom. Most of the time I didn't have to go, but I felt like it was good to keep my bladder empty as possible because of my Bradley training. This would allow the baby to descend easier.
My husband was in charge of my IV pole and cords. It was a clumsy dance as we maneuvered around into the bathroom. My doula kept telling me not to push while I was in there. I knew she wanted to make sure that I didn't make my cervix swell by pushing before it was time. Whenever we would come out, they would ask if I had any contractions while in there. I would tell them how many that I'd had. Sitting on the toilet actually helped them not to be so painful.
Afterwards, my doula said she and the nurse talked about me going into the bathroom. The nurse was okay with it as long as I continued to have contractions and wasn't off monitor for too long. They knew that sometimes women need to go away where it's quiet and private to labor.
Around 1:00 pm, I was dilated to 10 cm with a small lip of cervix left.
Things get hazy at this point. I started to push and the baby's heart rate dropped down in the 90's for 3 minutes. They put me on oxygen and kept moving me around in different positions to get the heart beat up. The pitocin was stopped at this point and I labored with my own contractions. I wasn't allowed to push for 45 minutes. This was so difficult because with the contractions, my body wanted to push desperately. I would feel my muscles contract and it would take everything in me to relax. All I could do was try to breath deeply and listen to the doula's instructions. I had to give my baby oxygen.
I would go away in between contractions, almost falling asleep. I knew this was common so I just went with it. I just kept breathing deeply without panting. The oxygen mask made me feel like I was going to hyperventilate.
The nurses actually started prepping me for a c-section but no operating rooms were available. I remember my nurse kept making phone calls about the OR and telling them that I didn't have an epidural. My OB was in surgery and couldn't get there for about 45 minutes.
When my doctor got there, they let me start pushing again. They told me to show the doctor what I could do, encouraging me to push with everything that I had. My OB said I had mad pushing skills. LOL I just wanted the baby out and safe!
With every contraction, I was pushing 2-3 times. Down and out. Please, baby be okay. Down and out. Breathe deeply, give the baby oxygen. Come on, contraction, let's go, give me another so I can push. Down and out. Breathe deeply, give the baby oxygen.
My husband watched as his head came out and the doctor suctioned his mouth. All was good with the meconium. When the rest of his body came out, the cord was across his body with his hand on top of that. So every contraction was putting extra pressure on the cord which was the cause of his heart rate dropping.
He was born 11/06 at 3:11 PM, weighing 7 lbs and 15.51 ounces and 20 inches long. Not such a huge baby for 9 days over due, at least not the 9 pounder they were expecting. He scored 9's on both APGAR.
They put him on my chest immediately. That was what I had been waiting for! I didn't even notice his little cone head. I thought he was the most beautiful sight ever. Christopher, the proud poppa, cut the cord.
The baby nurse tried to snatch him from us but my doula said, "No, she's going to breast feed him." My doula rocks!
Pam is also a lactation consultant so she was right there with us for the first breast feeding. She actually latched him on every time for me. All I had to do was hold him.
I breast fed him for a little over an hour while the OB finished repairing my tears. At that point the nurse came back for Andrew and I let her give him his first bath and do his exam. My husband watched over him like a hawk.
We had a beautiful and happy ending to a year and a half long journey to become a family. We are completely and totally in love with our little boy.
Re: Induction, no pain meds