Induction - Birth at 42w 3d

July 30^th (42 weeks, 1 day)

8:00am             Went to the hospital to receive my first dose of Prostin Gel to help me dilate, as I?d been at 1cm for 2 weeks. They planned to monitor the baby?s heart rate for 20 minutes before administering it ? but that turned into 2 hours when the baby?s heart rate was consistently high. Once they decided that it was safe to proceed, I got the gel. I went to my parents? house to kill time between that dose, and the second dose scheduled for 4pm.

4:00pm             Back at the hospital and being monitored, I was now dilated to 2cm and mild contractions had already begun. They decided that labour would likely begin on its own overnight, and skipped the second dose of gel. If labour did not start by 7am, I would return to the hospital for Pitocin to induce labour. Josh took me out to dinner, knowing that it would likely be our last as ?just two?

9:00pm             My water broke at home. It was high, so the leak was slow and irregular over the next several hours. Contractions intensified a bit, and were about 6 minutes apart. We hurried off to bed to get some rest.

July 31^st (42 weeks, 2 days)

4:00am             I woke up, unable to just roll over and go back to sleep between contractions. They were between 4-5 minutes apart. I charted the contractions on my own for a while, until waking Josh.

6:00am             We arrived at the hospital and checked into labour and delivery. I was thoroughly disappointed to hear that I was still measuring just 2 cm dilated after the entire night of contractions.

1:00pm             Measured 3 cm, still with 1-minute contractions 2 minutes apart. The doctor swept my membranes to try to speed up the process.

3:00pm             They broke my water at a lower area to cause the remainder of the fluid to come out in an effort to speed up the process. They also began with Pitocin via IV to intensify my contractions and speed labour. Being on the Pitocin drip requires you to have a nurse present at all times. I was very pleased when my nurse was Nicole, a friend of my brothers? who I felt very comfortable to have with us during this whole process. My contractions were now 60-90 seconds in length and 2 minutes apart ? meaning that I was getting just a 30 second break between some contractions. It was really hard to take, but especially hard where it was all unproductive. Perhaps if I had been seeing progress, it would have been easier to wait longer ? but at this rate I would have been exhausted by the time I was fully dilated.

5:00pm             I was using a stability ball and trying a breathing and visualization techniques when I started vomiting. Throwing up is never an enjoyable experience, but it?s certainly unpleasant when paired with simultaneous contractions.

6:00pm             With the frustration of an unproductive labour and on advice of several people on staff at the hospital, I caved and got the Epidural. I said to Nicole: ?Screw being a hippy?, and with that they called the anesthetist. This was completely outside of my birth plan since day one, but so were induction drugs and the idea of such a long and unproductive labour. The Epidural wasn?t at all physically painful to receive ? but it was emotionally painful that this childbirth experience was not at all turning out how I expected.

9:00pm             The progress was still non-existent, and my water had broken 24 hours earlier. There are concerns when you water has broken so long before delivery, and I was afraid that they would have to do a caesarean section if things did not progress soon. They decided to turn off the Pitocin drip because my body was no longer reacting to it, give me an hour break, and then turn up the dose to get a reaction from my body.

10:00pm           I was examined and had dilated to 5cm and they turned the Pitocin back on and increased the dose to give another shot to get things moving. Josh and I were both able to fall asleep and get some rest over the next hour or two.

August 1^st (42 weeks, 3 days)

12:10 am          OB came into the room to check my progress, and I was expecting to have dilated a centimeter or two. Needless to say, I was shocked and excited to hear that I was fully dilated and ready to push! My doctor had gone home to get something to eat, so a nurse called for her to return. The doctor present was going to show me how to push so I could deliver when my doctor returned. With my practice push, she was able to see the top of his head, so we weren?t able to hold off for my doctor and begun the delivery. Once I started pushing, things progressed very quickly. As soon as I pushed, the baby?s hear rate dropped significantly. They changed my position and put me on oxygen, but it did little to improve the heart rate. The OB needed to use vacuum extraction to get him out quickly and safely. My doctor arrived as he was being cleaned by the nurses.

12:25 am          Isaac Thomas arrived into the world! His cord was wrapped around him and that is what was causing the irregularities in his heart rate. Because my water had broken so long before, Isaac needed to spend 8 hours being observed in neonatal care. We were disappointed that he would not be rooming with us, but were able to spend 2 hours with him in labour and delivery and started breastfeeding. Because I didn?t want him to receive formula in neonatal, they brought him to me several times throughout the night to feed. I just remember looking at him and being so blown-away by the whole experience. I was shocked that this little baby came out of me. I couldn?t believe that I am someone?s mother.