Pitocin induced vaginal delivery (LONG)

10 days fashionably late, Anthony Jason finally came into the world. He weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz. and is 20 inches long. Exact mini-me of his daddy. See siggy for picture!

My story:

Arrived at hospital 12:15 AM for my induction, very nervous and sleep deprived, I was ready!

2:35 AM Pitocin started in IV. Fun times.

3:00 AM Started feeling contractions similar to Braxton Hicks followed by a dull pain in my vagina lasting about 30 seconds every 5 minutes. Not too bad.

5:30 AM First internal at hospital-- 1 cm and 90% effaced (fingertip and 85% effaced at my 40 week appointment).

6:00 AM Took a nap and was in a deep sleep when I felt myself peeing. Thank goodness for these pads.

6:10 AM Wait a minute-- why am I still peeing? "NURSE!" Nurse arrives and checks the pad: covered in fluid and bloody show! Wahoo!

7:00 AM Ouch! Contractions are now lasting 60 seconds and are 5 minutes apart. Start as BH, peaks with a sharp pulling sensation on my hips (picture ripping chicken legs off a whole chicken) and ends will dull ache in vagina.

10:30 AM Second internal. New nurse shifts bring my least favorite nurse and her trainee. Trainee checks me without the nurse and says, "3 cm and fully effaced! His head is engaged." I was thrilled and decided maybe a natural med free birth could be in the future. I knew I wanted the epidural, but I was handling the pain and showing progress! So I thought...

Meanwhile... holy contractions from heIl on fire. I was sitting on the birthing ball, walking, sitting on bed, laying on my side, doing "labor lunges" everything to make it through these "helpful" contractions.

4:00 PM I am begging for the epidural. I was 3 cm at 10:30... I must be super close to transitioning, right? Anethesialogist is called and arrives. Very intimidating and offical. "Do not move. If you do, this needle could go anywhere in this precious area of your spine." GASP. I promise to holy heaven I won't even breathe if it causes me to move. Took about 10 minutes and was nothing compared to my IV, which, by the way, took two tries due to my "awesome juicy veins". I felt her wipe my back, tape it up, insert numbing shot (small prick) press on my spine to find right spot, pressure from needle and did not even notice the catheter going in. Just thought she was pushing more. Taped up and felt the cooling Epidural meds rush into my spine for test trial. Meanwhile, official Anesthesiologist is seriously staring at me and asking questions to make sure I could handle the meds. My heart rate jumps up almost double and she freaks. Turns out I was having a contraction I could not feel, but my body was reacting too. SWEET! I get more precious meds and can finally rest. Because I "must" be at least 3 cm or more by now...

4:10 PM The real nurse on duty (not the trainee who checked me for dilation) says, "let's just check now and see how you're doing. Hmmmm, I can't feel your cervix." I'm thinking, oh my goodness, I'm 10 cm and ready to push. Nurse: ?Ummm? you are going to hate this?you?re only at 1 cm and you have what feels like scar tissue. Baby is still floating.? Me: ?WHAT? I got the epidural at 1 cm? Holy-long-labor-ending-in-c/s!? Pissed.

4:30 PM New nurse comes in (love her) and tells me the other nurse and her trainee are working with a new patient now. Hmmm? wonder why?

Meanwhile? Starting to feel intense back pain and major pressure on butt and vagina. Epidural- epi-smural. I am getting depressed. Labor sucks and I hate life. My butt is numb, I can?t move my legs, I swear I can feel the catheter and it is falling out (it was not). I changed my mind about this whole delivery thing. Baby can stay as long as he wants.

6:00 PM Third internal by my Obstetrician shows 3 cm (the real 3 cm, not the ?maybe 3 cm that is really 1 cm? and fully effaced with a bulging bag of water. Wait? my water already broke? What is this? Turns out I had a forebag of water to cushion LO?s head and prevent my cervix from dilating like it should be on 14 hours of Pitocin. OB breaks the bag and soooo much water leaks out. Yes, I can feel this with the epidural.

6:10 PM Major major contraction pain every 2 minutes, lasting 60 seconds and making me hee-hee-haw-haw breathe until I can?t catch my breath. Nurse sees this and calls new Anesthesiologist to come evaluate me. He comes in all casual, sees me mid-peak in contraction, rushes over, pushes my husband out of the way, yells at my mom, nurse, and my husband ?HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN IN THIS PAIN?? and quickly administers a bolus of epidural (dose of epidural directly into catheter) which provided immediate cooling and the blessed numbing my poor uterus needed. I could have kissed him if I could move. I finally took a 30 minute nap.

7:00 PM Nurse comes to check me for fourth internal. I?m 7 cm, fully effaced and baby is at +1 station. I try not to get too excited. Been on Pitocin for 15 hours.

7:30 PM Obstetrician comes in and checks just because my contractions are measuring super intense and very close together. I haven?t felt a thing. FULLY dilated, paper thin, baby is at +2 station and ready to go! YES!!! I thought this surely would end in c/s.

We begin practice pushing. We?as in my husband, mom and nurse. My husband was my savior with those ice cubes! Crunch, crunch, crunch.

10:00 PM Holy moly I can?t do this anymore. Never have I ever tried to do something so strenuous in my life! Pushing in no joke. 2 and a half hours later, this pushing stuff makes me cry. The nurse quietly goes into the supply closet in my room with her phone. Hmmm? secret phone call to OB to get the surgery room ready for c/s? My husband takes over holding my epidural-numbed leg while I?m pushing. He swore he?d never do this. J

10:05 PM OB comes in and watches my push once. ?Break down the bed! We?re having a baby!? I had to stop and ask her what she said as everyone is rushing around to set up baby stuff and prop my numb legs into stirrups. My husband runs to get the camera. CAMERA? You?re supposed to be holding my hand and feeding me ice chips!

I start pushing with all my might because this was show time and the OB was here all official with her umbilical cord scissor hanging from her gown. I must impress! Oh, and maybe have this baby?

10:35 PM Doctor asks if I am opposed to using a vacuum. Absolutely! But, if you must?.  J

10: 37 PM Two pushes later, Anthony is born into the world with a tiny cry and pumping his fights better than any New Jersey Shore kid. His cord was wrapped around him once, which was probably why he was not coming out on his own. He was/is gorgeous! The nurse lays him on my chest and lets my husband hold him for about 15 minutes before taking him to get weighed and checked. My husband looked so proud and perfect. I?m crying as the OB delivers my placenta and massages the holy helI out of my poor uterus. I was not clamping down, needed so many stitches she stopped counting and was itching to hold my baby again. I get a shot to stop the bleeding and make my uterus clamp down. 45 minutes later, I am ready to join the party. After I throw up! Oh, and I had to pee soooo bad. What was the point of the catheter? Or did they remove that somewhere during my 3 hours of pushing? Peeing in a bedpan with numb legs equals awkward craziness.

10:45 PM I breastfeed the little champ and am so exhausted I fall asleep among the chaos and nurses poking, prodding, and checking me.

You are awesome for reading this whole thing! Or bored. Good luck to all you mommies with your deliveries! It feels like you will never get there and then one day you are staring at your sleeping infant while typing the most intimate details of your birth story for Bumpies to read!