Our little girl: Late but lovely!

Finally home and able to tell our birth story!

As a high risk pregnancy (coagulating factors in my blood, 40 years old) my perinatologist did not want me to go too far past my due date. Due date came and went (Feb. 4) and so an induction date was scheduled for Friday the 10th.

On Friday, the hospital called us and said they had a tidal wave of pregnant ladies come in, and could they call me the next day to do the induction. Since there was no problem with that for me, we said yes, and they called on Saturday the 11th and had me come in at 3 p.m.

In at 3, they got me set up with an IV line and started me on cytotec by 6. I wasn't too pleased with the iv line (I HATE being tethered and having needles stuck in me) but they insisted that I have one in while doing any active intervention, and cytotec counted. So did the Cervidil that they put in 4 hours later. At that point, I was allowed dinner and sent to sleep.

By the next morning, I had gone from 3 dilation to 4-5 and had some mild contractions. It was decided that the best thing to do at that point was break my water and see if that would push things along. I was promised that this would not 'start the clock' towards c-section, so yay. That happened at 10 a.m. on Sunday. This was however when I was informed that there was an issue with any possibility of me getting an epidural or other pain block. I'm allergic to Lidocaine, and the alternative that had been decided on for me was suddenly in very short supply due to a national medicine supply issue. They were looking for other alternatives, but the doctor looked pretty grim about finding one, especially if they had to do a c-section.

The water breaking went well, and I pretty immediately  started having more regular, prolonged, and noticeable contractions. I could still walk with them, and talk through most of them, and best of all the IV got disconnected (still had a line in my arm, but I was untethered!). 

And then night came. And I started sleeping between my contractions. And then I started sleeping THROUGH contractions. And then contractions stopped happening by 6 in the morning.

So at 10 a.m., they put me on Pitocin. IV line back in. We did get the good news that they had found ONE VIAL of the alternative pain med, so that I could at least have something to sew me back up if I should tear.

Contractions started coming harder and faster, real progress was being made. Real pain was being suffered through. Finally at about 3 p.m. the pain got really really serious (hard time even breathing through the contractions, etc) so they got me in a tub full of warm water. They checked my dilation and I was only at 7, but the nurse was sure that I would quickly open what with all the pressure I was feeling. At this point, the contractions were coming one on top of the next with no break in between, and I don't have many clear memories. I do remember that after I thought I had been going through this FOREVER but after what was, according to my husband, an hour, they checked me again.

And I was still only at 7.

At which point, the swearing began in earnest, as well as the insistence that they were LYING TO ME CUT THE BABY OUT NOW.

They got me out of the tub at 4:30. I lay on my side on the bed with one leg up and complaining about the pressure, which just increased and increased. After I threw up a few times (beautiful miracle of life my a**) and such, they finally checked me again.

"You're at 10" the nurse said "Next contraction, push!"

I have never heard more welcome words in my life.

I started pushing, got through three contractions that way, all MUCH better than the whole not pushing thing, and then suddenly there were like, 8 people in the room with us and everyone had robes and surgical masks on and the bottom half of the bed came off and the stirrups went up. Pushing? WAY WAY BETTER than transition phase by a gazillion. I had about 6 contractions, about 4 pushes per contraction, and Rowan was born at 5:11 p.m. on Monday the 13th, after about 23 hours of induction and varying levels of labor. 

She is perfect in every way.

I had two very small tears, only one stitch. The recuperation has been going well enough that honestly? The worst part of the recuperation has been the DTAP shot, because that sucker happened Monday and my shoulder STILL hurts. 

There's more, stuff about the aftercare and terrible doctor miscommunication and such, but I will add those later Now to head up to bed with jangly, frazzled daddy and sweet, snoozy baby.