Brynlee Faye's birth story

jessech89 · April 2014

I was scheduled for induction Sunday (April 20) night but after an NST discovered low fluid levels, we decided to push it up to Tuesday the 15th. I was feeling sad that I wouldn't have the excitement that comes with spontaneous labor and especially nervous to be tethered to the monitors but I was also (somewhat selfishly) happy that the end was near.

So at 11 am I was admitted to L&D for induction. I hadn't eaten since breakfast at 7 but they said I couldn't eat except for ice pops and water. They said after the cervidil was removed, I could have a break to eat before they started pitocin. My boyfriend was with me so we tried to pass the time after the doctor inserted the cervidil at 2 pm. I was surprised that I was getting contractions every 3 minutes pretty soon because I couldn't feel them at all. Eventually it turned into menstrual like cramps and that just kept climbing in intensity throughout the night. My sister came to stay with us in the delivery room around 6 pm and by that time I was having to do more to work through the contractions; walking, swaying and breathing. So my boyfriend and sister go to sleep around 10 or 10:30 but by this time, contractions effing hurt and there's no way I'm going to sleep. At 11 I went to use the bathroom and I felt the cervidil suppository coming out so I called the nurse and she said we could go ahead and take it out. After having it in for 9 hours, I had only gone from 1 cm to 2 cm

I was pretty discouraged because the contractions were really hurting. I was hoping to get some sleep after the cervidil was out but my contractions stayed at about a min apart.

Around midnught, the doctor suggested we try the Foley bulb to keep things progressing but I was hesitant because I would have had to stay in bed while it was in. I told them if I got the Foley bulb I want the epi as there's no way I wanted to handle contractions laying still in bed. So we agree if I had not progressed by 1 am, I would get the Foley and the epi. For the next hour I mostly used my yoga ball to battle thru contractions and when be checked me I was at a 3! The nurse told me she wanted me to stay in bed for the next 20 min so she could get a good monitor reading and then she would see about the doctors letting me into the shower to labor. So I woke my boyfriend up and deep breathed through 20 min of awful lying down contractions and then I got to get off the monitors and shower in the warm water!

The second I get in the shower, I feel so much better! As if to challenge me, the contractions get worse and I start to doubt if I can do it. My legs were shaking through contractions and I surprised myself at vocal I am during pain management. I finally caved and asked for an epidural. When I got out of the shower and saw the bed laid back I freaked out and said there's no way I could lay flat on my back. I literally had a mini panic attack. The nurse took one look at me during my next ridiculous contraction and and asked me if I needed to push. I said I wanted to push so she checked me and somehow I went from a 3 to a 10 in an hour! I was freaking out bc I had already given up the natural birth mind set but I had to keep going. The nurse wanted me to wait to start pushing and I told her I couldn't. I pushed through about 4 contractions and she was here! When I felt her starting to crown and all of my skin stretching out I seriously doubted the possibility of her coming out but I surprised myself and I did it! I've never been so proud of myself.

Brynlee Faye was born April 16 at 2:36 am CST weighing 6 lbs 7 oz and measuring 18.5 inches.

I can't post pictures of mobile so when I get home to a computer I'll add them!