My induction story

On Friday December 12 we went into the hospital to be monitored for pre-eclampsia.  I was borderline, but my appointment that day showed protein in my urine for the first time.  They admitted me for induction.  The midwives wanted to administer Cytotec, which is a drug that I had researched and was not interested in taking since it was not FDA approved for induction and the potential risks were not something I wanted to have.  I asked to have Cervadil instead.  They administered the drug and left us alone for the 12 hours it takes to work.  Saturday morning they checked me and there was very little progress, they asked if I wanted another round of Cervadil.  I decided to talk to DH about it and re-research the problem with Cytotec.  My big issues with Cytotec was the risk of uterine rupture and preterm labor.  Obviously the preterm labor was no longer an issue and while the uterine rupture was still a concern, DH and I discussed it with the midwives and felt comfortable with going with the Cytotec.  We were given a dose Saturday morning, checked after 4 hours-no change.  We were given a 2nd dose-no change, but I was having some contractions.  So we walked to halls of the hospital all afternoon trying to get them to progress.  Eventually they went away.  Sunday we got another dose of Cytotec at 8am, then again at noon, again at 4pm.  At this point I was having some contractions, but never very strong and never very close together.  My cervix was dilated to about 1cm and I was 80% effaced-pretty much the same I had been since I got there Friday.  The midwives just kept giving us Cytotec, I think they were as frustrated as we were that nothing was moving along.  DH and I agreed that we would leave Monday morning if we still were not progressing.  4am Monday morning my water broke.  This was it!  We were so excited to have something happen and so happy that we didn't have to go home!!  So, they checked my cervix-still 1cm dilated and 90% effaced.  The midwives would not give me pitocin until I was 2cm and no epidural until I was 3cm.  Around 6am my contractions started.  They were totally bearable probably around 5 minutes apart.  Around 7am I needed to be in bed to deal with the contractions.  They were right on top of each other, and they were tough-the worst I had felt and I was having to really work through them.  Around noon they came in to check me-still only 1cm dilated.  I had had enough.  I told the midwife I needed something for the pain, I got a shot of Newbaine.  After that I pretty much turned into Laborzilla.  I told the midwife I didn't care what there time lines were for pitocin and an epidural, I wanted an epidural now and then she was to start pitocin.  I was not going to let this continue after 5 hours of what I would call hard labor and my cervix was still not doing anything.  She ordered it all up, I got the epidural (you don't want to know how rude I was to the anesthesiologist) which was a lifesaver.  Then the pitocin was started.  About 4:30 they check me and I had dilated to 2 1/2cm, which wasn't great but it was more than 1.  At 8:pm they came in to talk about the fact that I wasn't producing very much urine, and the little bit that I was making was full of protein.  I was in full blown pre-eclampsia.  It seems that the doctors wanted me to be saving my urine when I was first admitted, but everyone thought since I was being admitted it was not necessary.  Anytime I would have a blood pressure read higher than I should have they would have me roll on my side and retake it so it would be below the benchmark.  So pretty much everyone forgot about the initial reason I was there and getting induced.  At the same time this is happening, I am feeling some pressure in my uterus.  It is the first time I have felt anything since I had gotten the epidural.  The midwife checked me and I was fully dilated and ready to push.  So they had to decide if I was going to stay with the midwives and push or move me over to the Ob's and deliver over there.  I needed to get put on Magnesium ASAP and that needed to be monitored by the Ob's.  We decided I should just move.  I started pushing around 8:15.  The problem is my contractions are only coming every 3-5 minutes, not over and over like they were in the beginning.  They had to put the internal monitor in me to see how strong the contractions were.  I was only able to push about 10-12 times in an hour and I remember sitting around laughing and joking between pushes.  I would call it a great pushing experiences, except that (per my husband) there were times that I was pushing that my blood pressure got so high it was 6 numbers and he remembers the nurses on the phone talking about emergency surgery.  I remember that it was after 11:pm and the midwife told me I needed to push him out or my last 3 days were for a waste and we would need to do a c-section because I only get 3 hours to push.  When he was crowned they made me wait in the "ring of fire" through 2 contractions to allow my body to stretch.  At that point I heard the nurse on the phone calling for the NICU to come down to my delivery room.  I was going to give up at that point.  I thought there was something wrong and they weren't telling me.  I figured that if there was a problem, I wasn't going through anymore to get this baby out.  After I got over that (about 2 seconds later) I gave about 2 more pushes and he was out.  He was perfect.  I couldn't believe that I had done it.  Even though it was not the birth I wanted and planned for, I was happy to have my baby.  Michael James was 7lbs, 15oz and 21" long.  Born December 15 at 11:28pm.