I am including as much detail as possible and provide as much information. Hopefully this will be helpful for someone.
My due date was April 11th. When I went to the OB at 40 wks + 2 days, she did an internal and determined that I was only 1 cm dialated and still fairly posterior. So I was scheduled for an induction on the 19th of April.
I went into the hospital at 10a.m., and was monitored for a while and then given the Prostaglandin gel and then was sent home and told to return at 6 in the evening. I started to feel mild contractions right away and by the time I went back, the contractions had picked up. By 8 or 9 pm I was getting fairly strong (enough for me to pause and focus) contractions, lasting about 40 seconds, every two minutes. Contractions were definitely painful but manageable as long as I walked around and braced myself for them.
After "labouring" for hours like that around 10p.m. I was checked again and to my utter disappointed I was still 1cm dialated and still posterior and not much effaced. The low point of labour came when the hospital decided to admit me (with contractions two min apart) but asked my husband to go home. I knew I couldn't spend an entire night in pain without him, all by myself in the hospital. So I spoke to the doctor and insisted on going home. I explained that I lived very close by and any sign of the pain increasing, I would come right back. After some convincing the doctor let me go. BEST DECISION EVER. I came home, watched TV (in a weird zoned out kind of way) and then had a little bit of food. I sent my husband off to bed, while I sat on my couch with some lit LED candles in the dark - just focusing on relaxing as much as possible. The contraction continued every two minutes.
Around 2 or 3 a.m. I felt something change a little. There was a pause in the contraction timings, followed by stronger, longer ones. And sure enough, I started to have my bloody show. Once that started to happen, the contractions actually slowed down and started coming later and later. Looking back, I guess the Prost. gel was wearing off and the body was taking over.
So around 8 in the morning (contractions now 7/8 min apart, stronger but definitely more manageable due to the frequency) we went back to the hospital. I have been labouring for 18 hours already. I was getting really worn out.
Anyhoo, once in the hospital I held my breath - couldn't imagine how I would feel if I was still only 1 cm. But thankfully, when the dr. checked I was 3cm, 60% effaced and ready to go! YAY!.
I was admitted to L&D room. Changed into my gown. The Dr. came and told me the plan, they will break my waters and then put me on Pitocin. I knew Pitocin would give me stronger pains but I hadn't anticipated that I would be required to lie in bed the ENTIRE time, strapped to all sorts of things, as a result. As soon as I heard that, I knew I couldn't endure another (it's been more than 24 hours since I've been in labour) 12 hours of more intense pain without being able to get out of bed. So I requested the Epidural.
The last thing I wanted was for labour to slow down. So I knew I wanted to delay the epidural as much as possible. I requested a staggered approach to my Dr. for the water bag breaking, Pitocin and Epidural. I asked for two hours between water bag breaking and Pitocin and another couple of hours before the Epi.
Water bag breaking didn't increase the pain too much as I expected. I was able to walk around afterwards and had the opportunity to take an hour long shower in the therapeutic shower room. It felt so gooooood!!! Gave me an opportunity to regroup and prepare for the Pit.
I was strapped into bed with the contraction monitor and the fetal monitor attached. Then I was given an IV drip with the Pit solution. Within fifteen/twenty minutes things started to pick up and contractions started to come every four minutes. My husband and I worked as a team to deal with each contraction - deep breaths, heat pack on my back and humming. I laboured with the Pitocin for about 1.5 to 2 hours and then I had the epidural. The process was not very painful and was over in a few minutes. I started to feel pain relief fairly quickly. Was also happy to discover I could still move my legs YAY again.
With the Epi, I had a few more things attached to me: catheder, the Epi itself and (the kicker) an oxygen mask. I had grand plans of watching TV or chatting with my family once the Epi kicked in and the oxygen mask made that impossible. When the nurse put the mask on and said "For the baby" - it was a low point.
Shortly after the Epi, the nurse checked me, I was still only 3-4 cm dialated (sigh) and one Dr. came and told me that this was taking longer than she expected and I should prepare myself mentally for a c-section. At this point, I really just wanted my baby with me, but it was a bit disappointing to hear that.
To pass the time, I listened to my Hypnobirthing relaxation tapes on a continuous loop and relaxed every part of my body as much as possible. Then things started to happen!
The nurse checked me after a couple of hours, and I was another 2 cm dialated. Little while later I could feel the contractions getting super strong (lots of pressure not much pain) and another couple of hours later, I was 9.5 cm dialated. Then nurse said baby was still really high - so I must prepare for a lot of pushing. Half an hour after hearing that I felt something drop in pelvis. I kicked all the family out of the room and wanted the nurse to check what it was. It was my baby's HEAD!
After that, I pushed for about 15/20 minutes or so and Lucas was born at 9p.m. 6 pounds and 15 oz. He was plopped on my belly, all warm and alert with tons of black hair.
Lucas is two weeks now. Had some trouble with Jaundice. But doing really well. I am adjusting OK to motherhood - each day is better than the last I think. Looking foward to the future more and more (as the baby blues and hormones subside).
My due date was April 11th. When I went to the OB at 40 wks + 2 days, she did an internal and determined that I was only 1 cm dialated and still fairly posterior. So I was scheduled for an induction on the 19th of April.
I went into the hospital at 10a.m., and was monitored for a while and then given the Prostaglandin gel and then was sent home and told to return at 6 in the evening. I started to feel mild contractions right away and by the time I went back, the contractions had picked up. By 8 or 9 pm I was getting fairly strong (enough for me to pause and focus) contractions, lasting about 40 seconds, every two minutes. Contractions were definitely painful but manageable as long as I walked around and braced myself for them.
After "labouring" for hours like that around 10p.m. I was checked again and to my utter disappointed I was still 1cm dialated and still posterior and not much effaced. The low point of labour came when the hospital decided to admit me (with contractions two min apart) but asked my husband to go home. I knew I couldn't spend an entire night in pain without him, all by myself in the hospital. So I spoke to the doctor and insisted on going home. I explained that I lived very close by and any sign of the pain increasing, I would come right back. After some convincing the doctor let me go. BEST DECISION EVER. I came home, watched TV (in a weird zoned out kind of way) and then had a little bit of food. I sent my husband off to bed, while I sat on my couch with some lit LED candles in the dark - just focusing on relaxing as much as possible. The contraction continued every two minutes.
Around 2 or 3 a.m. I felt something change a little. There was a pause in the contraction timings, followed by stronger, longer ones. And sure enough, I started to have my bloody show. Once that started to happen, the contractions actually slowed down and started coming later and later. Looking back, I guess the Prost. gel was wearing off and the body was taking over.
So around 8 in the morning (contractions now 7/8 min apart, stronger but definitely more manageable due to the frequency) we went back to the hospital. I have been labouring for 18 hours already. I was getting really worn out.
Anyhoo, once in the hospital I held my breath - couldn't imagine how I would feel if I was still only 1 cm. But thankfully, when the dr. checked I was 3cm, 60% effaced and ready to go! YAY!.
I was admitted to L&D room. Changed into my gown. The Dr. came and told me the plan, they will break my waters and then put me on Pitocin. I knew Pitocin would give me stronger pains but I hadn't anticipated that I would be required to lie in bed the ENTIRE time, strapped to all sorts of things, as a result. As soon as I heard that, I knew I couldn't endure another (it's been more than 24 hours since I've been in labour) 12 hours of more intense pain without being able to get out of bed. So I requested the Epidural.
The last thing I wanted was for labour to slow down. So I knew I wanted to delay the epidural as much as possible. I requested a staggered approach to my Dr. for the water bag breaking, Pitocin and Epidural. I asked for two hours between water bag breaking and Pitocin and another couple of hours before the Epi.
Water bag breaking didn't increase the pain too much as I expected. I was able to walk around afterwards and had the opportunity to take an hour long shower in the therapeutic shower room. It felt so gooooood!!! Gave me an opportunity to regroup and prepare for the Pit.
I was strapped into bed with the contraction monitor and the fetal monitor attached. Then I was given an IV drip with the Pit solution. Within fifteen/twenty minutes things started to pick up and contractions started to come every four minutes. My husband and I worked as a team to deal with each contraction - deep breaths, heat pack on my back and humming. I laboured with the Pitocin for about 1.5 to 2 hours and then I had the epidural. The process was not very painful and was over in a few minutes. I started to feel pain relief fairly quickly. Was also happy to discover I could still move my legs YAY again.
With the Epi, I had a few more things attached to me: catheder, the Epi itself and (the kicker) an oxygen mask. I had grand plans of watching TV or chatting with my family once the Epi kicked in and the oxygen mask made that impossible. When the nurse put the mask on and said "For the baby" - it was a low point.
Shortly after the Epi, the nurse checked me, I was still only 3-4 cm dialated (sigh) and one Dr. came and told me that this was taking longer than she expected and I should prepare myself mentally for a c-section. At this point, I really just wanted my baby with me, but it was a bit disappointing to hear that.
To pass the time, I listened to my Hypnobirthing relaxation tapes on a continuous loop and relaxed every part of my body as much as possible. Then things started to happen!
The nurse checked me after a couple of hours, and I was another 2 cm dialated. Little while later I could feel the contractions getting super strong (lots of pressure not much pain) and another couple of hours later, I was 9.5 cm dialated. Then nurse said baby was still really high - so I must prepare for a lot of pushing. Half an hour after hearing that I felt something drop in pelvis. I kicked all the family out of the room and wanted the nurse to check what it was. It was my baby's HEAD!
After that, I pushed for about 15/20 minutes or so and Lucas was born at 9p.m. 6 pounds and 15 oz. He was plopped on my belly, all warm and alert with tons of black hair.
Lucas is two weeks now. Had some trouble with Jaundice. But doing really well. I am adjusting OK to motherhood - each day is better than the last I think. Looking foward to the future more and more (as the baby blues and hormones subside).
