Ok, time to write up a short(ish!) birth story. Here goes.
I was scheduled for an induction starting at 7:30 in the evening on Sunday, 9/23, 10 days overdue. At 3 PM I had a bloody show!
We went for dinner around 6 and I started feeling what I thought were contractions. They were extremely mild, just barely uncomfortable. I didn't time them but DH thought they were about 10 minutes apart.
At the hospital, I checked in and started my initial CTG strip. My contractions were every 4-5 minutes! Still very tolerable and lasting 30 seconds or less. However, the only change in my cervix was that I was a fingertip dilated instead of not at all, and it was still too posterior for a membrane sweep. So it was clearly very early labor.
The nurses let us walk around the hospital for a couple of hours and see how things progressed before starting the induction. I was still noticing mild, regular contractions, but there was no real progress by the time we got back, so we decided to insert the Cervidil. This was around midnight. The plan was to remove it at noon and see how things were going.
I thought I would be able to sleep, but the contractions started getting closer together and more uncomfortable, I was on an intermittent blood pressure monitor that squeezed my arm every 15 minutes, and I was dying to pee (they'd asked me to drink a lot of water) but had to wait at least an hour so the Cervidil wouldn't come out -- all of which prevented me from falling asleep. By the time I was able to use the restroom, contractions were around 3 minutes apart and getting more uncomfortable.
So, I didn't end up getting any sleep. I got out of bed around 4 AM and sat on the birthing ball and listened to some music. I figured I should let DH sleep since we could be in for a long labor. I finally woke him up around 5 to help me get the TENS machine set up. That helped for a while, until I got to the highest setting and started forgetting to reset it from "boost" mode when contractions were over, which made it irritating when the next contraction would come and it was already at the maximum...and pretty soon the batteries died, anyway. Since DH was awake, I also started vocalizing (exhaling on a low "ohhhhhhhh") which, strangely, I actually think was the most helpful thing I tried for pain relief the entire time.
As contractions got closer together and more intense, we tried a lot of things for pain relief: different positions, walking, massage, the shower, the TENS again. Nothing really helped very much. I was having mostly back labor (though baby was not posterior) and started feeling an extreme urge to push. The urge to push was really difficult to deal with because all of my pain coping plans involved relaxation, but I felt like if I relaxed I would start pushing involuntarily. I was pretty sure I wasn't actually fully dilated yet so I did NOT want to push.
I first said the word "epidural" sometime around 7:30, though I wasn't quite serious about the idea yet, and around 8 I made up my mind to get one. The urge to push was just making things too hard, and besides, I was exhausted and really wanted to get back in bed, but the contractions were too uncomfortable. DH was really great about encouraging me to stick with it, since he knew I hadn't wanted an epidural, but I really did want one now, and eventually we called in the nurse.
The nurse had been refusing to check me because she didn't want to dislodge the Cervidil, but when I mentioned the urge to push, she agreed to check me. I was 6 cm! I was thrilled, because I had basically made up my mind about the epidural but knew it was riskier to have one before around 5-6 cm.
The epidural was helpful -- I still felt the urge to push, but the pain was gone, AND I could lie down and try to nap. I don't know if I'm happy that I got one, but it turned out well in the sense that it didn't lead to further interventions, and I know at the time it felt absolutely necessary.
My OB came around 9 and checked me again, and I was 9 cm. He broke my water. Around 9:40 I was complete. I labored down for a little while as everyone got into position. Pushing officially started a little before 10.
Everyone thought it would be quick, because pushing was all I'd wanted to do for hours and his head was so low, but it took 3!! hours! I don't know if it was the epidural limiting my muscle control, or having to push lying down, or if it would have been so long anyway. The baby, who had been coping really well for all of labor, started having heart decelerations, but fortunately nothing necessitating any urgent action. The doctor mentioned forceps once in passing, but I persisted and ultimately managed to push the baby out myself!
The baby came out already crying, having started before he was even fully born
he was also covered in meconium so instead of getting delayed cord clamping and starting to bond right away, he was whisked off for suctioning. He was put back on my chest a few minutes later though. We tried breastfeeding but, although he was very motivated, it didn't go well at all. The position was awkward (even now I don't think he could latch with me lying back that way) and I was extremely tired and shaky, and one of my arms was connected to an IV and blood pressure cuff so not much use. So, at some point I gave up and we just looked at each other. DH held him for a few minutes, too.
I had a second degree tear -- I hadn't felt the tear at all but the stitching did hurt, despite the epidural! Recovery was not as bad as I'd feared, either.
That's our story! 20" and 7 lb 6 oz of beautiful baby boy, born 1:03 PM on September 24th.
It was a wonderful experience overall! I consider it to have gone very well. I know that with an induction AND epidural the risks for all kinds of other interventions were high, and I'm lucky nothing else was needed. It was so strange and absolutely amazing to meet the baby for the first time when I felt I knew him so well already!
Ok, not so short after all, I guess!
You're a Decemberist and it wouldn't be the same without you in here too! I'm sure you BFP is just around the corner! 
I hope both of you are back to 100% soon!
I would recommend practicing your NIP technique at home before you go out!
mini achievements 
. Looking back at the old TTC thread makes me wonder how all the ladies got on, there were so many of us at the start! I have found so much comfort and support amongst you special group of ladies so thank you all and please let us keep this going as our babies grow up 
