Induction Day - Part 1

Induction Day  – Wednesday – September 7^th, 2011

Part 1

My husband and I got up around 4:30am. After showers, last minute packing and getting Baby C ready we headed out the door.

We then headed to my sister C’s house to drop off Baby C. She lives just a few minutes away. After kisses and hugs, we were on the road around 5:15am. On the way to the hospital, we stopped at Mc.Donalds for something to eat. A former student worked the window where they passed us our food. She asked me how the year was going (I am a teacher) and I replied with something to the effect of “I’m going to have a baby today!”

Getting to the hospital so early, we got an amazing parking spot. I remember telling my husband on the way that I wasn’t nervous, but that I probably would be when I walked into the hospital. And, sure enough I was! We made our way to the 3^rd floor, labor and delivery. We told them why were there, but the receptionist asked us to wait in the waiting room for a few minutes. We were supposed to be there at 6:45am, but we got there around 6:25am and on top of that they were really busy with other people that just arrived for inductions.

We waited. I used the bathroom seemingly a dozen times. My husband’s eye was bothering him again (just a few weeks ago it had been scratched).  A young man visited his mother in the waiting room several times. Right before the receptionist came to tell us to go back (there was a change in shift this was a new receptionist), the young man came out to tell his mother that his baby had been born. It was an amazing site to see! I cried. My hormones? My excitement? My nerves? All of the above?

We were told what room to report to. Someone walked us partway there. When we entered the room, our nurse for the day was already preparing. She could see my tears. She asked if I was o.k. She immediately told me to change, etc… The girdle belt thing that held the monitors was so tight, I even asked if it was supposed to be that tight. After completing the basics (background information, BP, etc…), she told me how the induction was to work. She checked me and she said that I was 3cm and 70-80% effaced (I think). I was kind of bummed because the midwife the evening before said I was 3-4cm. But, I know each person could ‘see’ it differently. She also said that I wasn’t posterior and that I was a station -2. It took 3 tries to get my bloodwork and IV started. She even had to ask another nurse to help. My IV ended up being on the back of my left arm.

My P.itocin officially started around 8:15am. I was then able to walk. This is something that I really wanted to do. I didn’t want to be confined to the bed all day. I was to report back to the room every 45 and 15 after for an increase in medicine. There was a circle that we could walk. The first dose didn’t seem to do anything. We walked, we talked and we laughed. My husband spotted a bulletin board with the numbers of babies born at the hospital each month for the last year. He made it his job to remember a new month’s number each lap. At first I was interested, but then I acted like I was following along. Too much else was on my mind. We reported back, she increased the dose. We walked. I swear I started feeling contractions. We reported back again, she increased the dose again. And, we were told to wait they were going to break my water. A doctor from the practice I go to actually broke my water. I didn’t feel it at first, but when I did I remember it being very warm and that it kept coming and coming. He checked me and said that I was also 3cm and I can’t remember if he checked for effacement. He said I had made progress and that I was at station 0. After a few minutes, I was ready to walk. We didn’t get to walk for long because it started streaming down my legs. I had to get cleaned up. I got another increase and then it all really got started. In previous laps it took us a little over 2 minutes to complete, but now I was having two contractions before I could even complete one lap. I would have to stop and bend over just to make it, but I wanted to keep going. All the while, my husband was still memorizing the numbers. I remember that I kept running into G.eorge (my IV cart- that’s what our nurse D.ani called it). Each of my toes felt bruised by the time I was done walking. I couldn’t walk anymore.

At some point during the increases, I had asked when I would be checked again. She said between 11am and noon. That was my goal. I wanted to make it to that check to see where I was to then decide if I wanted the epidural or not. She warned me that after I told her I was ready, I needed to be ready to wait 30 minutes or so before the epidural would be in place.

When we got back to the room and she came in, I told her I was ready. Sur enough, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. Every time I walked and/or stood up I would feel a huge gush of water. I never expected that when my contractions started they would be so close together. I wasn’t ready for that. I sat on the edge of the bed and said I was ready for the epidural. My husband sat beside me and talked me through each one. D.ani called for the epidural. Luckily, the anesthesiologist came quickly. She told me it would be 20 minute process. I cringed. Each time she wanted to do something, I would get a contraction. All she kept saying was “sit really still and don’t lean over.” I guess each time I would get a contraction I would lean to my right side. It was so difficult to sit through the process, but I was looking forward to the relief. Once it was in place and the medicine started, she waited and completed paperwork. My right side went numb quickly, but I was still feeling the contractions on my left side. We waited some more. After no relief, she decided to give me more medicine through the line. My left abdomen eventually went numb and then the left side of my back. Relief! I also had a self pump that I could use. I think I used it twice and another nurse pushed it for me at one other point when I told her that I started to feel things again.

I was checked. I was hoping for 6cm. I was 7-8cm! The next few hours were spent resting my eyes (not sleeping), talking with my husband, watching him play games and turning side to side. At one point, my nurse went to lunch and was then busy with another patient. So, several other nurses checked on us. My husband felt a headache coming on, so he went to get a snack and medicine from our car. I told him to take his phone. I was laying on my right side at this point. All of a sudden I felt as though I need to go to the restroom. I wasn’t feeling my contractions (I couldn’t feel my legs and I had no control over them--- that’s why people had to help me turn side to side). But, I could feel pressure. It didn’t really hurt. D.ani came to check on use at 2:45pm. I told her. She became excited! She checked me. I saw a strange look on her face. Initially, I had thought that maybe I hadn’t made any progress, but she then told us that I was complete! It was time to push!