I wrote up my birth story on my blog and because DH is now back at work and I'm finishing up summer break with all 5 kids at home (and not sleeping much yet thanks to Miss Alexis' constant need to nurse), I'm just going to cut and paste it here too. (I'll probably edit for length before I post it.)
As most of you know, none of my labors have been spontaneous. Some people have abs or buns of steel. Apparently, only my reproductive organs are made of such strong stuff-because my rear and my tummy could use a lot of work. (Especially now!) I went several days past my due date with my two oldest children before giving in and getting induced and for the third and fourth I just accepted whatever induction date I was given. Why I was hoping things would be different this time, I don't know...but I was. Instead, not only did I not go into labor this time, I wasn't even dilating which meant I couldn't be induced either. Frankly, I wasn't in that much of a hurry because I already have four kids and a crazy life and I knew all too well what adding a newborn to the mix would do to that. Dr P., on the other hand, really doesn't like his patients to go much past 40 weeks and he was getting antsy. Ultimately, he decided that he was going to try an induction the week past my due date whether I had dilated or not. I wasn't thrilled with this, because once you start an induction with Dr. P, you don't leave the hospital without delivering. And if your body doesn't respond to the pitocin, you usually end up with a c-section. And since I had avoided one with all the other kids, I didn't like the idea of having one this time. But. at the end of the day I do trust Dr. P and I was also pretty tired of being pregnant. So I knew I would go along with whatever he scheduled and hope for the best outcome.
My due date came and went the following Friday. Saturday and Sunday saw several contractions, but nothing that indicated my body was serious about going into labor. Monday morning, the hospital called to confirm my Midnight induction. It's a good thing that they called, because I had no idea anything had been officially scheduled yet. But hey, at least I got my "surprise" labor wish that way. I still had a 4 p.m. appointment with Dr. P at which he declared me to be 1-2 cm. dilated. I knew that was enough for a scheduled induction to be successful and I felt much better about all the plans. My parents came over to stay with the kids and we left for the hospital at about 11: 45 since insurance didn't want us officially admitted until after Midnight. Once we got there, they explained that the pitocin wouldn't start until the morning and that they would only be using cytotec capsules overnight to better prep my body for induction. Both of my sisters have been induced using cytotec alone, so I knew it was milder than a pit drip AND that it would likely be effective. I was pleasantly surprised that Dr. P is using cytotec as it isn't technically FDA approved for labor yet. (My sisters' Dr. has no problem using it, but Dr. P is a bit more 'by the book' than he is.)
I really liked my nurse and thought she was great. The only problem I had that first night was that I was apparently a little bit dehydrated and blew three veins before they managed to get an IV in the only spot that it would work which was (sadly) the back of my right hand. They didn't want to put one there, I didn't want one there; but it was the only place where it worked-unfortunately. Not only did that leave me with an IV in the back of my writing hand, but one of the blown veins was just below where the blood pressure cuff was placed and it throbbed every time my blood pressure was taken (which was automatic throughout the night and early morning). I still have quite the bruise left from it. Once the IV was finally in place, the cytotec capsule was inserted and I immediately began having regular contractions. They weren't unbearable, but I couldn't really sleep through them either. My youngest sister joined us at the hospital that night, and I was VERY grateful because Dave was asleep within minutes after laying down and I'm glad I had someone to talk to in between contractions. This went on from about 1 a.m. until 4 a.m. when I was given a second capsule. At that point, my contractions stayed mild enough that I was able to sleep for a couple of hours. When I woke up at 6:15, things got interesting...
First, my nurse went ahead and added the pitocin to my IV. By far, this is my least favorite thing about an induction; but the contractions were initially mild. At 6:30, I got up to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. (I had been asleep just long enough to get a nasty taste in my mouth, but not to feel rested.) While I was brushing my teeth, I felt something weird. Was that what it felt like to have your water break? I called out from the bathroom that I thought that it had. Dave, of course, slept right through that (which he is sorry about, since that is the closest to spontaneous labor that I will ever get) so my sister went to find my nurse. She checked me, and sure enough, I had! This was very exciting to me, because Dr. P has broken it for me every other time. That excitement was short-lived in the light of how quickly my contractions went from uncomfortable to downright painful after that had happened. To make matters worse, they kept turning up the pit drip. (Dr. P was at the hospital at that point doing a c-section and I think he wanted to make sure that I delivered before he had to leave and go over to his office.) Over the course of the night, I had dilated with the cytotec from 2 cm. to 4 cm. and I knew once the pitocin really kicked in that things would go quickly. I began asking for an epidural to make sure I didn't miss out on one. I also wish we could have just continued the labor with cytotec, even though it would have gone a little bit slower, because it was working and was far less intense than the usual induction contractions.
Unfortunately, everything began to get really painful for me just at the 7 a.m. shift-change. They couldn't even page the anesthesiologist until 7:30. By then, I was definitely miserable. In addition to hard contractions, little Alexis had somehow managed to stick a foot back up in my rib cage. Each contractions seemed to wedge it in there even more tightly. It hurt as much as the contractions themselves. I thought I was going to cry. By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, I wasn't sure I could sit at the edge of the bed and hold still, but I didn't think I could stand enduring the rest of my labor without the epidural either; so I was determined to stick it out. Our anesthesiologist had the personality of Mr. Rogers and/or Ned Flanders depending on which generation you come from. I thought I might kill him. Dave thought I might too. He had a little rhyme for every step of the procedure. Anyway, he was far too cheery and goofy for someone in transitional labor (Yes, I was in transition-we didn't find that out until after the fact). On the good side, he would later come to visit me and the baby which was very, very nice of him. After he was finished, they had me lay flat for half an hour which is standard. What usually happens is that over the course of that 30 minutes is that the pain is completely gone when the time is up. This time...not so much. I was a little numb in the legs and feet, but the contractions were still nauseatingly painful. I pride myself on not whining to nurses, but this time I couldn't help it. After the half-hour was up, I was in just as much pain as before and I told her so. She checked me and said it was because I was completely dilated and ready to start pushing. I was shocked.
The epidural must have been working in part because I had no urge to push whatsoever. That was good because Dr. P was still finishing up the c-section and wouldn't be available for at least another 10 minutes. In the meantime, I watched things getting prepped very quickly all around me. I still felt awful, and I was glad no one (meaning my mom, oldest daughter, or my grandparents) had had a chance to get to the waiting room yet even though that is their favorite place to be. The only people I wanted anywhere near me (Dave and my sisters) were already there. Dave did call everyone to let them know it would be soon, but I knew no one would be allowed into the room at this point and I was relieved. I don't remember much else about those last 15 minutes spent waiting on Dr. P except that I wanted to curl into a ball and scream, but I didn't because I knew it would be useless. I also remember swearing during the contractions and apologizing for it between them, but Dave doesn't remember that. (Maybe he and I have different ideas of what bad words are.) At one point the nurse offered to get me some Stadol or Demerol or did I just want to wait on Dr. P and "get this over with." I just wanted it over with and I'm not a fan of either of those drugs, so I waited on him instead.
Soon enough, Dr. P was there. I was still in pain, but at this point I was too numb to get my own legs into the stirrups nor could I tell when contractions were starting-only when they were at their worst. Fortunately, Dr. P and the nurse could tell and in about a push and a half, Miss Alexis was here! She was quiet at first, but got good and loud while they were cleaning her up. They gave her to me briefly and I ascertained that she was beautiful AND that she was really a "she." At 7 lbs., she is my smallest baby and once I removed her little hat, I saw that she had the most hair of any of my kids. After the initial screaming, she calmed down pretty quickly. Almost one week later, she still seems happiest just hanging out in mom's arms and taking in the world with her big eyes that I think may eventually turn brown like her Dad's. So far, we are enjoying her in one big sleep-deprived blur, but I definitely wanted to get the story of how she got here written and posted before I forgot the finer details. So here it is, thanks for reading.
KNOCK ON WOOD - I've never had a UTI. I think part of your problem is the run down immune system from everything else, plus all the antibiotics. Hopefully they find something that can help soon!! Take care!
...now I am looking at my one month old princess in her swing and you are soon going to be a Mom.
He said baby would probably be about 2 weeks early!!
Apparently his work just found out "recently" via a letter from the health care company that it was cancelled 7/1 and they are in the "process of getting it reinstated". What's gonna happen if I deliver before it get's reinstated? What about the 7 paychecks he's been paying our deductable from? 
