I'll jump right in and start at the beginning:
My induction was scheduled for 8pm. Hubs and I dropped off LW early enough at Gma's that we could have a date night dinner before going to the hospital. I had been hungry for my favorite pasta dish from Pinstripes so we went there and enjoyed every minute.
The afternoon prior I had been having some pretty real-feeling contractions so I was excited that tonight was the night. I was going to go into real labor.
We got to the hospital early after a lovely dinner and the nurses were totally ready for me. I was able to request the same room I delivered LW in (my midwife claims the room as good "juju" so I wanted the same room again).
My nurse checked me and I was still a lousy 2cm. She started Cervidil in me at 9:15pm which helped me start contracting. They weren't really painful, but I felt them.
I slept intermittently all night long and when the 12 hours of Cervidil were up my midwife came and checked me again....I was a lousy 3cm. She stretched me to 4cm and my contractions kicked into gear on their own. I had been contracting every 7-8 min at 3cm and once I was stretched to 4 I started going every 2-4 minutes.
Around 10:30 they started pitocin and shortly after I got my epidural. I thought for a few minutes I would wait it out and see how I handled labor on my own, and then decided, "Why try to be a hero??" so the epidural was ordered and administered almost immediately. My nurse (K) was the same one I had for Billy - a close family friend. She suggested I get the epidural since pitocin would be kicking in any time now and I am soooo glad I listened to her.
You know what the best thing about an epidural is? The catheter. After months and months of constantly needing to pee, suddenly you just don't need to anymore! Heaven.
Around 12:30 I was a lousy 5cm and my midwife broke my bag. I had SO MUCH amniotic fluid that it filled her glove and flooded my bed (sorry, D!). My stomach instantly deflated and I felt a big relief from pressure that had been paining me for months. At that point we thought, "Maybe Mo is a lot smaller than we've been thinking..." which made me suddenly think, "Maybe I should have waited this out....what if he's not big enough?!"
At 3pm I was almost 7cm and I was REALLLLLLLLY bored. Suddenly, the room started spinning. I couldn't describe what I was feeling, even though my mom and K kept asking me to describe it. At that point, each minute seemed longer and more uncomfortable than the one before.
They asked, "Is it pain? Is it pressure?" and I couldn't put it into words. I just kept saying, "The room is spinning. It feels horrible. I just feel horrible."
Close to 4pm I started sobbing. I had been whimpering in discomfort (pain isn't the right word...because I did have a great epidural) from probably 3:30 and then I just had to sob.
K checked me, confirmed I was complete and ready to push and asked me to practice one push.
I sobbed and yelled for my midwife. I begged for her. "PLEASE CALL D. PLEASE JUST CALL D" I did one push and K said, "Okay! We are calling her right now".
My mom and K had my legs up in stirrups and knees wide in prep for D but I couldn't hold it in. I needed to push and I was sobbing for D while I did it. We had been through this whole pregnancy together. I would be damned if she missed the birth of this baby when I knew she was just down the hall in the office.
As I pushed, she came bounding into the room like a savior and someone helped her with her gown while I gasped in gratitude that she made it. I gave one good push and she started to coach me. I could tell there was suddenly a sense of urgency in the room but D was so cool and collected I just followed her lead. I would push hard, then gently and could tell there was a lot of maneuvering happening. She did her best to prevent me from tearing, but babies are babies and some are more stubborn in positioning than others.
I had K on one knee, Mom and another nurse at another, Hubs behind me holding me up while I bent in half to curl around Mo and urge him out. In five minutes, the little wonder was out. I was so focused on pushing I didn't hear D when she said it the first time, so she repeated, "Reach down and pull out your baby!" and so I did. WOW!!!!!
Lots of babies are born with their cords around their necks and Mo was no exception. He also had a bit of a wild ride on his way down so he needed some extra attention when he was "out". Within a few minutes he was on me skin to skin and for the entire first hour of his life he nursed.
He was born at 4:15PM weighing 8lb 8oz. Had I waited another week+ for the induction or for natural labor to start I feel the outcome would not have been nearly as successful for me. I tore quite seriously as it is, so I'm thankful I just have these stitches to heal from. Had I waited, I am certain I would be recovering from surgery.
So far, he is an absolute joy all the time. He nurses well, he sleeps well, he pees and poops well. What more could you ask for from a tiny baby?! I'm absolutely smitten with him and I've already shared a ridiculous number of selfies with him asleep on my chest. I simply cannot snuggle him enough. He is a tremendous blessing, joy, and light in our lives already.
Thank you to my birth team for doing what you did to help me deliver him safely and swiftly. Your efforts will be remembered and cherished always.
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