I was originally due August 2, though
my doctor said he thought August 5 was more accurate. Either way, I
knew that since I was a first-time mama that I would probably go past
said due date. At my last doctor's appointment on July 31 I was
informed that my doctor would be on vacation during all of the next
week, but if I didn't deliver then that I was scheduled for an
induction for August 11.
At first I dreaded the fact that my
doctor was going on vacation because that was an indicator in my mind
that my baby would make her appearance since it was inconvenient.
But, nope! The next week passed by horribly slow, and little Emma
wasn't budging. I was so, so nervous about going in for an induction,
but I am glad how it worked out.
The day before my induction there was a
super moon, meaning the moon was really close to Earth and was really
bright. There is an old wives' tale that says the super moon helps
women go into labor. I was really hoping this was true as I wanted to
go into labor naturally. Alas, still nothing. But, an hour before
Phil and I were to head to the hospital we got a phone call saying
that because of said super moon, the hospital's labor and delivery
was packed and my induction needed to be pushed back. I was so upset
– why couldn't that of happened to me! And we had to wait even
longer! The phone call took place at 6:30 a.m., and we were asked to
call back at 11 a.m. to see if there was a spot open. Thankfully,
there was, and we set out to the hospital and got checked in at 11:45
a.m.
(Right before we headed to the hospital)
After settling into our room we found
out we still hadn't had any progress whatsoever, so I was to take
half a dose of cytotec (a cervix-softening pill) every four hours and
go from there. They hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat and
my contractions – which surprisingly I was having, but I couldn't
feel them. The rest of the day passed by and we were still on square
one. The next day I woke up and could actually feel contractions,
though they were very light, and they slowly got stronger as the day
went. However, they were still inconsistent, so the doctor said to
just keep taking the cytotec. At this point I was feeling really
antsy about being cooped up in the hospital, so my mom suggested
walking around the hospital grounds, which we did. It was nice to get
a breath of fresh air. On Wednesday, August 13, at 2:30 a.m. the
contractions got to the point where they were bothering me enough
that I couldn't sleep, so I was given some painkiller through the IV.
It made me feel loopy, but I felt a lot better afterward. My nurse
decided to check my cervix at that point and I was 1 cm dilated. I
was disappointed, but at least progress was being made. She made the
call to stop giving me cytotec and said that hopefully the doctor
will start me on pitocin later that morning. In the end, I was on
cytotec for 36 hours.
(Impatiently waiting for something to happen)
At 7 a.m. my doctor approved the
pitocin, and I was given a small dose of it through my IV. I was
feeling the contractions again, so I was given the same painkiller
and fell back asleep. I woke up a bit later and the contractions had
gotten even more intense to the point where I could not easily talk
or walk through them and soaking in a hot shower didn't help. I asked
for an epidural at 11 a.m. It worked perfectly the first time around,
and I felt completely happy again. My day nurse checked my cervix at
this point, and I had dilated to a 4! She said since it looked like I
was progressing so quickly now, there really wasn't a point to keep
me on pitocin, which pleased me. It was interesting to watch my
contractions on the monitor intensify though I couldn't feel a thing.
At 2 p.m. she checked me again and I was at a 10 and ready to push,
though they had to break my water first. I pushed with just the
nurse, Phil, and my mom there for three hours, but the baby wouldn't
come out. My doctor came in at that point and gave me two options: he
could deliver this baby either with forceps or by c-section. Since
the baby was still as healthy as can be, I opted for the forceps. It
only took three more pushes and, with the help of said forceps, Emma
came out and was completely covered in meconium (her own bowel
movement). Her cord was quickly cut by the doctor, and she was
whisked away to get all of that gunk off of her and out of her
system.
I received a second-degree tear, but
overall, I think that everything went very smoothly, though a bit too
long for my liking. Phil exceeded my expectations and was an amazing
coach the whole time. I think I fell in love with him even more
because of it. Emma is perfect, she latched on immediately, and I am
recovering pretty well. Phil and I am so excited to have her in my
life! My pregnancy ended up going for about 41.5 weeks, and I gained
38 lbs.
(Four weeks postpartum)
