My Birthing Experience: Part II

Part II: The Induction

Just after arriving at the hospital, we ushered to our room and met Mandy and Mandi. Because I had pre-registered, everything was ready for me. I only had to have my driver's license and insurance card copied. Oh, and I was chastised because all I had for supper was two pieces of peanut butter and jelly toast. Soon after arriving in our room, I was asked to change into a hospital gown and two IVs were placed in my right hand. I had to have two placed, because I was supposed to receive Pitocin in the morning. Then the nurses hooked me up to a contraction monitor, and wouldn't you know it, I was having contractions! I had suspected as much, but it didn't hurt bad, and many didn't really hurt at all, so I had ignored them. Anyway, we were watching Sunday Night Football, and then the nurses announced I was ready to have my cervix ripened using a pill called Cytotec.

Now, I need to note that I understood the consequences of using Cytotec. I knew that labor could be harder and that there might be a chance I would need a c-section. That being said, I knew that Pitocin might have the same effect.

A labor and delivery nurse inserted a tiny Cytotec pill way up into my cervix; this was much more uncomfortable procedure than anytime my cervix had been checked. And, this didn't happen just once, no, I had two doses. Yes, it was wonderful (sarcasm). Shortly after the second pill, the football game ended, we watched  the news and I took an Ambien--which was a dream for this insomniac! Because I was being induced and ripened, I was hooked up to many machines checking my heart rate, the baby's heart rate and my blood pressure was taken by an automatic checker every 5 minutes (I can't believe I got used to that!).

I remember being woken up to be checked a few times during the night, but that's about all I remember until 6:00 a.m. when the baby's heart rate began to drop. The nurses wanted to start Petocin, but the baby's heart rate was falling and I had to lie on my side, because they thought he was lying on his cord. This was not fun... and continued for much of the day

Eventually, around 6:45 a.m. my nurse brought me toast with peanut butter and some more water. I was actually allowed to drink ice water the entire time. Mandy and Mandi were off at 7, so they got me up to use the rest room, and prepared me for my next nurse, Val. I need to point out that all of my nurses were excellent, and I enjoyed them.

Val came in and introduced herself while I was watching the morning news. At 8:30, my doctor, Dr. E., came in to see how I was doing. I think I was dilated to 2 cm at this point, so she broke my water.

Gentlemen: I want you to know that this is the most disgusting feeling in the world. You will NEVER understand it. The only way I can explain it is this way: imagine water gushing out between your legs for about two minutes, then leaking for a couple hours. Oh, does that not seem bad? Try this comparison: pee yourself about 10 times in a row.

At this point, everything seems to have resolved and was going well. In fact, I was starting some Pitocin. I was hopeful we would have a baby by 5 p.m. Even Dr. E. said we might!

Jeff and I started watching the movie Christmas Vacation. I love this movie, and well, who doesn't love it? Actually, Val told us she likes it so much that she bought the moose eggnog cups. We really enjoyed Val as our nurse, and when and if I get pregnant again, I would love to have her as my l&d nurse!

As the movie went on, the pain became so bad I got a shot of medication through my IV. I wanted an epidural, but had to wait. That medication wore off and I got a second dose. I was feeling pretty loopy by that time, though. At 10:30 my cervix was checked again, and I was at a 4. WAHOO!!

Around 11:30 I received the epidural. From this point forward, I don't remember much--mainly because of what happened later. Thus, the details will be sparse and loosely-tied together.

I remember Dr. E. coming in around noon. She told me earlier in the morning that she would be back around noon, and well, she's very punctual. She came in and I was still at a 4. So, they decided to check my Pitocin for the rest of the afternoon, and adjust it as necessary. Dr. E. said she would be back at 5.

Because I was induced, my contractions were VERY strong, and unfortunately, they were not regular. This caused a lot of stress on the baby, and as he started moving, we believe he was lying on his cord, which made his heart rate go down.

Most of the afternoon I had to lay on my left side, in order to keep the baby's heart rate in check. The contractions were getting stronger, and I could feel them contract, but since I had the epidural, I couldn't feel the pain (thank goodness). However, he could. :(

As the afternoon went on, they kept checking my cervix. Around 3:30 or 4, Val told me I had only progressed 1/2 a cm, so I was at 4.5. At this point I was worried I was need a c-section and voiced that to Val. She took my head in her hands and told me to be strong, and that the baby and my health was most important. (Seeing this now, I KNOW she KNEW that I would need a c-section.) She almost made me cry, because she was right. Here I was worried about the pain of recovery, and the baby was in the womb putting up with the pain.

As time went on, I got more and more tired, but couldn't sleep. 5 o'clock came, and I patiently waited for Dr. E. She didn't show. 5:30 came and went. Val did come in and say Dr. E. was monitoring my progress with her. 6 came...and went again. By this time, I noticed that the epidural was wearing off on the right side of my body. Apparently epidurals shift to whatever side you're laying on.

By Dr. E's tardiness, I knew something was up...and not for the good. Dr. E. is always punctual. Around 6:30-or a little after, she arrived. Dr. E. explained what was going on with my body and how the baby was doing. I was not progressing, and the baby was in a little distress.

She gave me the option to keep on laboring as I was, or to have a c-section. She would support my decision, whatever it may be.

I asked a lot of questions, including the VBAC question, etc. My chances for a successful VBAC are fairly good, since I didn't progress all the way to 10 and push for a few hours. We talked about the benefits and the drawbacks of a c-section. And I did ask for her opinion, which was to go with the c-section. HOWEVER--I need to point out that she left that decision up to me and my husband.

Jeff and I decided, especially since the epidural was starting to wear off, on an unscheduled c-section. Dr. E. must have known that I would go for the c-section, because she had the anesthesiologist and a nurse waiting outside the door. Let's just say that once you agree to surgery, they fly fast!I barely got a call into my parents before every descended on me.

The anesthesiologist came in and moved the epidural injection up, so that I would be numbed for the c-section. Val, the nurse, gave me A LOT of anti-nausea drugs through my IV to counteract the numbing medication. Then, I was wheeled to the surgery room.

Once in surgery, I remember looking up and seeing the brightest light I have ever seen, besides the sun. I couldn't see faces or anything else. The doctors and nurses were very organized, and they got everything ready in a snap (I suspect the reason Dr. E. was late was because she was getting the team together). However, there was a hiccup. The epidural medicine had gone to the left side of my body, because that's the side I was laying on for the baby. As they pumped more epidural medicine into my spine, we found that my body was not accepting it on the right side, it was all going to my left side. In fact, I can still feel the large, sharp pin they used to pock my abdomen to see if I was numbing. Each time they poked I was like, "I can feel that." I guess you're not supposed to be able to tell they are even touching your skin!

With that hiccup, everything became too real. I was prepped for general anesthesia. And, once again, they worked fast! However, I was scared, because you hear stories about bad general anesthesia reactions. I prayed every prayer I could think of--specifically the Guardian Angel and Hail Mary.

The last moment I remember is the nurse putting a mask on my face and the anesthesiologist (the only male, by the way) telling me to count backwards from 10. I think I made it to 7. 

Neither Jeff or I would be able to witness the birth of our child.

Next up: Part III

My Birthing Experience: Part 1

I've started and deleted this post many times; crying over the process it took to write and remember what happened. It wasn't until I read this website that I was finally able to start talking more openly about my experience. Even though no one may ever read this, even if it reaches just one person, I hope they find solace in the fact that they are not alone about how they feel.

Part I: Pregnancy up to the Induction
 
Sciatica sucked. Pregnant, or not, I would never wish that pain upon my worst enemy. In many ways it was worse than labor pain--and there were days where I wished I had broken my ankle again instead of the sciatica. In fact, most of the reason I wanted the epidural was because my hip and leg hurt worse than the contractions. Anyway, my son was laying on the left side of my uterus, which caused a nerve to basically go ballistic from weeks 34-40. My left hip, leg and knee hurt so bad that I would cry out in pain. There was no amount of Tylenol, warm baths or leg massages that could relieve the pain.

I was relegated to bed whenever I was home, because I could not function with a clear mind while I was in pain. The pain actually became so bad that I took maternity leave a week early (at the beginning of week 39), because I was crying in front of my students due to the pain. And, I worried what stress I was causing to the baby.

During my 38th week of pregnancy my doctor gave me the option to induce on my due date because of the pain. At the time I didn't want to induce, because I really wanted to have that All-American rush to the hospital birth. And, I thought I was strong enough to handle the pain.

However, at week 39 I was pissed at myself for not scheduling the induction date. The hip/leg pain was intense. Plus, I had hurt my collarbone, because I tried to pull myself up in bed and couldn't; I'm sure I looked like a mess.

So, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 18th, as I waddled into my doctor's office with tears in my eyes, I told my doctor I was tired of the pain. I had stopped working on Monday of that week (November 15th), and to drive because I was afraid I would hurt myself with the blinding pain, so Jeff was driving me to-and-from doctors appointments (in truth, he had been doing that for a couple of weeks because of the pain). Anyway, she agreed that it was time, and tried to schedule me for an induction on my due date (November 22).

One little problem--when she called over to the maternity ward (the hospital we go to has a wellness center, profession building [doctor offices--where my OBGYN and family practitioner are located], the hospital and emergency room all connected by corridors), the maternity ward said they did not have room for us on the 22nd. Instead, they had room that night (the 18th), and if I wanted they would be happy to schedule me.

Well, the thought of having the baby became TOO REAL TOO SOON. I had always envisioned going into labor at home and being able to mentally prepare myself. Instead, I was being asked to go home, pack and be right back at the hospital. NOPE--I couldn't do it. So, I was placed on a waiting list for the 22nd. (Yes, that's right: I was still NOT entirely packed for the hospital. I had a diaper bag ready to go, but not my bag.)

The very next morning I received the phone call that a spot had opened up and I could be induced on the 22nd. So, Friday morning I spent 35 minutes on the phone with a nurse going over a lot of paperwork and other information. The nice thing about the hospital I go to is that I preregistered for labor and delivery, so the verbal verification was that was needed before my induction. While I was still nervous, the 3-day time period gave me time to prepare for what would be happening. For the rest of Friday I laid in bed or on the couch and drank water. I was in so much pain I couldn't sleep, so I was pretty grumpy.

On Saturday my parents came down and helped us with the last-minute items we needed to do. My dad and Jeff put in the car seat, and my dad helped Jeff buy a snow blower--a luxury we should have had last year during the 3 blizzards.

On Sunday Jeff and I took it easy, because we knew I had to report to the hospital at 8 p.m. that night. See, my cervix needed to be ripened before being induced, so the night before starting Pitocin, the nurse would insert a small pill, Cytotec, into my vagina to help ripen the cervix. I will write more about Cytotec in Part II.

I was so nervous before leaving for the hospital that I could barely eat. I grabbed some peanut butter and grape jelly toast, hugged and kissed the cats a bunch, then double checked my bags (which had been packed for only 2 days--don't you judge me!!)

Jeff ushered me out the door as we drove the 15-20 minutes to the hospital. We were supposed to be there at 8:00 p.m. I think we got there at 7:55, and they were still making up my room. It was dark, and the only comfort I found was that my room was HOT and the ice water felt great. Plus, both of my nurses that night had the same name--just spelled differently: Mandy and Mandi.

Next up: Part II