We got to the hospital right at 5pm, checked in at the Emergency Room and they sent us up to Labor & Delivery. After our admittance and answering a ton of questions, the nurse attempted to insert my IV. Each time she tried, my veins would collapse. What can I say, my veins were shy! I was really swollen - apparently more than we thought - because even the anesthesiologist couldn't get anything. Once I told them they'll 100% get the vein in my elbow, I finally was free from the poking. They were trying to avoid my elbow for comfort but after one blown vein (which I have a nasty bruise from) and five different pricks I didn't care.
Around 6pm the nurse checked my cervix and I was hard, high, tight & closed completely so she got new orders from my OB to start cytotec orally. The original plan was to start low dose pitocin but that plan also came with the thought that I'd be somewhat dilated when I got there - wronnnng! So, we got my first dose of cytotec orally and within 20 minutes I started to contract. They weren't hard or long, but they were definitely there.
10:30pm came and I got checked again, a little softer and a fingertip dilated! YAY for progress! Got second dose of cytotec orally.
2:30am and I'm ALMOST at 1 complete cm, though still hard. Nurse wanted to let me contract on my own for a bit to see if that would help. It didn't, so I was given another dose of cytotec at 3:30am, this time vaginally. Almost instantly I had contractions about a minute apart. They were hard too. My pain level went from about a 3 to a 6 within probably 10 minutes. The contractions kept me up through the morning until around 5:30am when I dozed off and apparently my contractions fizzled out and slowed way down in time & intensity.
Woke up at 7:30am when the doc came in the room. Absolutely zero progress, in fact now I'm only a fingertip again - so I regressed from a cm. DAMN IT! He gave me a few options: 1. Break my water now, wait for things to happen naturally before being put on pitocin. If they don't, we'll start pitocin. 2. Start pitocin without breaking water, again wait for things to happen but this will be much slower. I didn't want to break my water this early - because I was trying to avoid a C-Section at all costs. My cervix was clearly not doing anything, even with the medicines so I opted for option 2. He was fine with that so he said he'd come back at the end of the day and see what I'm at.
Throughout the day I was contracting between 1-7 minutes apart, sometimes they were right after each other - sometimes it fizzled. I seemed to contract better when laying almost all the way down, so I was quite uncomfortable for most the day.
Well, 5pm rolled around and my OB came to check on me before his D&C he had scheduled... zero progress. He said I was MAYYYBE a bit softer, but my cervix didn't move. Awesome. I started crying. Clearly my body wasn't ready. So he offered the same two options as well as taking me completely off the IV/meds so I could eat & get some rest - or go home if I wanted. I wanted to go home. CLEARLY this wasn't working. And, I was frustrated and tired. So, we stopped the IV.
I made the right decision, as soon as the pitocin was out of my system (it has a 20 minute half life so it takes about 40 minutes total) my contractions stopped completely. Then we were on our way. I felt so defeated. I felt guilty, my husband felt guilty... it was a really rough time.
I won't ever choose to be induced again, it's such a frustrating process. It's worked well for many people and I know many who have had nothing but successes... it's not for me. Doctor said we can schedule another induction if I wanted to this week - I said no. So, here I am, waiting for Little Monster to come on his own. If he's not here by next Sunday, 12/5, I get an automatic C-Section at 41 weeks.
Since we've been home, I've had maybe a handful of contractions per day - but nothing major. Here I am, a day before our Due Date, starting to get frustrated. I've heard it 10,000 times - baby isn't ready, my body isn't ready... but mentally I'M READY. It's been a year and a half since we found out we were going to be parents, we lost the first one, and it took 7 cycles to conceive Little Monster, plus the wait of the pregnancy which has seemed to DRAG.ON. Physically I am doing fine - not too much pain/comfort problems.. but emotionally I am exhausted. I'm so ready to hold this little guy in my arms.
But, instead, he is teaching me patience. Which, is okay. I just hope he doesn't decide to be TOO stubborn and make me have a C-Section next weekend... otherwise I could have opted for that route at the induction and had him already. We shall see what's going to happen :)
For now, we wait. And wait some more. Here's my gigantic belly, incase you don't want to read the entire thing you have something to look at!
4 comments:
How frustrating!
I'm praying labor prayers for you!
Come on, Baby MB!
Boo!!! I was induced and I hated it. I swear it is the reason she had such severe colic. She just wasn't ready.
I hope that stubborn boy comes on his own soon!
I'm just curious as to why you have to have a csection at 41 weeks?
My OB doesn't want me going past 41 weeks due to my BP history and other complications I've had during my pregnancy. I could choose to do the induction again - but I won't. It was the most frustrating thing in the world for me.
(Makeup Bud)
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