My first child was born on his due date and was 9 lbs, 4 oz. My second child was a week early and weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz. My third child was two weeks early and weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz. So, it's easy to see why I expected my fourth child to come early, but hopefully not too early, and be a dainty 7 pounds or less. That is not what happened.
After weeks of being effaced, dilated to a 1, having contractions every day with no progress, and a history of larger babies, my doctor and I decided on an induction and scheduled it for 5 days before my due date. The day before the scheduled induction, the hospital called and said there were only 3 inductions on the schedule so to be ready to go first thing in the morning but that they would call and I had to show up 30 minutes after receiving the call. Well, the morning came and went and there was no phone call. After lunch I couldn't take it anymore so I called the hospital. The charge nurse said they'd had a bunch of emergency c-sections that morning, but I was still on the schedule for an induction and to wait for a call. At about 3:30 my doctor (Dr. Jones) called to tell me that there had been more patients admitted and he wasn't going to be able to stay so we should reschedule for the next day...BUT he was going to be gone the next day so the on call doctor (Dr. Cloward) would do the induction. I had never met the on call doctor and was not happy about having to wait after waiting all day already. Brian and I talked it over and called the charge nurse again to beg ask if we could still be admitted under Dr. Thomas who was on call through the night. She made no promises but said she would see what could be done. Very discouraged, I went with my Mom to take Coleson to soccer practice. We dropped him off and then went to Manila Park to let the girls play in the sand at the pond while waiting for Coleson to be done. We had only been there 10 minutes when I got a call from the charge nurse saying that the other ladies on the induction schedule decided to wait until tomorrow so I could be induced that night if I got there quickly. Luckily, Manila Park and Coleson's soccer practice are by the hospital! I told her I'd be there in 5 minutes. I had my Mom drop me off and called Brian to come meet me. I was so excited that I forgot how nervous I'd been all day. I've heard great things as well as horror stories about inductions so I had no idea what to expect.
Pitocin was started at 6:20 pm. It started my contractions immediately but for the first hour our two they were progressing toward the same frequency/pain level that I'd been having for the last 3 weeks.
I got up and walked around the halls for a while until the contractions started getting more painful. When the nurse checked my progress I was at a 4 so she called the doctor to come and break my water. He came right away. Immediately after my water was broken, pressure increased and I started having back labor! *dun-dun-dun* Back labor is the worst! It means that instead of just feeling the contraction in the uterus/stomach area, each contraction puts pressure on my spine (most likely because of the position of baby's head) and I get shooting pain from my arm pits all the way down to my toes. I should have asked for an epidural right then, but I was hoping that baby would come quickly enough that I could just work through the pain...and that's what I tried to do for the next few hours. At about 11pm I was exhausted, hungry, and in so much pain with contractions one on top of the other, that I could hardly catch a breath. I asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist had just been called to another woman in labor so I waited, for the longest hour that there has ever been, for him to show up. Finally he arrived and the nurse asked if she could check me quickly before he got started. I was at a 7 and completely effaced. She said "Do you still want the epidural?" In my mind I was thinking I still had a lot of time and I was maxed out on pain. (Again, back labor is excruciating.) I still had to get to a 10, then push, deliver, afterbirth, etc. so I told them I still wanted the epidural. He got it placed quickly and I was in so much pain I didn't even feel it. Contractions were on top of each other so I wasn't getting any relief or "down time"...It's amazing to me how your body is able to put itself through such torture...aannnnyway...The anesthesiologist got the epidural placed. He told me to lay down while he "got the cocktail mixed" for the bolos of medication to help take the edge off while the epidural got working.
As soon as I laid down I felt intense pressure. I'm really not quite sure what happened after that because my eyes stayed squeezed shut as I gritted my teeth in pain to try and keep from screaming. That worked for about 30 seconds. I heard the nurse say "I see the head! Go get Dr. Thomas!" There was a crazy flurry of activity and I heard people hurrying into the room. I was trying to catch a breath as baby made her way out. My doctor said "Try to slow down" very calmly and the nurse told me to open my eyes and grab my legs because it would be easier to push. I opened my eyes and realized I had been gripping the bed rail for dear life and letting go of them seemed like an impossible task. The bolos must have kicked in at that point because I had a second (literally a second) of relief while I got situated before the next contraction. I saw the doctor, and half a dozen nurses still in a flurry of activity and Brian's head peaking over all of them with his camera trying to take a video. I pushed and her head came out, continued pushing through that contraction to get her shoulders out, and felt that rush of pressure and pain relief and they pulled my baby out and onto my chest.
I got up and walked around the halls for a while until the contractions started getting more painful. When the nurse checked my progress I was at a 4 so she called the doctor to come and break my water. He came right away. Immediately after my water was broken, pressure increased and I started having back labor! *dun-dun-dun* Back labor is the worst! It means that instead of just feeling the contraction in the uterus/stomach area, each contraction puts pressure on my spine (most likely because of the position of baby's head) and I get shooting pain from my arm pits all the way down to my toes. I should have asked for an epidural right then, but I was hoping that baby would come quickly enough that I could just work through the pain...and that's what I tried to do for the next few hours. At about 11pm I was exhausted, hungry, and in so much pain with contractions one on top of the other, that I could hardly catch a breath. I asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist had just been called to another woman in labor so I waited, for the longest hour that there has ever been, for him to show up. Finally he arrived and the nurse asked if she could check me quickly before he got started. I was at a 7 and completely effaced. She said "Do you still want the epidural?" In my mind I was thinking I still had a lot of time and I was maxed out on pain. (Again, back labor is excruciating.) I still had to get to a 10, then push, deliver, afterbirth, etc. so I told them I still wanted the epidural. He got it placed quickly and I was in so much pain I didn't even feel it. Contractions were on top of each other so I wasn't getting any relief or "down time"...It's amazing to me how your body is able to put itself through such torture...aannnnyway...The anesthesiologist got the epidural placed. He told me to lay down while he "got the cocktail mixed" for the bolos of medication to help take the edge off while the epidural got working.
As soon as I laid down I felt intense pressure. I'm really not quite sure what happened after that because my eyes stayed squeezed shut as I gritted my teeth in pain to try and keep from screaming. That worked for about 30 seconds. I heard the nurse say "I see the head! Go get Dr. Thomas!" There was a crazy flurry of activity and I heard people hurrying into the room. I was trying to catch a breath as baby made her way out. My doctor said "Try to slow down" very calmly and the nurse told me to open my eyes and grab my legs because it would be easier to push. I opened my eyes and realized I had been gripping the bed rail for dear life and letting go of them seemed like an impossible task. The bolos must have kicked in at that point because I had a second (literally a second) of relief while I got situated before the next contraction. I saw the doctor, and half a dozen nurses still in a flurry of activity and Brian's head peaking over all of them with his camera trying to take a video. I pushed and her head came out, continued pushing through that contraction to get her shoulders out, and felt that rush of pressure and pain relief and they pulled my baby out and onto my chest.
Elouise Catherine was born at 12:28am
7 pounds, 7 ounces
19 inches long
She immediately pooped all over me but I just held onto her.
Annabelle was the first to come and visit later that morning. She walked in and said "where is my sister?" and has been just wonderful with her.
Everyone is completely in love.
She is squishy and perfect. We are all so glad she is home with is us (the kids are smothering her already) and I am so happy that I am not pregnant anymore!
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