Birth Story - Part 1

Where do I even start?! I guess I'll start from the very beginning which was the morning of Wednesday, May 3rd...

I had a routine appointment scheduled with my OB to check on my status since I was one week past my due date. When I went in, she did the requisite check for the heartbeat and fundal measurement, and then she went on to tell me that she had scheduled an induction for me on Friday, May 5th if I did not go into labor in the next couple of days. I had actually thought the induction would be scheduled for the following week, closer to week 42, but my OB felt that it would be better to induce before the weekend (sounds good to me).

So, based on her rec, I agreed to the appointment and was mentally preparing for a weekend delivery, UNTIL she checked my cervix and saw blood...more than what she believed should be seen if I had bloody show (which is what I thought it was). My OB recommended that I go to the hospital L&D and have them monitor and get a second opinion. Her thought was that I'd be sent in home before lunch, which was what I was anticipating.

With my OB referral and debating what I should have for lunch, I waddled to the hospital L&D unit and was hooked up for a non-stress test which showed that the baby was doing fine and I was having zero contractions. Visions of burritos and chips/salsa were on mind (yum...lunch), until the doctor was finished with his check and he told that he, too, was concerned with the blood. There was a possibility it could be a placental abruption and that since I was going to be induced on Friday anyway, it would be better if we just did the induction now.

Needless to say, I was a bit surprised. I immediately called Doc and told him that I was being admitted and that he should cancel his patients for the PM and bring his butt down to the hospital. After that, I called my mom and sister and asked them both to come to the hospital.

Next thing I know, I'm being hooked up to an IV and I'm getting my first dose of pitocin. Since they were concerned that I may have to do a c-section, they didn't allow me to eat or drink anything. Ice chips were my consolation prize and let me tell you, ice chips are a pretty sh***y consolation prize when all you've had to eat all day is a bowl of cereal.

They started me on 2 milliunits of pitocin, which didn't do much. I began to feel some contractions, but nothing to severe and then they upped it to 4 and that's when things started moving. Although reaction to dosages do differ from person to person, I guess I'm one of the lucky few who really react to the meds and at 4 milliunits my contractions were coming pretty strong and pretty close together.

This was around 6pm in the evening (my sister and mother had come by this time) and I was feeling pretty crappy. After the doctor checked me, she said that most likely I wouldn't deliver tonight because I was still not 100% effaced nor was I dilated. So, I told my sister and mother to go home and that we'd call them when there was more action.

Basically, things stayed the same for the remainder of the night with the doctors adjusting the pitocin between 3 and 4 and waiting for my body to dilate. I knew there was some progress being made because the contractions were more and more painful.

Part 2 to come