I had my 41 week appointment on Tuesday and after a lot of weighing our options, I let the dr talk me into being induced. I'm still a little surprised at my decision actually, considering how terrified and dead set I was against induction and/or c/s.
So we checked into the hospital on Wednesday morning at 7am. I had tested GBS positive, so they started the penicillin drip right away and doc came in to break my water around 8am. 9am they started the pitocin. I was already contracting before we checked in, started having contractions tuesday evening and all through the night. So the pitocin really got things in gear. After 6 hours of active labor I was still only dilated to a 3. In the 7th hour, I began experiencing very very painful contractions and was still determined to go naturally, though at that point I was literally in tears. I was really concentrating on my breathing and trying different labor positions to help ease the pain. Within like 10 minutes, the pain was over the top and I could no longer communicate with anyone. Suddenly it felt like I was in a completely different mental state, coping with that sort of pain was just absolutely unimaginable. I could hear the nurse asking me if I had reconsidered and wanted to try meds and explained my options to me. I could not imagine giving in, so she checked me and I was at 5cm. I realized there was just no way I could continue only being halfway through labor in that much pain. Mike asked if I wanted an epidural and I just nodded. Apparently what only took 10-15 minutes, to me felt like a lifetime. (I don't think I had opened my eyes in over an hour) I must have dilated more in that 10-15 minute window. I felt the blood gushing (sorry tmi) and I suddenly had the huge urge to push. All while being told I had to stay completely STILL. It took every single last drop of energy I had to not scream and to lay perfectly still. I'm pretty sure I was shaking uncontrollably and sobbing. It took a few contractions for the epidural to kick in. The nurse checked me as soon as it kicked in and I was fully dilated at that point.
I was thinking man, if I had just waited 10 more minutes I'd have been fully dilated and pushing med free. But the nurse and Mike told me that they think I dilated so fast because I finally was able to relax after a couple of hours of really hard labor. It took me just over an hour of pushing and Jocelyn Grace was born at 5:24pm.
I have NO regrets. I gave it my best shot and made it the majority of the way med free. I'm not so sure that if I had access to classes and practiced breathing all day everyday that it would have been much easier for
me. I DID notice, though, that when I was actually able to concentrate on breathing, the pain was a tiny bit better. Concentrating on anything other than getting through the pain was the tough part :-)
I'm pretty jacked up down there but it was ALL so worth it. I had no idea you could be SOOOO in love with one tiny little being. She's amazing!!! And she's such a content little baby!
I also did not realize just HOW much more I could love my husband. Watching this proud new daddy melts my heart and she is already a daddy's little girl.
Cute story: The second we pulled into the driveway Mike got the carseat out and said let's see if the neighbors are home! Walked across the grass and rang their doorbell to show the baby off before we even unlocked the front door! LOL I was totally cracking up, it was seriously the cutest thing ever. Daddy is very proud of his little girl. :)
