I changed into my hospital gown and laid on the bed. It felt strange being a patient as I had never been in the hospital for more than a checkup or minor sickness. I didn't like the idea of having the attention on me. Fortunately, my first nurse was amazing and helped me feel at ease. I was surprised how quickly things happened from the moment we got checked in.
I was given an IV - my first - which pinched... hard. My nurse kept telling me to breathe because I'd made sure to mention how terrified I was. I told her I was afraid I'd panic and rip it out, so she probably thought I was some whackjob with a fear of needles. I'm actually fine with needles, but the thought of something staying underneath my skin for several hours disturbed me.
My cervix was checked - each time was excruciating as my cervix was nearly unreachable and the nurse/midwife had to really dig. Despite being 8 days past my due date, I was not dilated.
I was given prostaglandin gel - a substance that is designed to ripen or soften the cervix - through a tube onto my cervix and instructed to remain in bed for at least an hour. I was hooked up to a fetal and contraction monitor and we watched both the baby's heartbeat and my contractions on the screen by my bed. When the nurse explained how the contraction monitor worked, I realized all of the baby movements I had been feeling the past few weeks were actually mild contractions. We noticed my contractions picking up and I thought to myself, "This is good. The baby will come soon." We tried to rest.
I was given a second round of prostaglandin gel a few hours later and again told to remain in bed for at least an hour. The contractions began to get more regular and my excitement grew. The contractions were painful, but I could handle it. I always thought I had a high threshold for pain. The contractions went on for several hours.
I was checked again - the pain was worse with this check as I was getting sore. I squeezed my eyes shut to keep myself from crying until she was done. No dilation. My cervix was soft, but not dilated. It wasn't working. The doctor wanted to try Pitocin, but I asked if there was another option. I still had hope that things could progress. She said we could try Cytotec - a milder drug similar to Pitocin - in pill form. The nurse brought in half of a pill and I clearly remember her saying "You only get half - this stuff is potent."
The contractions continued and increased in intensity. At this point, my Mom had arrived from Northern Virginia and she was in the hospital room with us. I had originally not wanted to have anyone but my husband in the room, but it was nice to have the company during this "downtime". We talked through the contractions and for some, my husband and Mom had to remind me to breathe. The nurse had told us that it would help with the pain and I had refused pain medicine at this point. I went in open to the idea of pain medicine and knowing that I would accept an epidural if it got too unbearable. At this point, I was uncomfortable, but I was fine. The doctor seemed surprised that I was continuing on unmedicated after taking the drug.
I was checked again a few hours later. Progress was minimal. At this point, it was getting to be mid-morning and I was getting frustrated. Why was my labor not progressing? Was something wrong? Should I have waited to schedule the induction?
Defeated, we began Pitocin. At some point, the midwive broke my water. I told her I had thought it would feel good and it ended up feeling like I'd peed myself, but not the release of pressure that I'd anticipated. I didn't get a good look, but it seemed like much less fluid than I'd anticipated. They changed the pad that was laying underneath me. She said the fluid was good and clear, which meant it was free of meconium. How could this be? I'd figured meconium was inevitable given that I was 8 days past my due date. The contractions once again increased in intensity. I managed the pain for another several hours. We continued to increase the Pitocin dosage and I became more uncomfortable. I kept checking the clock but the hours seemed to run together. It had been 14 hours of unmedicated, induced labor by this point...
(Carter's Birth Story - Part III coming soon!)
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