Sam's Arrival

This post should probably be called Things Change...Again!  I planned to go in for my induction Tuesday, March 6, but my doctor called Monday morning and told me there was an opening in the Women's Suite if I wanted to come in and start that night.  We scrambled and rearranged...again, but I was glad to be getting started at night.  I was just sure that would speed things along even more.  My mom picked Avery up, Ned and I had dinner, he got me settled, then he took Avery home.  The doctor started the Cervidil at 7 p.m.  They basically left me alone, but I just couldn't sleep.  My blood pressure was up, and I think I was just anxious.  Around 2 a.m. they let me have an Ambien, and I slept until about 6.

At 7 a.m. I was only 1 centimeter dilated.  I ate breakfast, Ned arrived, and they started Pitocin at 8:30.  It was increased every 30 minutes while Ned and I just hung out.  By 11 a.m. I was having contractions every 3 minutes or so, and they were getting longer.  By 1:15 p.m. they were every 2 minutes and stronger.  The doctor came and checked and I was 2 cm.  I was kind of disappointed, but she said she would be back shortly to break my water and that would really get things going.

For some reason, the nurse stopped increasing the Pitocin, and things started slowing down.  When the doctor came to break my water, my contractions weren't close enough together to do it.  They never really got back into a good pattern, so at 5:30 they stopped the Pitocin so I could eat dinner.  The doctor said she would use Cytotec through the night at 3-hour increments and that it should have good results.  Ned stayed since we didn't know what would happen, and the Cytotec was started at 9 p.m.

Things started to get interesting at that point.  Even though Ned was there and nothing was wrong, I was anxious.  I was worried about how long things would take, which would increase my BP, which would make me worry more.  I finally asked for another Ambian, and they gave it to me.  When the doctor returned at midnight on the 7th, I was 3 cm.  At some point after that, I told the nurse I was starting to feel pain and asked when I could get my epidural.  She said the doctor would want to wait awhile longer, but I could have the IV medicine they had offered all day.  I've heard how out of it that makes you, but I felt like at night it wouldn't matter.  So that was started and got all mixed with the Ambian!

I don't think we made it to the 3 a.m. dose.  I just remember waking up at some point in excruciating pain, especially in my back.  I don't know how the nurse ended up in there, but she checked me and said the baby was right there.  She had to yell for the nursery nurse so the room could be prepped for labor, and the doctor had to be called.  With each contraction, I felt more and more pressure and pain.  Between the pain and the effects of the medicine, I felt kind of out of control, almost like I couldn't wake up good, which I hate.  I DO remember them informing me that there was no hope for an epidural.  I don't remember everything, but I remember asking for somebody to help me.

The urge to push increased dramatically, and it didn't matter how many times the two nurses told me not to push, I pushed.  I knew the doctor wasn't there, but that didn't matter to my body.  Finally she arrived and broke my water, which she said was the only thing  that kept Sam from being delivered without her.  I pushed once to get his head out, stopped because the cord was wrapped twice around his neck, and with one more little push he was out.  Ned didn't get to cut the cord since it had been around his neck, since he had been born so quickly, and because the pain medicine can make the babies sleepy.  They usually won't give it to someone too dilated because of this, but they had no way of knowing I would go so quickly.  Sam checked out great though.  We got to snuggle with him and I called my mom.  Sam went off to the nursery after that, and Ned and I got a little rest.  Once the sun was up, we were ready to see our sweet baby again and introduce him to our families.

I'll do a separate post with pictures and details of our hospital stay.  Hopefully that one won't take another week to get done.