On Monday, Nov. 8, we went to the hospital for our scheduled BPP. We had the NST and the ultrasound, and then we headed over to see our doctor. My blood pressure had been running high throughout the pregnancy, and it had been acting up during the previous week. We had it taken at theappointment and it was 145/101. The doctor really did not like the numbers and the way I was feeling, so she suggested that we go ahead and induce the labor-that night, if we wanted to. She said to go home, eat, and pack your bags. That got the ball rolling.
That night, we spent the night in the hospital with 12 hours of Cervadil. I could not sleep to save my life. I was up the entire 12 hours.It was a long, long night. Finally, the next morning, they started the pitocin drip at around 7:40 am. The contractions started coming, but they were not bad at all. My doctor came in around 12:30 pm to check my progress, and I had dilated from a 2 to a 3. Slow going. At this point, she broke my water to get things moving. Only moments after she broke my water, the contractions started coming harder and faster. At this point, I asked for an epidural. The pain was not horrific yet, but I didn’t want to wait too long. Yes, I had originally planned to have a natural birth, but after a general lack of preparation plus the surprise induction, I decided not to. The epidural went well- although the actual procedure was more complex/painful than I thought it would be. It took effect really well, and I was impressed with the pain relief.
The doctor came back around 4:30 to check again. Guess what? In 4 hours, I had gone from a whopping 3 to a 4. Again, I tried not to get frustrated, knowing that it would only make things work. More time passed and the doctor was back- around 7:30 pm. I had gone from a 4 to a 5. Good grief. Right after she left, I started feeling really nauseous. It was bad. They put some nausea relief meds in my I.V. and I instantly knocked out. I finally was able to sleep after a whole night awake! When I woke up, the doctor was back. I was, of course, expecting to have dilated only 1-2 more cm and have her tell me to wait some more. Well, in the time that I was asleep, I had dilated from a 5 to a 10! She said we were ready to go.
Everything is kind of hazy after that point, but I know that there was a lot of hustle and bustle while they set stuff up. I had my husband put on my delivery music (Ingrid Michaelson), and we got going. Apparently, I push “very well,” as I got many compliments from the doctor and nurse. My husband held up one leg and the nurse held up the other. The pushing was demanding, but it was also empowering. I had a goal, and I was going to achieve it! I started pushing around 10:45 pm and Alaina Anne made her appearance at 11:36 pm on November 9, 2010. They placed her right on my chest and it was just amazing.I couldn’t believe that my daughter was finally here. It was also so special to see my husband hold her and meet his baby. There are so many emotions that go along with this- I don’t even think I could describe them if I tried. I love this little girl so much already, and I’m excited to see what our future holds! Sorry this is so long. I’m excited for you ladies as you all start to meet your beautiful babies!
That night, we spent the night in the hospital with 12 hours of Cervadil. I could not sleep to save my life. I was up the entire 12 hours.It was a long, long night. Finally, the next morning, they started the pitocin drip at around 7:40 am. The contractions started coming, but they were not bad at all. My doctor came in around 12:30 pm to check my progress, and I had dilated from a 2 to a 3. Slow going. At this point, she broke my water to get things moving. Only moments after she broke my water, the contractions started coming harder and faster. At this point, I asked for an epidural. The pain was not horrific yet, but I didn’t want to wait too long. Yes, I had originally planned to have a natural birth, but after a general lack of preparation plus the surprise induction, I decided not to. The epidural went well- although the actual procedure was more complex/painful than I thought it would be. It took effect really well, and I was impressed with the pain relief.
The doctor came back around 4:30 to check again. Guess what? In 4 hours, I had gone from a whopping 3 to a 4. Again, I tried not to get frustrated, knowing that it would only make things work. More time passed and the doctor was back- around 7:30 pm. I had gone from a 4 to a 5. Good grief. Right after she left, I started feeling really nauseous. It was bad. They put some nausea relief meds in my I.V. and I instantly knocked out. I finally was able to sleep after a whole night awake! When I woke up, the doctor was back. I was, of course, expecting to have dilated only 1-2 more cm and have her tell me to wait some more. Well, in the time that I was asleep, I had dilated from a 5 to a 10! She said we were ready to go.
Everything is kind of hazy after that point, but I know that there was a lot of hustle and bustle while they set stuff up. I had my husband put on my delivery music (Ingrid Michaelson), and we got going. Apparently, I push “very well,” as I got many compliments from the doctor and nurse. My husband held up one leg and the nurse held up the other. The pushing was demanding, but it was also empowering. I had a goal, and I was going to achieve it! I started pushing around 10:45 pm and Alaina Anne made her appearance at 11:36 pm on November 9, 2010. They placed her right on my chest and it was just amazing.I couldn’t believe that my daughter was finally here. It was also so special to see my husband hold her and meet his baby. There are so many emotions that go along with this- I don’t even think I could describe them if I tried. I love this little girl so much already, and I’m excited to see what our future holds! Sorry this is so long. I’m excited for you ladies as you all start to meet your beautiful babies!