We went to the hospital the night of 39weeks+6 to get started on the miso pill orally to ripen my cervix... induction with pitocin began the next morning at 41 weeks. There happened to be a snow storm that night so a 30-minute trip took us 2 hours to get to the hospital. I wasn’t dilated and barely effaced at arrival. The miso pill made me crampy but they also gave me an ambien to sleep so the first night wasn’t bad. I was dilated to 1 when we started pitocin the next day. That started bringing on contractions but the goal was to go into active labor so they told me to walk the hall ways. So that’s what we did all day. My husbands cell phone said we walked 5 miles around the Labor and delivery ward hooked up to the pitocin, playing Jeporady on our smartphone throughout the day... and it was painful and bringing on tough contractions but when I was checked at the end of the day... no progress at all. I was still just dilated to 1. We were really bummed and exhausted but they said the baby was doing well. They took me off the pitocin, let me eat and put me back on the miso pill again for the night. Now the miso pill continued the contractions so I couldn’t sleep even with the ambien. I was also feeling regretful that I didn’t just wait longer before being induced... but my doc said 41 weeks is long enough but clearly my body wasn’t ready.

So the next morning I’m effaced more and dilated enough that they can fit a foley ball in me to mechanically dilate me to 3-4cm. They also put me back on the pitocin. I walk a bit this day but I wasn’t trying to replicate our fruitless marathon from the day before so I stayed in bed and relaxed & used the birth ball. The doc didn’t arrive until 6pm and that’s when we broke my water. I was still only dilated to 3-4cm. There was a little bit of meconium in my water so that kind of made me feel at peace that we went ahead with the induction since that means the womb was no longer healthy for babe. This whole time, despite how painful the contractions were getting, I’m afraid to take anything for relief in case it slows down the labor process (that we were failing to launch.) I was very reluctant to get an epidural even though the pain was getting very real after my water broke. The nurse was telling me I should get one but I couldn’t handle another setback. Finally, after I was in so much pain and we all seemed sure that I must be in active labor because the contractions were very difficult, coming on strong and fast, I couldn’t breathe through them.. I decided to get an epidural. It took much longer than expected (of course there was some kind of emergency on another floor). It brought a ton of relief and my contractions continued... so it didn’t seem to be slowing things down. The nurse checked me at 8 or 9 and said I was dilated to a “good 5” which would have meant I was starting to dilate on my own. Around 9 or 10 I started feeling feverish and my husband noticed the baby’s heart rate was higher than it had been for the last two days. The nurse started checking on us more and then the doctor too. They started to turn down the pitocin and put me on oxygen which was nerve-racking. After all this time I suspected that maybe my body wasn’t made for a vaginal birth and I was mentally preparing for the c-section talk. They decided to put the heart monitor directly on the baby internally instead of on my stomach. When the doc did that he said that I wasn’t really dilated to 5... it looked like I was still 3-4. He said a c-section was our best option since I wasn’t progressing

on my own and said if we waited another 5 hours or so... it would certainly be an emergency situation for the baby so we shouldn’t wait. A lot of people started coming in the room. The nurse had my husband quickly pack up all our belongings and get in scrubs. For some reason they couldn’t dose my epidural for a csection so I had to get a spinal as well. I was feeling light headed and nauseated as the surgery got under way and couldn’t even turn my head to see my husband. Finally they pulled out baby and it took a few moments (longest moments of my life) and he finally cried. Emile Salvatore Muller was born at 12:04am on Dec.16. 8lbs 14oz 20 in. Doc said he was facing my stomach (posterior) and positioned on an angle which is why the contractions weren’t pushing the baby down where he needed to go to make me dilate. He said there was a 0% chance I could have delivered him vaginally after seeing his position. This sweet child is the best thing that’s ever happened to us so it was def. worth the wait! Next time I’ll just schedule the c section tho. The First two days of recovery were rough but a week later, I’m feeling pretty good. Pooping is still an issue. Eat your stool softeners.