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Epidural wouldn’t work

summer • Thu, Jul 19 • Mommy to a beautiful baby girl 💕

I’m almost three months late, but figured I would share my story. (A semi-short version. I was in too much pain to record times/events at the hospital to have a lot of detail.)

I was induced at 37 weeks due to gestational hypertension. My labor lasted 40 hours, and I pushed for 15 minutes.

I went in and they checked to see how dilated I was, 1cm. They started me on mitosin to try to soften my cervix. They kept me on that for hours and I didn’t dilate any further.

They decided to give me the balloon. Roughly an hour after they started me on pitosin. They continued to check to see how far I’ve gotten and still at 1cm!

They let me order some dinner, I ate then they checked me once again. I dilated to 5cm within 30-40 minutes. They removed the balloon and turned my pitosin dosage up. At that point my contractions were starting to hurt.

Come next day, I was in unbearable pain. My nurses had me lying down with a exercise ball squeezed between my legs and they were flipping me from one side to the other every ten minutes. I felt like they were torturing me! (Nor did I see the point of that, all it did was make me uncomfortable and hurt more from constantly moving around)

Still at 5cm, they ended up breaking my water. I decided to get the epidural to try to help with the pain (they continued to increase the pitosin) the doctor had to stick me in the back, kid you not, about 10 times. (Picture included) The epidural began to kick in but only on my right side. I could still feel when my leg was being touched but it was just slightly numb. We waited to see if it would distribute more to both legs.

It did not. I laid there for hours in excruciating pain. They tried to give me four different pain medications in my IV, and none of them gave any relief. I was checked again by the nurses, and was 8cm dilated. I asked to try to get the epidural again.

This time they sent a different doctor. He sat there for 30 minutes trying to give me the medicine. He sighs and apologizes to me and explains that my contractions are so strong that they are pinching the tube and stopping all of the medicine from getting to me. (I was in so much pain and so exhausted that right after he told me that I leaned back into the bed and fell asleep, everyone around me began shaking me thinking something went wrong with the epidural!)

I call for the nurse to check me again because I could barely sit still and I knew something wasn’t right. She came in, and just looked at me and said yep your having a baby. I never felt more relief, sooner than I knew it my pain would stop and I would have my baby girl.

My doctor came in and I began pushing. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life! (And most painful) My daughter came out with the cord wrapped around her head and part of her neck. (Forever greatfull for the amazing doctor who was able to remove it so efficiently and quickly)

Baby and placenta delivered and there are three doctors poking at my vagina. I’m exhausted, in pain and thinking wtf are you guys doin, I should be done right?! They put my daughter on my chest and they look at me and explain how I ripped my cervix and could find where the rip was. They said and I quote “if we didn’t find it when we did you would’ve bled out”

That’s definitely something you want to hear right after you get to meet your child.

I was so tired from the lack of sleep the last 40 hours, I fell asleep RIGHT AFTER GIVING BIRTH with my daughter still on my chest. They had to remove her from me. (I didn’t even remember falling asleep, I just remember holding her then I saw she was next to me in her bassinet)

Once I was rested and in a better state of mind. I got to properly meet the light of my life.

Sophia Nicole

Born May 4th, 2018 at 1:19am

6 pounds 8 ounces

18 inches