Wow, I can’t believe I actually have a birth story to share. It’s a day that I never thought would come, after a long difficult pregnancy. But as I sit here with the sun coming up and neighborhood waking up, a sleeping perfect newborn on my shoulder, I thought I would write this up.

I went in for an induction at 10:00 on August 20th at 39 weeks exactly. I was induced due to insulin controlled GD. My husband and I were off to the hospital, oblivious of the long days ahead of us

we got to the hospital and they checked me and I was only a fingertip dilated and 20% effaced. Oh boy, this will be a long road. They started me on misoprostal orally, every 4 hours at 6 doses. Around the middle of the night on Monday night I was having contractions too frequently (though I wasn’t feeling them) so they had to delay my third dose a few hours until contractions spaced out.

I finished the misoprostal and they checked me again. Still a fingertip and 50% effaced. Ughhhh this baby was never going to come. They started me on cervadil, which is a strip that they insert into the cervix to continue to soften it. The cervadil was going to take 12 hours. They took it out at 3am on Wednesday August 22nd and at 4:30 am they started me on pitocin.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the bed in the delivery room was like a table - meant for laboring and delivering, not comfort. So this whole time I’m getting no sleep. Plus I was on continuous monitoring due to the GD so every 10 minutes while I was trying to sleep they had to come in to adjust the monitors because baby girl liked to run from them.

Anyway, on August 22 the doctor on call (who was an angel) decided that, even though I was only .5 cm dilated she wanted to try inserting a foley bulb. She said generally I had to be at least 1 cm to insert it successfully, but there was a 50/50 chance that she could get it in at .5 cm. Getting it in hurt pretty bad, they put a bulb in your uterus and one in your vagina (I think. If I remember correctly) and then fill t with water to manually dilate you. I got the bulb inserted at 1 pm on the 22nd and was told it would fall out when I hit 3-4 cm and it could take hours.

My mom and husband decided to go to the cafeteria around 1:45 to get some food in case I went into labor that night. This was the first time both of us left me at the same time. So of course, something big was about to happen...

I hopped on the yoga ball and started bouncing and suddenly heard/felt a loud POP. I had read (in countless birth stories) that this happens when your water breaks so I checked the ball but didn’t see anything. At 2 I got up to go to the bathroom and noticed I was dripping fluid!! I called the nurse and she was shocked, and said it was either my water or the foley bulb burst (which was unlikely). She helped me to the bathroom and I started peeing. I felt something starting to come out of me... I felt down there and felt the bulb coming out! I called the nurse and she was shocked, as it had only been an hour. She pulled it out and a GUSH of water and blood came out into the toilet. Things really picked up from there and I started having contractions. And they came hard and fast. I ha sled them on the birthing ball for a little while but they started coming every 10-15 seconds and lasting a minute to a minute and a half. I called it and asked for the walking epidural around 4. They put it on (it stung and was kinda scary but totally worth it). They checked me and I was only 2.5 cm 🤦🏻‍♀️ oh well, I lasted as long as I could.

Things got blurry after that. I ended up getting the full epidural that night (can’t remember the time) and at 3:10am on the 23rd I was 10 cm and ready to push! I pushed for 3.5 hours and the doctor came on to evaluate. My baby wasn’t quite sunny side up but was turned sideways, so I couldn’t get her over the pelvic bone. The doctor recommended a vacuum to help guide her out. My husband and I agreed.

Suddenly the overhead lights are on, the bed is broken down, and about 15 medical professionals are in the room ready to use the vacuum and deliver this baby.

About 5 minutes of pushing with the vacuum and through bated breath I asked the doctor “is she coming??” And the nurse told me to look down. I did and they were putting a beautiful baby on my chest. I started crying immediately. I looked at my husband and his face was full of awe and wonder and he had tears in his eyes. He had actually watched her come out, which I was initially against but ended up being amazing because he got to be the first one to see baby. She peed on me once she was on me and I said “I don’t care she can do whatever she wants! She’s perfect!”

Audra James Rush was born August 23rd at 6:40am weighing 8 lbs 7 ounces, 19.5 inches long. Honestly, I loved the experience of giving birth and I have never felt more connected to my husband. He was the best labor coach I could have asked for. I love our new family 😍