Induction and 36hr Labour!

Okay, now I’ve got some time to share my induction story!

I went in for my regular 36 week checkup with my doctor. I didn’t have a very healthy pregnancy. My BP was constantly elevated during my pregnancy and by that point the protein in my urine had increased a lot. I was also diagnosed with mild gestational diabetes, which was under control from diet. My doctor diagnosed me with pre eclampsia and told me we were going to induce the following week at 37 weeks gestation.

My husband and I arrived at our hospital at 9am on induction day. Our maternity and labor and delivery ward are extremely short staffed so the induction process didn’t really start until later. I had cerdavil inserted at 1pm and by 8pm my contractions were extremely painful. I got the doctors to check me but I was only 1cm dilated. I was given a shot of morphine and some gravol so I could sleep. I slept maybe for 4 hours before the medication wore off and the pain started again.

The next morning, I wasn’t checked until about 10am. At this point, I was at 3cm dilated. My doctor said it was time to break my water and hook me up to oxytocin. But I had to wait for a delivery room. Had another shot of morphine to help me get some rest before the intense labor started.

Finally, at about 3pm a room opened up and my water was broken at 4pm. I got hooked up to oxytocin and it was a waiting game from there!

The pain wasn’t unbearable, but because I was high risk for a c section (very large baby), I opted for the epidural at 6pm. I was still only 3cm dilated at this point.

And that was a god send. My body was able to relax and by about 10pm, I was 7cm dilated. I was so tired from hardly sleeping that I would fall asleep in between contractions. They were 30 seconds apart and lasting quite some time. I was so out of it, I don’t even remember much.

By about 1pm I started feeling the urge to push. My doctor kept telling me I wasn’t ready, that I wasn’t dilated enough. Even with the epidural, I felt a lot of the pressure and pain. I used the laughing gas when I’d feel a contraction and the machine helped me breathe through contractions and it gave me something to focus on other than trying to push. My husband was so sweet through this time and he breathed with me.

At about 250am, my doctor came in the room and she could see my son crowing instantly. My body was involuntarily pushing with each contraction and I couldn’t control it. At 255 she said it was time to push. I pushed for 6 minutes and my beautiful baby boy came flying into this world weighing 9lbs and 12oz at 301am. I only suffered a first degree tear through the whole thing and my doctors were amazed! They were all expecting me to need a c section but I guess I was built for having babies 🤷🏼‍♀️

Here’s some pictures of my handsome man ♥️