I’m over a YEAR late on this so it’s time lol.

In December 2018 I gave birth to my first baby. My OB at the time induced at 39 weeks electively so I opted for that because I was DONE lol. I had a membrane strip done at 37 and 38 weeks, and obviously neither worked.

We were supposed to go into the hospital at 6 am. My husband accidentally set his alarm for 4 pm instead of 4 am, so we woke up at 7 am like SHIT. We called, and luckily they just told us to come in. Got there by 8, was 1-2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. They started me on the vaginal pill (don’t know what it’s called, sorry folks) to dilate and a couple hours in I was started on pitocin. I don’t have anything to compare it to, but pitocin-Induced contractions really didn’t seem horrendous like I’ve heard.

It took me a while to progress. I was just on Tylenol till the afternoon, and then asked for something stronger and was given fentanyl. A few doses later my water broke when I was peeing and the fentanyl just wasn’t cutting it. My hospital had a policy not to mention epidurals. So I eventually asked for one, a little later than I would have liked, but it worked perfectly. It wasn’t the funnest thing getting it put in, but not traumatic. Lots of pressure.

I slept for a while and was checked every hour. Around 1 am I was at a 10. They let baby work his way down for an hour, and around 2 am I started pushing. I pushed for 20 minutes and baby was RIGHT THERE but couldn’t escape, so I ended up with a first degree tear and episiotomy. He popped out after right away. (Really though. He literally popped out. Weird ass feeling)

Tommy Jay was born at 2:47 am

The nurse placed him on my chest and we got to bond while my doctor and his student stitched me up for a suspiciously long time. I could tell there was LOOOOTS of stuff coming out of me still. 45 minutes later my OB said that my placenta wasn’t coming out and I was hemorrhaging. They had to get me to the OR. they gave Tommy to my husband. I remember the bloody tools in the room as I was wheeled out and blood being eeeeeverywhere. My epidural was still golden so they got to work trying to stop the bleeding. While I was in the OR they left my husband and baby in the delivery room with all the blood for 45 minutes before anyone came in to talk to him. That by far is the worst memory of the whole day. It breaks my heart that he was alone like that.

After an hour of going through the protocols for hemorrhaging I had a D&C that stopped the bleeding and saved my uterus, as a hysterectomy would have been the next step. My doctor said I had an undiagnosed placenta accreta, where the placenta attaches too deeply into the uterine wall and doesn’t deliver on its own. I lost a liter and half of blood and needed two transfusions (thanks, strangers).

Basically the worst thing I’ve ever done, but I’d do it a thousand times for this sunshine baby.

He’s now 13 months old.