I was 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant when I went into the hospital to be induced.

The day started out bustling trying to get to the hospital. We got to the hospital late as we were supposed to be there at 7pm and didn't make it until 7:40pm. My doula, Christie, met us at the hospital immediately after arrival. I was put into my hospital room right away and filed paperwork as quickly as possible. After filing paperwork which took about 10 to 15 minutes I had to be given and IV. The problem with giving me and IV is that my veins are very very thin like a child's and my nurse Elizabeth could not seem to find a vein suitable for an IV. She tried to give me one anyway and ended up rupturing my vein, breaking the valve inside of it causing my hand to swell and get what they called a "goose egg" which was very painful and is where the blood pools at the surface of your skin. She then called in a little old woman who was more experienced with hard IV insertions, she tried on the other hand and also missed. I began to cry from pain and fear of being stuck again. After i started to cry they could tell I wasn't up for anymore attempts from either of them. They then called in an anesthesiologist to do the procedure. Apon his arrival I became ghost white and he could tell I was on the verge of an anxiety attack, he looked down at me and said, "Take a deep breath. I'm not going to poke you unless I'm absolutely sure it will work." That made me feel a lot better and I took a deep breath and the IV was in. I was induced using Cytotec. The insertion was uncomfortable but bearable. After insertion you have to be seated for 2 hours and monitored every 15 minutes with a blood pressure cuff which is extremely uncomfortable and caused bruising on my arm over time. I actually kept asking if they could take it off which probably annoyed my nurse greatly but I just couldn't get over dealing with it confining my movements so much. After the two hours where up Elizabeth came to check on me. She asked me if I was feeling my contractions, I replied asking if I was having any. She laughed and said they were about two minutes apart. I was also only dilated to "almost a centimeter" that didn't really make me feel accomplished as I was at "almost a centimeter" when I got there. After my check I got on the birth ball and began to rock back and forth and instructed by Christie. After a while Austin (my fiance) went to get some food so I decided to go for a walk around the ward with Christie in tow. After my walk I began to feel my contractions for the first time. They started out mild period cramps. By the time my resident came to give me the second dose of Cytotec they were medium to hard period cramps. The second insertion was not nearly as painless as the first and I cringed away from her while trying to stay still at the same time. About 10 minutes after the second dose my contractions became stronger where I had to breathe through each one as it came. I wanted to try for a nonmedicated labor and was not given any drugs until much later in my labor. After the two hours passed again Elizabeth and my resident checked me again. I had dilated to a two and I was 80% effaced. I was making progress!! I got back on the birth ball, Austin massaged my back as instructed by Christie and they gave me heated packs to also help relieve the pain. Four hours passed, I had not advanced any further. I was stuck at two centimeters. So they broke my water in an attempt to get things moving. That was painless and at first my contractions stayed the same. Then, about an hour or two after my water broke they peaked and went from every 2-3 minutes to every 30-45 seconds and were a minute long each time. I ended up on the birthing ball, all my weight resting in Austin's arms while he rocked me back and forth. This continued for over an hour. Being close to him and having him holding me, being gentle with me, and supporting me with not only his body but his mind, telling me how proud he was of me and how brave I was, is the only thing that got me through that period of time. His love for me was the greatest form of relief I experienced throughout my labor. When my nurse (now a different woman but whose name I can't remember) came to check on me I asked for Fentinal, an IV injected pain reliever that lasts about an hour, as I was emotionally and physically drained. I needed to sleep so that I could recoup some of my energy. I got the Fentinal on and off from about 8:30 am until about 2:30 pm. I got four doses. And it helped me get through the worst of my labor. At about 2:40 the resident came in and said they were going to put me on pitocin because at all of my checks I was at a stagnant 2 cm. I just could not get my body to go any further. They started me on a 1 and it made my contractions come fast and extremely hard but they only lasted about 30 seconds and my period between them was longer now about 2-3 minutes again. The next hour they gave me a 2 dose and that is where my labor took a turn for the worst. My contraction came in so fast I didn't even have time to breathe. It was the hardest contraction I had ever felt and I didn't come down from it for over AN HOUR. I was able to breathe through it for the first 15-20 minutes and then I couldn't do it any more. I got on my knees, gripped the head board handles of the bed and began to scream through it. For about 45 minutes I screamed until Austin couldn't take it anymore. He told me the truth. I was never going to relax enough to deliver our son this way. I needed to have the epidural. The doctor had already come in once saying this and I had refused. I wanted a natural birth so bad, but it just wasn't in the cards for me this time. I took a deep breath and nodded letting him take control of the situation at had and do what was best for me. My doula asked me if I was suffering (this was our code phrase for if I was really ready to abandon my birth plan. I said yes, more like screamed it, and then doctors swarmed the room. I was unable to hold still as I was still going through my contraction that seemed to never end. Austin had to squeeze my shoulders together to keep me still for the epidural.. and then something magical happened. I had relief. It took about 10 minutes for the epidural to set in and then I was asleep before the doctors left the room. They woke me up and about two hours later and checked me. I was at a six! I was finally progressing! And fast. The pressure I began to experience in my bum was so painful it kept me awake after my check. The nurse showed me the magical button on the machine administering my epidural medication and I set Austin on a mission to press that button every single fifteen minutes as the timer allowed. It made it so I could go back to sleep. That and the peanut ball they gave me to put between my legs that really helped to open my pelvis and begin relieving pressure. I fell back asleep and when I was woken back up about two hours later my resident checked me and then asked if I was ready to push. I replied "no!" Looking at her in shock. What did she mean! There was no way it was time! But it was. My OB rushed to the room and I began to push. Ten minutes later Odinn Shawn was born! Head full of hair and my heart full to the brim with love. (EDIT**** the first thing i said when he was born was "did i tear?!" And I actually DIDN'T!! The lining of my vaginal wall split a very little causing me to need one little stitch on the inside but that was it!! And Austin, seeing as our babies head looked like a skinny football from being in the birth carnal for so long, frightfully asked the doctor if his head was going to stay like that😂😂 he was so worried.) This picture is of when they held him up and Austin and I got to see him for the first time. I love the look on Austin's face so much. You can just see how much he already loves him and how excited and happy he is. (If you made it to the end of my story thank you so much for reading!! I hope your labors are easy and you all have healthy babies! Much love! From one mom to many)