I went to my regular OB appointment on Monday 1/16 and they told me I had elevated blood pressure. Granted, I hadn't even sat down yet and was just bent over rifling through my purse when they took my blood pressure. Then my OB said they found proteins in my urine. I was 38 weeks and 3 days and this was the first time anything like that had happened. So I was sent to the hospital to get checked out where they told me nothing was abnormal. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I had to do a 24 urine test which is so fun lol 

 

The next day my husband and I go back and give them my enormous jug of pee. While getting monitored baby's heart rate dipped once. The on call doctor came in and told me he wanted to induce me because of this and my slightly elevated blood pressure. (Also never got any results on that freaking jug of pee!!) 

 

I was upset because I wanted to go all natural and was afraid that getting hooked up to the pitocin would make me have wicked contractions and I'd want an epidural. 😪

 

That's when Nurse Ratchet (as my mom called her) showed up. This rude little woman who had clearly seen too much shit in her day. She must have been trying to reach her weekly quota on epidirals because she all but told me I HAD to have one! I was polite and told her what my preferences were and she told me it wasn't a good idea. Gee...thanks. 

 

She takes me up to my room at about 10pm with my husband and then tells me not to tell family we're here cause she didn't want them there "for my sake because I needed to rest." This is after she told me that induction takes FOREVER, that it was going to be at least 1-2 days, but since I'm a first time mom it would be 2-3 days. So that was reassuring. 😒 I told her my mom had extremely fast labors but she didn't listen. 

 

My husband called my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my father-in-law who came and sat with us. I was upset and nervous and wanted my family there! Nurse Ratchet was less than thrilled and reiterated to them that they could go home because this wasn't a fast process. 

 

She hooked me up to the IV and started giving me fluids before the pitocin drip. I only know this because I asked her what she was doing, she was keeping everything quiet and wouldn't tell me what was going on. I half joked that I wanted her to start me off light on the pitocin so I wouldn't feel pressured to get the epidural. Wrong thing to say! She told me AGAIN I needed an epidural. And then she told my whole family while I was in the bathroom that I was getting a C-section. What the fuck lady?? 

 

She asked me if my OB had checked me and I told her on Monday she said I was 3cm. She said "Oh, well it must be nice having a doctor with small fingers. Cause my fat fingers say you're a 2." 😑 The doctor came and checked me as well and said I was 2.5 cm. So that was a thing. 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

She started a low pitocin drip and I could barely feel anything. It was like a 1.5/10 on the pain scale. Unfortunately baby's heart rate dipped again. So she came back and said "Your baby doesn't like the pitocin. We're going to need to get her out of there." (Because that's helping with my blood pressure.) The doctor comes in and says "Just take her off the pitocin." 🤦🏼‍♀️ She did, and then my body started having normal contractions on its own.

 

She kept monitoring me and asking me when I wanted the epidural. 😡 I told her for the fifth time that I didn't want it. My husband told her, my sister-in-law told her, and my mom stopped her in the hall and told her. (To which my mom said the nurse stared daggers at her.) She then told me if I didn't she'd have to put me under for my C-section and how there'd be all these complications. 😤

 

At midnight the doctor came in and broke my water to see if it would move things along. First of all, that was warm and wet and nasty lol I did not know what to expect! 😆 At that point I was still 2.5cm.

 

That's when shit started getting intense. My contractions were stronger but I felt like they were a 4/10 pain wise. Nurse Ratchet kept coming in and asking me very condescendingly how I was feeling, and that most women just get the epidural at this point. I told her I was fine and said 4/10.

 

Forgot to mention, after I kept telling her no she told me I had to stay in the bed flat on my back (the most painful position for me the whole pregnancy) or on my side the entire time. I asked if I could sit up and she told me no, that I was high risk and I couldn't move around. So that took away all the coping mechanisms my husband and I practiced and researched. That made me upset and really scared. 😞 I just wanted to avoid a difficult recovery time and I felt like she didn't care what I wanted at all.

  

My family left the room while I was getting something done (I forget what but my junk was exposed lol) around 2am and she sat down and told me that my baby needed help and it was medically necessary to get the epidural at this point. She told me about a C-section AGAIN and I got pissed. By now, my contractions were a 6/10 and I was acting normal just to spite her! (Cause I'm an adult dammit lol) They freaking hurt but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing they did. 

 

I caved and told her "Fine, if it's MEDICALLY NECESSARY." I couldn't even look at her I was so upset. She then got condescending and told me she could "Wait to see how long you can go" to which I snapped "What's the point?? Just get it over with." She then left the room and went on lunch. Didn't tell the anesthesiologist to come in. I think she did it just so I'd stay in pain.

  

The doctor came and checked me again and I had progressed from a 4 to a 6 in fifteen minutes. Then my contractions went to the dark side and tried to kill me for 10 minutes lol I was shaking, felt like my organs were being twisted, longest 10 minutes of my life. 

 

Then my body wanted to push. A new super sweet nurse came in, checked me, then said "Did you want an epidural?" I knew what that meant! POINT OF NO RETURN WOO!!!!!! 🎉 I told her no and she said "Want to meet your baby?" Then a flurry of nurses came in and got everything all set, then immediately scattered when nurse Ratchet showed up. The sweet nurse elevated my bed so I could sit up a little and nurse Ratchet immediately put it back down. 

 

She tried to kick my whole family out but they fought back. She asked me condescendingly "Did you really want everyone here?" The grandpas left fortunately lol She also didn't speak to me from that point on until after the birth. ✌🏻🖕🏻

 

I pushed overall for about 15 minutes. I had to switch how I pushed at one point cause she was kind of wedged under one of my pelvic bones. Pushing felt so good and so weird! I felt her head pop out and everyone said "Look down look down!" I had my eyes shut for probably 95% of the labor while trying to concentrate and said "I'll see her in 5 seconds" lol 

 

My little Rosalie came out at 3:50am on January 18th (we share a birthday!) and was held above my chest by one foot like a monkey! She had the cord wrapped around her leg, her chest, and her shoulder! She was a wiggly fetus lol she was 6lbs 9 oz and 19.5" long. I tried to make peace with nurse Ratchet and said half jokingly "Sorry if I was rude while I was in pain." She said "Oh you were but it's ok." 😐 

 

When Rosalie got taken to get weighed and measured nurse Ratchet came to me and said "Your pelvis isn't meant to birth bigger babies." and promptly left the room. WTF. 

 

So I was fortunate that I was able to have my all natural birth! (excluding the moving around) But WOW I could not believe that this woman was so against what I wanted. Even the doctor said I didn't need a C-section and that the baby was fine. Angry nurse on a power trip I suppose? My mom was so upset with her she told me she wanted to rub it in nurse Ratchet's face that my labor was just under 4 hours once my water was broken lol 

 

Don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you don't want. This is YOUR birth. That baby is coming out one way or another and you do get a say. 😊