A stress free start...

First, some context: I am 33 and have two children, this is my third pregnancy. All of my pregnancies have been complicated, but this last one takes the cake! That said, I don’t like needles and the thought of being in pain/experiencing pressure and unable to move around is scary for me. My first two labors were both under 10 hours, no epidural or any medication, no repair work. These were the experiences I chose and was comfortable with.

So tomorrow I’m being induced. I’ll be 39 + 5. Because of scar tissue from a cervical surgery I had, my body is not dilating. It’s been actively trying (consistent contractions, sleepless nights, no appetite, vomiting, diarrhea) for three weeks now. The scar tissue won’t budge. My doctor has tried to manually break it and feels like if it were going to happen without intervention, it would have. So in I go tomorrow. I am afraid of the pain, but my plan is to try and deal as long as possible, so I can cope in ways that work for me personally. But, there’s definitely fear there.

That being said, I’m annoyingly optimistic! I have to say that arranging for my kids’ care, making sure I get a good night’s sleep, finishing nesting, and leisurely packing last minute things for the hospital has been amazing! I don’t know what lies ahead of me, 9.5 hours from now. But, this has been a really stress free start that I couldn’t have anticipated given my past experiences. And I wanted to share because not everyone gets pros and cons to different labor experiences.

Cheers! Tomorrow is my son’s birthday ❤️