I started this pregnancy wanting to go as naturally as possible. I took the hypnobirthing classes, practiced every day, drank my raspberry leaf tea...

But my son had been measuring large, and a membrane sweep was unsuccessful (I had been having inconsistent contractions for a few weeks, and was 3+ cm dilated).

So, at 41 weeks, my doctor and I decided to induce. This was a hard decision for me, since it meant I'd have to have an IV line and constant monitoring, but I was concerned that waiting any longer would be bad, since little one was measuring so large.

I went in at 11 am on April 12th, and was hooked up with Pitocin started by 11:30 am. I started at 4 cm dilated.

Over the next few hours, we gradually increased the Pitocin. I hit the maximum (20 milliunits) by 3 PM, and was still at 4 cm. By 6:30 PM, I had only dilated to 5 cm. I was managing the contractions just fine, using breathing techniques and distractions. My doc came in, and was concerned that I had only progressed 1 cm in 7 hours. She asked to break my water, and I agreed, even though I was concerned that it would make the pain unmanageable.

We broke my water around 7 PM. I continued to manage the contractions, and tried to labor in the tub for a while. But I got very hot and had to get out. At that point I was starting to shake so hard I could barely control my breathing. I was praying that I had progressed a reasonable amount. I made it to 9 pm, and the next check I was still only at a 5+. At that point, I was no longer handling the pain well and was very discouraged. I asked for the epidural just after 9 PM, but had to wait another hour due to C-sections.

By 10 PM (10.5 hours of natural labor), I was still a 5+, so I got the epidural. I was terrified, but the anesthesiologist did a wonderful job. He was very quick and efficient.

Between 10 PM and 7 am, I very slowly progressed to 9+ cm dilated. Throughout the process, we switched to internal monitoring for me and for son, and the pitocin was upped all the way to 24.

They allowed me to continue laboring until 3 PM. At that point, I had been stuck at 9 CM for 8 hours, and had been in labor for almost 28. I was still a 9, and my son just would not descend any further.

With much distress on my part, and some hysterical tears, the decision was made to do a C-section. Unfortunately, I had to wait for two emergencies.

I was wheeled back for my C-section at 6 PM, and after 31 hours of labor my son was born at 6:22 PM on April 13th. He needed suction but was otherwise perfect. He was also huge. 37 cm head circumference and 8 lbs 11 oz. The doctors determined that I didn't progress because his head wouldn't fit any lower to put pressure on the cervix.

I had planned to only do the minimum hospital stay (24 hours for a vaginal), but due to son having high bilirubin levels and losing some weight, we spent 4 days in the hospital after delivery. It was very emotional and difficult for me, and the recovery has been rough, but my son and I are healthy and alive to recover, and that's the most important thing!