The induction I never thought I would have! I was running right on time, not due till Sunday. I had been contracting for a couple of weeks, and had finally gotten him to engage his head by walking the last couple of days. When I went to my regular appointment on Friday, the doctor said I was dialated enough to induce by breaking my water, if I wanted to. She even offered to do it Saturday, before she went on vacation, leaving the office short staffed.

Although my husband and I did not relish the idea of inducing, I have had long prodromal labor in the past, due to carrying a lot of fluid (the baby keeps floating up out of the birth canal). This time seemed no exception, and with two older kids to be cared for, a weekend seemed ideal.

We arrived at the hospital around 7 am, and the doctor got the Pitocin and antibiotic (I was GBS+ this time) started. Pitocin was needed to make sure they broke my water during a good contraction that would prevent the cord from prolapse. After about four hours (to give the antibiotic time to work), they broke my water. It just poured out everywhere. Then I labored and waited. Within an hour or so, they turned off the pit completely, as labor was progressing normally on it's own. About 30 minutes after that, I needed to push, but I was not quite fully dialated or effaced!

My doctor decided to "drain my bladder", since I had not been to the bathroom in a while. Ouch! This is really a polite term for a catheter, which is at least as painful as contractions, especially when they barely do it between contractions! Sure enough though, my full bladder had been in the way, and before I knew it (about two contractions later), I was pushing out his head! He apparently had kept enough fluid in the sac that he came out in a "wave" that drenched my poor doctor!

Baby Boaz was an inch shorter than his brother had been (19.5 inches), but over a half pound heavier (8 lb, 2 oz), making him the heaviest of my three children. He started nursing quickly after birth, and is sleeping and eating well now, about six hours later.