My pregnancy with my first ended 3 weeks early because of cholestasis. To make a long story short, I got the cholestasis diagnoses via voicemail on Wednesday morning and my OB wouldnt return my calls so Thursday afternoon I went into L & D. While I was there my doctor finally called back and said it wasnt a big deal.

Well, the perinatal specialist at the hospital disagreed and scheduled me for an induction the next day at 9 am because my bile acid total was severe.

We were warned the process of induction could last days when I started the medicine. I was only 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced.

Luckily for me, by 7 PM I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced so I was making progress pretty steadily. That's when they started the pitocin and broke my water. I heard horror stories about pitocin so I was very nervous but comforted that my husband was there to do whatever I asked.

The pitocin started making me have harder contractions but I had no idea when they were happening unless I looked at the monitor. I was 7 cm dilated when they gave me the epidural and I would describe the contractions at that point as mild lower back pain. I'm not sure I would have known I was in labor had I been at home.

When I reached 7 cm, it was around 1 am. Within half an hour of the nurse checking me though, I started to feel like I had to push. I called the nurse in and she seems skeptical because she had just checked me but she did again anyway. Good thing she did because I was fully dilated and she called the doctor and baby nurses in.

The doctor warned me to relax because sometimes that part of labor could take an hour. I accepted that and started to push.

The epidural had worn off slightly but I was able to use some of the pain and pressure to push harder. 3 contractions later and I had my baby in my arms.

Labor was nothing like I expected and I made it seem so much worse in my head. I hope the same goes for all of you. 💕🤰

Orion was born 3:16 am on July 28, 2018. It was a full moon, blood moon, and lunar eclipse. He is such a special little boy.