So my plan was to have a natural unmedicated birth, at lease without epidural. On Monday 11/5, my BP was elevated at home to 148/98. Went to the midwife to be checked and BP remained the same, she said to head to L&D to be induced. I was 1 cm dilated and 40% effaced. They inserted the cervadil at 3pm, started having terrible contractions every 1-3 minutes apart lasting 30-45 seconds by midnight. Check me at 3am and remove cervidil.... 1 cm 40%. Wonderful. So they give me an hour break from that to space out contractions and place cytotec at 4 am. Still having consistent less painful contractions, around every 3-5 minutes when they placed that, so I was able to sleep between them, then at 6am they become unbearable again, stronger, every 1-3 minutes apart lasting 45 sec-1 mom each. By 9:30am I cannot deal with the pain so the give me IV stadol, that stuff is a miracle worker. Slept on and off from 7-9. At 8:45 they check me, 2-3 cm and 80% effaced... progress. So Pitocin is started around 9 am. Was still able to sleep off and on throughout the morning but contractions are kicking my butt. At 1 they check me, surely these have done something because I was crying from the pain... 3 cm 80% baby still high. At the point I’m like how I’m the world is that possible. Okay so we continue with Pitocin, by 2:30 Pitocin is at 14/20 and contractions are so intense and double peaking and I’m crying through them. Give me IV stadol once more around 3 to help me relax and progress while the Pitocin I’m running full strength at 20. Resting on and off until 7 pm, moment of truth... they check me.... no progress. 3cm 80% but I did loose my mucous plug. Midwive aggress to stop induction for the night, give me ambien, let me eat a meal and shower and start cytotec again at 4am. STAY TUNED...

UPDATE Day 2: pretty consistent contractions throughout early morning but was able sleep mostly through them. 4am Cytotec inserted, 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. 9am Cytotec inserted, 3 cm 80% effaced. 1pm Cytotec inserted no change. With each medication, contractions are picking up, still not requiring pain medication. 5pm cervidil inserted for overnight and will address again in the morning... body had other plans... water breaks spontaneously and Labour begins.

UPDATE Day 3: After my water broke, the contractions started coming pretty consistently. They started Pitocin again to get things going around 6am. By 8am I am crying in pain because the baby is in a strange position, a lot of back Labour hip pain/cramps. My nurse was amazing and is also a doula so she was trying everything to get the baby to be positioned correctly but didn’t really want to budge. Around 10-11 I started having a panick attack. Trouble catching my breathe, heart racing and palpating, and hot flashes. I couldn’t see the end and was thinking the baby was never coming, nitrous wasn’t working, neither was O2. So I made her turn off the Pitocin and she gave me stadol IV to help me calm down. I slept between contractions for about an hour then felt a tom better, she checks me, about 5cm. So we Labour on, 6cm around 4pm and I get on the tub, contractions are coming so strongly and 2-3 minutes apart. At this point I was so over mentally and physically exhausted I couldn’t concentrate on controlling the pain, ask for epidural at 5pm. Immediately felt so much better and got to rest before the big show... PUSHING.

UPDATE Day late 3/4: around 9:30 pm I have small lip on my cervix left, so my nurse turned me on my side and by 10 pm I was complete. Started pushing at 10:30. About 2 hours into pushing so spiked a temperature of 102.9. So I was given a few antibiotics and our midwife then collaborated with one of the OBs to figure out what to do next. I was making slow progress and exhausted. The Nidwife was in the hall taking to the OB about what to do next and the nurse walked out to speak with them. While they were in the hallway, my epidural was wearing down so I was feeling contractions and pushing with them, my husband saw the baby’s head, finally! So he peaks his head out, they see him in the hallway and the midwife, OB, nurse, NICU nurse, and NICU NP are all in the room within 5 minutes. Pushed for 3.5 hours total and our mystery baby was born. A little boy named Harlan Christopher. Weighing in at 9 lbs and 22 inches long. He looked so great we got to do uninterrupted skin to skin for an hour before they took him to the NICU for monitoring. He is breast feeding great and gets to room in with us and head to NICU for antibiotics when they are due, but his labs look great, this is just a precaution. No more fevers for me since delivery and none for him. I am so in love but refuse to ever be induced again.