doc ordered an induction at 41 weeks so we went in to labor and delivery February 23 at 8:30 AM. NST was normal and there was no progress since my third sweep at 40 weeks (not quite 2 cm, 50% effaced, posterior and medium-soft). doc inserted ballon and said there was no way I’d need the whole 12 hours. felt some pain but didn’t assume they were contractions while walking around the mall. slight brown-tinged discharge 7 hours in but balloon was still in place. got a call at 8:30 PM that there’s be a bed and nurse ready for me at 9:30 PM so we got things ready for an overnight stay.

doc checked me at 9:50 PM as the plan was to break my water but baby’s head was blocking my cervix and they couldn’t get the tool in. I was measuring 3 cm but was still pretty thick so they started oxytocin. apparently the pain and discomfort I had been feeling irregularly for a month were contractions but I assumed they were regular growing pains, oops. labored for 4 hours with just nitrous before asking for the epidural. it took 1.5 hours and 3 doses to kick in; note to self, ask for it before pain is unbearable next time.

once it was working, doc came and broke my water (5 centimeters and almost 100% effaced). however, after about 30 minutes, the nurse stepped out and came back with the triage doc. as per their new protocol, there were some irregularities in the tracker that needed to be looked at (HR dropped after contractions and variability decreased). I was checked about an hour after they broke my water and there was no progress. baby was found to respond positively to stimulation but was high and her head was tilted the wrong way.

they called the OBs for consult and another 30 minutes later there were 7 people in our room reviewing our options. with baby’s position and my lack of progress, they said I could try to labor more but they’d need to turn off the oxytocin so it could be hours and could likely end in an emergency c section. the other option was a c section now which, in the end, was what everyone felt most comfortable with. after some tears and we anxiously made our way to the OR.

it again took some time for me to get numb and when they told me they might have to put me under and my husband wouldn’t be allowed in the room, tears started again. thankfully, they found the right dose and with my hubby by my side, they began the procedure. baby girl had a big head that was wedged the wrong way into my pelvis and was Lon so her feet were pushed firmly against my ribs. they had to make my incision larger and do a lot of pulling and pushing but she came out crying at 6:02 AM February 24.

she’s really healthy (10 APGAR, 8 lbs, 22.4 inches long) and latched super quick. we are super happy we choose the early c section and the ward was dead so there was no rush and more than enough docs in the OR. getting her here safely was well worth the added recovery for me. we think we’re going to go with piper for her name.