Positive unmedicated induction!!!

*** sorry long post***

Welp! At 40+1 we decided to be induced because of my history of hypertension with my first born.. everything was looking beautiful with this pregnancy so we didn't want to wait around and possibly develop it again. I am so glad we decided to! It went so smoothly and I was able to have the all natural birth I was hoping for even with being induced! We never even had to use pitocin!

We got to the hospital at 8am got checked and we were almost 2 cm dialated 50% effaced and at a -2 station. We started induction at 10:40am with a Foley balloon and an oral cervical ripening agent... the baloon came out in 2 hrs at 12:50pm which put me at almost 4cm. We waited for the cervical ripening agent to wear off (it lasts 4 hrs total) while I continued to have contractions. They came in to check my progress at 330, I and I was almost 5cm and 70%effaced and she was at a -1 station. They broke my waters while they were in there and things almost immediately ramped up.. an hour later the midwife came in and watched me have a couple contractions and decided to get the pool set up because she could tell they were already pretty strong.. we labored out of the pool until 6pm. Got in and it was SOOOO helpful! By 9 pm things we're CRAZY intense and I was double peaking in my contractions. At about 10pm the midwife asked if I wanted to check my progress because I was having a harder time coping mostly because I couldn't see an end in sight... and so I agreed hoping it would give me finish line visual! I had to get out of the pool to do the check and while I was out I had 3 of the WORST contractions of my life 😆 but she checked me and baby was at a 0station and I was 80%effaced and 9cm!!!! I was so relieved but also worried about having to deal with the contractions for another hour or more... I then had another contraction that was SO INTENSE I was scrambling to get back in the water as soon as it let up! We got in... I had about a 3 min break and then had another SUPER intense contraction and all of a sudden my body took over and started to push! I yelled at the nurse that I was feeling pushy, and she immediately called the midwives back in... I was so scared for a second because they had JUST told me 10min ago that I was only 9cm! The midwives came running back in and got all theyre gear on and I kept asking "is this okay that I'm pushing!?" They just kept telling me yes and that I just needed to let my body do ita thing however it needed to! So we let my body do its thing... which is perfect because I had NO CONTROL lol some of the pushes were so hard that I was trying breathing techniques to keep from pushing so I wouldn't tear! Then the head came out! Right then the midwife checked for a cord around the neck and realized she had slight shoulder distortia, which can cause loss of oxygen to the baby... midwife said it was probably because of the way we were positioned in the pool. So I had to QUICKLY get out of the tub (borderline emergency) and the miniute I got on the bed and pushed 1 more time, she was out and on my chest! Baby girl is doing amazing! No issues with the shoulder or anything. I'm feeling fantastic! I had a super mild 1st degree tear that didn't even need stitches. All in all it was a 12hr labor and the hardest most amazing thing I've ever done right along with birthing my son, also unmedicated.

With my son I didn't have the pool option.. and I wish I would have! It's truly amazing!

Raelynn Grace

Born July 10th 2020

10:27pm

7lbs 15oz

20.5 in long

This is the foley balloon 😉