This is detailed and long, but reading these other stories with small details was so insightful.

At my 39 week appt, Due to swelling in my feet/hands/face that whole week I was scheduled to be induced the next day. We came in that Friday 7/17 at 3:30 PM. I highly suggest you eat a good meal first! I was still only at 1cm so they started with the Cytotec (oral pill). They gave this to me every 4 hours, 2 times. I was feeling a lot of contractions and was at a 3. Little man was also moving a LOT so they constantly had to re-position the fetal monitors. I asked if I could move around the room, so they gave me an exercise ball & put the WiFi monitors on me. Bouncing and squats was a game changer for helping get though contractions. They then gave my Pitocin, this brought on much stronger contractions. I tried to sleep, props to the ladies that can nap through contractions LOL. At 5:30 AM my water broke while in bed and I started to have even stronger contractions. I asked for the epidural and got it within 20 minutes. My anesthesiologist made it clear she was about to get off work and it was so fast. It didn’t really hurt, the most I felt was the sting of the numbing shot. Later we found out it was not working for me since I could feel everything (including my catheter with each contraction). I got a second epidural when I was at a 7 by a much nicer anesthesiologist. For some reason though, it still didn’t work all the way so during labor I felt all of my contractions and the doctor let me tell them when another was coming & I would push. Still partially numb, I forced myself onto all 4’s facing the top of the bed. This was my saving grace position and his head was finally almost crowing. I then went onto my back to seal the deal. After 1.5 hrs of pushing, my beautiful boy was here at 5:53 PM on 07/18.

I highly suggest all momma’s to make it clear how YOU want your labor to go and be detailed about your pain levels. I’m lucky to have had badass nurses who listened and checked into my epidural.

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