One piece of advice--stay flexible with your plan. Make sure to keep the top of your plan the big picture--everyone safe so that you can focus on the important part. As we learned, plans are only as good as the situation and your ability to adapt them. That said, even though almost every part of our plan went out the window, we wouldn't change anything and it was a wonderful experience. Coral--you were right, feeling listened to (the hospital staff [St. Mary's, Mke.] was phenomenal at every turn--on top of the amazing nurses, every time something deviated from our plan they came in and talked to us about it to make sure it was OK) and a great coach (Derek was perfect) makes all the difference.
So after our due date we were trying EVERYTHING on the list to induce labor. While on the breast pump Monday, 4/5 my water broke. It was clear with some pinkish blood. I was super excited (although embarrassed when right afterwards the doorbell rang with some guy selling door to door meat--I answered with my legs crossed and a blanket wrapped around my top--awkward). Unfortunately, labor didn't start. All afternoon, evening and night I tried to start labor. Sleeping, walking, bouncing, breast pump, etc.
Mid-day Tuesday we decided it was time to go to the hospital and tell the doctor since it was coming up on 24 hours. At 3pm I was still not effaced an only 1 cm dilated, -2 station. They put in Cervidil for 12 hours and I rested. By 10 pm I was having contractions fairly regularly but spaced apart--not yet active labor. They started the Pitocin at 1:30 after the Cervidil feel out.
By 4 am I was having intense contractions 1 minute long, 2 minutes apart. I stayed really calm and my ritual was to know how many deep breaths it took for one contractions and breathe them slowly and count them down so that I'd remember that it would end soon. Once I couldn't count out loud Derek counted them for me.
By 7 am I was 2.5 cm and 50% effaced. The downside to this is that because of the need to be induced I was on continual monitoring and an IV and every time you move at all some alarm goes off that one of your tubes isn't working well and you have to stay still while they futz with it. Our plan really derailed at 7:30 pm--they upped the Pit and my contractions started coupling--which was OK with me--but not with them. The only way to stop that is to up the PIT more--so they did. I started having all the symptoms of transition and threw up with each deep breath--on top of that, the contractions never really ended--they peaked each minute, then went to about half strength, then peaked again.
I got to where between not breathing and not getting any recovery I just couldn't do it--especially since I figured I was still just starting active labor. I decided that drugs would be necessary eventually since I figured I had several hours of this left) so to start them then. I got the epidural at 8:30 and fell immediately asleep for 1/2 an hour in total exhaustion. Once I woke up things were great and by 10 pm I was 7.5 cm, totally effaced, and 0 station. By midnight, fully dilated.
I started pushing at 2:30 am and she was born Wednesday the 7th at 7:10 am (yes that's just under 5 hours--but that's because with the epidural she flipped posterior and I couldn't push for very long in that many positions (although still did hands and knees, and sitting on a bedpan on the end of the bed to simulate a toilet--with Derek regularly suggesting changes)--it wasn't that bad.
At 7, the attending came in and said--all right lady here's the deal--you have 10 minutes to push this baby out or we need to vacuum extract or C-section. I got her almost all the way out, but it took one small pull with the vacuum to make her whole body fit out. I think that having them describe the options helped stimulate things to go a bit faster. By the end of the pushing I had a fever and her heart rate had stopped decelerating and was really fast so I was on antibiotics and she got checked by NICU right away. They quickly decided she was OK and put her on my chest while they sewed me up. She rooted and made suckling faces right away. She came out alert, eyes open and looking around. She was 6 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches.
Thank you all for your support and companionship--and Coral a bazillion thanks for helping us to feel so prepared and calm about the whole experience--we couldn't have done it without you.
Kelly, Derek in Milwaukee
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