More Than Most Care to Know...

My due date came and passed, and more days passed, but our baby bean was showing no signs of wanting to leave her comfy lifestyle.  Jesse and I waited impatiently, taking any suggestions for bringing on labor-taking walks, scrubbing floors, anything.  At the news of my pregnancy, I had switched to midwifery care and we had taken Bradley classes for weeks to prepare to bring our child into the world as naturally as possible.  However, I knew that if I needed pitocin, I would need an epidural.  13 days passed, and the plan for a natural labor looked bleak.      Time was up, so we headed to Shady Grove hospital for our scheduled induction.  The plan was to start Cervidil overnight so that by the morning my body would be ready for pitocin.  At 10:30 pm we started the Cervidil, and side effects kicked in soon after that.  Cervidil is just supposed to "ripen" the cervix, but of course, my body responded to the drug with the "uncommon" response of strong, persistent contractions beginning around midnight.  For hours contraction were every minute to 1.5 minutes apart but attached to the monitor, my bradley positions and methods of relaxation were limited.  By 4:30am, I had only progressed from 1cm to 3cm dilated.  About this time, I was definitely questioning why I had waited at all and a c-section was looking quite nice.  Jesse was there the whole time supporting me and encouraging me through each wave of pain, but I caved and accepted Nubain, to take the edge off the pain.  I just remember asking Jesse, "Why isn't it working?"  I think it just made me feel heavy and dizzy.    

5:30 arrived and the Cervidil fell out with the breaking of my waters.  My Mom arrived to help out to help out and give Jesse a break for the long day ahead of us.  Knowing that Pitocin was on the way, I asked for the epidural.   I knew that I could not take 6 or more hours like the previous 6.  The anesthesiologist was setting up his medication when the midwife announced that I was now at 8cm and 100% effaced meaning that I could start pushing if I could hold out a little while longer.  By 7am, the only way to relieve the pain was to bear down.  The midwife noticed I was pushing and encouraged me to get out of bed to try squatting to bring be baby down.  We tried that for a few minutes, and I could feel the baby's head burning to come out.  

Jesse came in surprised to find us ready to have the baby.  Back in bed, I felt my body unable to push at each contraction, when suddenly a wave would wash over me. It took over my body forcing the baby out.  The pain was overwhelming, I must have been yelling, but the head emerged and the body rushed out after it.  I stared down at the bloody baby, in shock how large she was all curled up and that I had done it.  I had birthed a baby!  Overwhelmed we cuddled while the cord finished pulsing.  It was 7:27am.  The birth had taken only about 8 hours.