BB's Birth Story: Part 5

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Despite my intentions to have a drug-free birth, the past week had wiped me out. I was so tired, and when the nurse asked me if I wanted a shot of Demerol, I said yes. The injection helped me sleep for 3 blessed hours. When I woke up, DH, my parents, my grandmother, DH's parents and his younger siblings were all there in the room. There's something surreal about lying in a bed with 8 people staring at you. I thought it seemed a bit like a death scene in a movie.

With the Demerol worn off, I was back to feeling contractions. The nurse checked my progress and declared me at a 3-4. I had only dilated 3 during the past 5 or so hours. Once again, they had me on my back, although this time my bed was elevated at the head a bit. I remember wishing that I could get up and walk around, because I felt that it would help speed things up. But given that I was now 10 days past my due date, the doctor wanted continuous fetal monitoring.

After she checked me, the nurse spoke to the doctor. The doctor wanted to give me Pitocin again, since I was clearly in labor. I was agreeable to the Pitocin, because at that point, I just wanted BB to be born. The nurse cautioned me that with the Pitocin, my contractions would be a lot stronger. She advised me to consider getting an epidural. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but the thought of a quick and pain-free delivery was looking mighty good by then. I talked it over with DH and my mom, and then agreed to an epidural.

The thought of a giant needle in my spine freaked me out, but I reassured myself by thinking about just how many people get epidurals every day. When I saw that the head nurse anesthesiologist was going to be administering my epidural, I was somewhat relieved. The actual delivery of the epidural wasn't too bad, although it was hard to stay still when I was having a contraction.

After I got the epidural and the Pitocin was started, labor stopped. So the Pitocin was increased, which picked things back up. The doctor stopped by mid-afternoon and told me that with my current rate of progression, I would probably start pushing around 8:00 that night. At 7:30, I was checked again, and I was ready to push!

Part 6