River's Birth Story

River's due date was April 24th, but he had other plans. I was a week overdue and going into my Dr. office to do a stress test and to check my fluids to make sure that everything with Riv was okay. Everything looked good except that I was starting to get low on fluid and my placenta was beginning to look a little old (both normal for overdue mothers). My midwife told me that she felt it would be safe for me to go overdue by two weeks and then at that point induce if nothing had happened. At this point I was barely dilated to a one and had been for weeks, I was almost totally effaced and soft, so just waiting on dilation! I had been feeling NO contractions at all and decided I couldn't wait another week!! I might die from anticipation! :) I asked if she felt it would be okay for me to be induced on Monday the 4th of May (which would still leave me at 10 days overdue) she said she was fine with that and so we scheduled the induction. She told me the hospital would be calling me Sunday night to let me know when to come in on Monday, perfect, I was set. Meanwhile, my poor mom had fallen in the garage and had broken her femur! (she had broken her other femur just 9 months earlier!) so Tony and I were at the hospital visiting her on Sunday when I got the call from the hospital, instead of coming in on Monday they wanted me to come in in like 3 hours! So Tony and I said goodbye to my mom (who was so sad she was in the hospital instead of with me) and went to get our hospital stuff ready. We arrived at AF hospital at 8:00 pm to get the induction started. They took us straight into a nice big room and got me started on some pill that they insert next to your cervix to get you to start dilating. It normally takes a few tries to have any effect, so we knew we were going to be in the hospital for awhile. I started to contract at around 12 am. Tony had fallen asleep on the pull out bed and was sound asleep. By around 4 am the contractions were getting pretty painful (I was on my 3rd dose of med to contract at that point) I was only dilated to a 1.5! I was really uncomfortable and getting disappointed at my slow progress. I tried waking Tony up for support a couple times, but he was so out of it he would just look at me and go back to bed. I was all hooked up to monitors so there wasn't much I could do, but sit in my pain. Finally, I had enough and sternly told Tony he better wake up! He did, and I told him I thought it was time to call my Doula, Emily. Emily arrived at the hospital at about 6 am, and I was so glad to see her, I really needed her support at that point. We decided it was probably time to try to break my water and see how that would help with the dilation. I was for sure contracting now! Emily was so great to help me by massage, helping me focus away from the pain, and just being a calming factor through out it all. I was checked over the next several hours and still was only dilated to a 3 (not what I was hoping for!) It had been about 13 hours of continous painful contractions. I was EXHAUSTED (especially because I hadn't slept the whole night)! I truly don't believe I knew the meaning of that word until that moment. I had tried getting in a warm tub, different positions, everything to relive the pain and hoping that these contractions were actually doing something. It was time to check me for the last time before they would start me on pitocin if I still had not progessed, after all that I was still only a 3!! I was devasted! I was so mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. There was no other choice at that point, pitocin needed to be started. I had hoped to do a natural childbirth (no pain meds) and I had for 13 hrs, which I was proud of. That was it though, I couldn't go any longer and not with pitocin too. I decided if pitocin was happening at this point so was a epidural. I was really upset, but knew that my body was done, it could go no farther without sleep. I recieved the epidural and it worked quickly and properly. Literally within minutes of recieving it I completely passed out! I mean, I was in the same postion and everything for about 3 or 4 hours. Emily and Tony said that people were in and out turning off alarms that were right next to me and moving my hands to check vitals and I just didn't budge. Finally, I was able to rest!! They checked my dilation twice, the first time I was to about a 5. The second I was at a 10!! No one could believe it had finally happened! So much time had past and within a few hours I had dilated from a 5 to a 10! The nurse said "It's time to have baby!" she was very excited because she said the head was extremely low and thought that I could probably push him out in about 30 min. YAY! The nurse went about her business getting the midwife and getting everything ready for delivery. To be honest I was still so tired I just kind of sat there emotionless. Here we were though ready to start pushing. I couldn't feel my contractions so the nurse would tell me when to push. Tony and Emily each had a leg and I would push with all my might...nothing was happening. After a couple hours the decided to turn off the epidural so that I could feel my contractions thinking this would help me push better, it didn't. It just hurt and I was starting to lose it a little, I almost started to cry. My body had it and everyone was telling me to just push harder, I was!! We were out of time at this point, I had been in labor to long and they were starting to get nervous about how long River had been in the birth canal (even though they all commented on what a trooper he was being, his vitals were still good). The midwife told me it was time to have the Dr. come and use the forcepts to help assist River out. I didn't want this, but things were not really going according to planned. I had no choice, I was to drained to push him out myself, so they called in the Dr. He was not very happy with how long River had been in the birth canal and let it be known, he also let it be known that I better start pushing harder because he was going to try the forcepts once and if that didn't work we were going straight in for a C-section! (Come to find out later that my uterus was so tired that it didn't matter how hard I pushed it wouldn't react. The Dr. told me this the next day and was much nicer about it.) This was the worst option in my mind, I had already gone through all of this just to do a C-section! I was so tired though and really didn't have any other options, I just said okay lets try the forcepts and if they don't work then C-section here we come. They put my epidural back on before they tried to forcepts, I was convinced I was headed for C-section, but was so tired I really didn't care at that point. Poor Emily and Tony were so upset and we were all praying the frocepts would work. They DID!! I pushed a couple of times and the Dr. pulled River out with the forcepts!! I was so relieved, I can not tell you! He did have to cut me and I tore, but I didn't care, he was finally here!! I just starred at the Dr. arms... there he was....MY baby!! Tony just started to cry, he was so happy that he had finally come and that everything was okay. He had gotten pretty worried about River and I there at the end. It was 10:25 pm on Monday May 4th...I was a mommy! River (though at that point he was still unnamed) weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. was 19.5 inces long and was literally the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen (mommy eyes ) At that point for me all was right in the world. He was here and I was on cloud 9. Tony and I ended up staying in the hospital until the 7th, because I had lost so much blood that I need to have a blood transfusion (2 units). River also had to be put under those lamps for Jondis(?). River recieved his name on May 5th. All in all I think everything went extremeley well, I know it doesn't sound like it, but I truly feel like it did. We are home now enjoying life as new parents! I love my little guys so much!! I am so blessed :)