Blaine's Birth Story: Part 2

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 2

Induction

For our entire pregnancy, Michael and I had really desired a natural birth.

As in no drugs and no induction. 

We took childbirth classes, studied natural pain management techniques, and learned all we could about childbirth. We wrote a birth plan, as recommended by our hospital. We told our family our plans, and were prepared to make the necessary changes to our plan as they came up.

The first choice we made for our son's birth was not according to plan. 

Following our discussion with our doctor, whom I trust an incredible amount, we made the decision to head to the hospital for an induction.

There were many emotions associated with our decision. I was disappointed that I was not going to get the birth I imagined. I was terrified at the idea of possibly putting extra stress on my baby. I was so very excited that I was going to meet my son. It was definitively a world wind feeling, and it is pretty difficult to describe.

We called our parents and told them that we were headed to the hospital. Our doctor's office is, conveniently, located next door to the hospital, so we walked  on over to check in. I had already completed pre-registration, so that process was pretty simple. We were given a room, and met our nurse for the first shift. They started my i.v., and then told me that we would begin the process at noon. (Note: Pulling your hair back into a pony tail is basically impossible once you have an I.V. Ask for help! Just a little tip.)

At 12:00 P.M., my doctor came in to administer the first medication to begin our induction, and to begin monitoring the baby and contractions. We then planned to start Pitocin at 3:00 A.M. They told me I could eat real food until 9:00 P.M. so I took that to my advantage and Michael went to get takeout from our favorite restaurant that evening for dinner.  I am SO glad we did that, because I did not eat for many hours after that. Soon after being given the medication, my mom and dad arrived at the hospital. I was able to get a lot of rest during this time, and I was very excited to meet our baby. Mike and I also played card games to pass the time, which is what we are doing in the previous pictures.

At 2:00 A.M., I had the first medication removed. I was given a one hours break from the monitors, and I was allowed to walk around a little bit. My mom took this photo during this break, and it is my last belly shot. I watched some TV with my mom as Mike slept. I was too excited to sleep, so that was basically the end of that for the night.

At 3:00 A.M., the nurse came in to start the Pitocin drip. She said that my dose would be increased every half hour until I reached the "maximum" dose at around 7:00 A.M. The nurse checked for cervical change and said that I was at 4 centimeters. I was really empowered after that to continue with our plan for a drug-free birth. I had made it 4 centimeters! We settled in for the next few hours and prepared for labor to begin.