Routine appt at 2p Wed (36w6d) finds protein in urine and highish bp, borderline pre-eclamptic. Dr says "it's time" and wants me to proceed directly to l&d at attached hospital. I fight and we agree I can run home first to pack a bag and then go right to l&d to start meso to ripen cervix overnight and then start pit in the morning. Since she didn't want me to dawdle I guess she assumed she didn't need to mention not to eat. Wrrrong. I figured nothing doing till the next am, and had a big mac and choc shake on the way back.
Apparently meso can sometimes induce active labor on its own, so they couldn't give it to me at all after eating. New plan was just pit in the morning, and preparing for a loooooooong day. Sent dh home for the night. Had a few minor contractions that I thought were hot flashes (nurse saw on monitor that I was having them) - in hindsight I'd been having them for a few days.
4am I feel a wallop of a kick, which I NEVER felt. Theeeen I feel a gush and realize my water broke. Very happy to have been there and not on my couch, lol. 1cm dilated.
Contractions got immediately painful and were at 5min right away. By 5:15 they were every 3min apart and excruciating. At 8 the dr came in to talk pit, but he had another active delivery so he'd be back "when I can." No cervical check. He asked if I planned on an epidural and by that point I was a pretty solid yes. He said that "when you get to the point of feeling pain and contractions, we can do the epi." Hell-daggers from me. He leaves.
At 9, dh helps me to the bathroom. In the time it takes me to pee, I have 3 contractions and am in tears. The pain is all in my freaking hips. Before dh even hooks me back to the monitors, I call the nurse to start fluids for epi. Dr comes in at 10 nd i ask for a check before I get epi just to be sure I'm not still at 1cm. I am 4cm and good enough for me. Start epi.
Plan is to let epi take hold, then start pit. Epi is perfect -- still have most sensation, can lift hips in bed etc, but resonating hip pain is gone. 11:00 nurse hangs pit, starts my cath, and checks me. She is confused at what she is feeling, says it feels like I closed up. Fuck. Wait no -- that is baby's head. I am fully dilated. Unmedicated (eta: epi, but no pit/induction meds), 4cm to 10cm in 1h. Woah.
Baby is still high, so they have me roll to side and let baby descend with each contraction. Nurse says plan for a few hours of this and then up to a few hrs of pushing. She leaves and dh goes outside to update family.
On my side, things immediately feel weird. Each contraction comes with no pain in ute anymore, but lower. I think maybe the cath shifted, decide not to be a pita and call nurse. A delivery nurse looking at my chart, however, sees how fast I've progressed till now. Sees no one checked me after they started pit and rolled me. Comes to check..... Baby is READY. Call dh to get the hell back in here.
Then it got nuts. Nurse puts me in stirrups, says we'll push for a bit and then get the dr for the last bit. She moves to the side to chart something as I have another contraction and dh comes back in. He glances down, then at me, then at the nurse. His eyes are huge. THE BABY CROWNED WITH NO PUSHING. Nurse calls doctor, tells him run don't walk. With next contraction, she has to HOLD HIM IN. Dr comes in and walks to sink to scrub up. Nurse yells "NO. NOW." and they just double glove and gown him. One push, head out. Makes me stop. They say something about "compound right" (later learned his arm was all tangled -- he was literally patting himself on the back, lol). One more tiny push, and he is born. One tiny tear too insignificant to bother charting, let alone stitching.
I am on my feet within an hour since the epi was so mild. Never needed a single pain med or any of the sprays/gels/tucks pads they had for me. I am in total awe and feel almost guilty!
Little man has had some very minor struggles due to being early and also small even for his age. He has trouble getting down enough to keep his sugars stable. We see the pediatrician tomorrow morning. I have a feeling we'll need to discuss supplementing with formula. I'd rather not, but what can you do? Not going to get too upset about it.
Wow, congratulations Fasty! He's a cutie!! Don't feel guilty about the delivery. You deserve it after your pee jug saga! I am jealous about the minimal tearing, though!