I was induced at 38w with DS, because of blood pressure issues and insulin dependant gestational diabetes. I was petrified of being induced after hearing horror stories the whole pregnancy, and had tried every trick in the book to bring labour on with no success. To be honest, the OB bullied me a little when I resisted, and I consented more out of fear than really understanding why the induction should happen.
Tuesday, the gels were applied about 3pm. The midwife warned us that my cervix did not look ready and she didn't think the induction would work (thanks for that
!). Dinner came and went without so much as a twinge. It was just before the next gel was applied at 9pm that I had a mild period cramp, and after the second lot of gels, my back started aching. The AF cramps came and went (irregularly), but the back ache wasn't going anywhere. A cranky midwife kicked DH out about 11pm and told me to get some sleep, so I turned the lights off but there was no way I was getting any sleep with the pain in my back. A much nicer midwife brought me painkillers and sleeping tablets about 1am, but at 5am I was still pacing the corridors wide awake and in constant pain. The nice midwife examined me and told me that I should probably prepare for a c-section as in spite of the pain, my cervix hadn't ripened at all, and she suspected the pain was just that the gel had irritated my uterus. I took myself off to the bath in the birthing suite, which I stayed in for an hour and the pain in my back finally eased (wish I'd tried that 8 hours earlier!!). Exhausted but now with no pain at all, I went back to my room and had breakfast and emailed my Mum and sisters in tears updating them, and at 9am it was time to break the waters.
The OB tried for a few minutes to rupture the membrane with no success. He stopped and told me he'd give it one last go, but warned me he was going to have to manipulate my cervix to get the hook in enough and it was going to be painful. He was not wrong !!! But after some cursing and swearing from both him and I, I felt a massive gush and his shoes were drenched. Instantly the first contraction came. The pain was all in my back, and breath-taking from the first second. I jumped off the bed and was bent over the rubber couch in the delivery suite, upon which a student doctor sat observing. From the get-go, contractions were 60 seconds apart, and I had less than 20 seconds between them. DH heard the OB tell the midwife to offer me an epidural as he still thought I'd need a c-section. Glad I didn't hear him say that!
I remember trying to talk to the medical student between contractions, I'd get so far as to ask her a civilised question before the next contraction would start and I'd grunt at her to SHUT UP and I'd moan like a cow until the pain eased. I remember the midwife saying to try to rest in the "downtime" (huh, 20 seconds??!). After an hour of this she suggested I have an epidural as there was probably "hours and hours to go". It took another hour for the anaesthesiologist to arrive, and lying still while he administered the epi was an absolute nightmare, but the relief was almost instant.
It was now 11am, which shocked me - I felt like it should be night time already ! The contractions slowed as soon as the epidural was in so the midwife told me they'd be applying synotocin to keep them going, but first she wanted to see if I'd progressed at all. Surprise ! 10cms !! 2 hours to fully dialate!!! If I'd known that, I obviously would have refused the epidural. I asked to wait until the epi wore off as I was concerned about tearing. So DH and I sat and chatted for a few hours.
The pain returned in my back, but I never had any "urge" to push, I just did because they told me to - in fact I remember asking if I was having a contraction or not a few times, so I guess I was still quite numb in the belly. I pushed for an hour, but wasn't really getting anywhere and was begging them to let me get off the bed. The worst part of labour for me wasn't the contractions, it was not being able to move through the backpain, I was just sure if I could get on all fours or stand the agony would be relieved!! I even flipped up onto all fours on the bed at one stage in spite of the OB's complaining, but he and the midwife forcibly flipped me back because they couldn't see ! So incredibly frustrating. At one stage, the OB and DH were each holding a leg and pulling it back so they midwife could see what was happening (which, at that point, was not much). It was the most unnatural feeling I've ever experienced.
Somewhere in the middle of all of this I realised I shouldn't be pushing with the front part of my belly as I'd imagined I should, but as if I was doing a bowel motion. This was a revelation and we suddenly started getting somewhere - and fast. I felt DS' head begin to crown and saw him in the mirror and reached down to feel it. There was lots of instructions to "slow down with the pushing!" but I was on a roll now and DS was in a hurry to get out, and at the end of the same push his whole body was born.
The feeling of relief and pride and joy was indescribable. I'm crying just thinking about it. He looked like a slimy little alien when they put him on my chest, and in our first photos together I'm beet red and sweaty and he's gray and gross. A match made in heaven !!!
The OB told me afterwards that when the midwife rang to say I was nearly at 10cms he thought she had mixed me up with the other patient he had in labour, he was so sure I was headed for theatre. Even at my 6 week checkup he was still marvelling about it. I had some second degree tearing and little did I know it at the time, but DH and the OB and their attempts to contort me for the midwife's viewing convenience damaged my pelvis and I had (and still have) pelvic stability issues as a result.
In spite of all of this, these days I realise I had a brilliant birth. 2 hours of contractions, a few hours of restful waiting, 1 hour of not getting it and pushing the wrong way, but then only maybe two pushes before my son joined me. It was really less than 3 hours work for the very best reward I have ever gotten ! Although I would change some aspects if I had a time machine, the outcome is the best I could ever have hoped for, and I will always look back at his birth as the greatest day of my life
