On October 5th at my 38 week check up my doctor discussed scheduling an induction date for the next week because the baby was still measuring bigger and she wanted to reduce the risk of possible complications. I was thinking the induction would be scheduled closer to the 40 week mark, which would have been October 19th, but Labor and Delivery scheduled it for 10 PM October 13th. I was a bit surprised to see the date coming up so soon! The 13th felt so much closer then the 19th! I was a bit stressed because it was only a week away and I was only dilated to a 1. But I was also a bit relieved because I had been feeling so uncomfortable and sleeping was incredibly difficult. The baby was very heavy to carry around and causing a lot of discomfort whenever I would sit . . . or stand. . . or walk. At night I would try to sleep in bed but would often have to get up after just a few hours and go sleep in our reclining chair for a few hours and then back to bed. And then there was always the hope that the baby would actually sleep and not decide to have a party and kick my ribs for at least an hour, sometimes more. As uncomfortable and tired as I was I did try to soak in those last moments of having him inside where he was safe and snug and I could enjoy his little wiggles and movements. I spent the week taking a lot of walks, drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, and bouncing on my exercise ball. I had really been hoping to go into labor naturally and not have to get induced. Saturday night I started feeling contractions and they kept coming so I decided to time them to see if they were real. They were about 7 minutes apart but then tapered off after about two hours. I had several random contractions throughout the next few days but nothing consistent.
On October 12th I had a 39 week appointment. The doctor said I had dilated to a 3 and she was glad to see so much progress in just one week. My blood pressure was a bit high at my appointment which concerned the doctor but since I already had an induction scheduled she said we didn't need to do anything different. Since I had been having contractions on and off and had dilated so much this week the doctor said she thought the baby would be coming tomorrow with or without an induction.
October 13th was a long day. We did a lot of school to try and get a head for the week since we'd be taking a few days off. I also tried to make sure all of the last minute cleaning and things were done that needed to be done. I had contractions on and off through the day but nothing consistent. So at 9 PM our very nice neighbor came over to stay with the kids and we headed to the hospital. I had been nervous about what the procedures or protocols would be at the hospital since Covid is still going strong but all they did was take our temperature and ask us the screening questions-cough, fever, been told to isolate, live with someone who tested positive, etc. We wore our masks into the hospital and Michael kept his on pretty much the whole time we were there. I took mine off while I was changing and forgot to put it back on but no one asked me to put it back on so I didn't worry too much about it. I was very glad I wasn't asked to put it back on since a lot of my coping strategies involved mindful and deep breathing and I feel like the mask would have increased anxiety.
Over the next hour they did their intake, asked a bunch of questions, hooked up the monitors, and tried to put an IV in. The IV took 3 tries and I was a bit annoyed with the process. The first try left a big bruise, the second try made it so that every time the blood pressure cuff went off I felt it squeezing in my hand, and the third try was placed so precariously that I had to hold my hand a certain way so that an alarm wouldn't go off. Also, while the nurse was placing the third one in my hand she kept hitting a valve that caused me to feel a strange vibration. I thought it was her phone or watch. It was very weird. They also did an ultrasound to confirm that the baby was still head down. we got to see part of his face and saw his fingers up by his mouth. It was very cute.
The midwife, Amy, came in and checked my cervix. I was 50% effaced but she said I was more like 2-2.5 centimeters dilated. Because of this they decided to give me a small dose of misoprostol. The nurse, Nikki, explained that it would help soften my cervix and the smaller dose would help them see how my body and how the baby were handling it.
October 14: Around 12:30 AM the contractions started coming more frequently and were getting stronger. The nurse had been monitoring my blood pressures and suggested that it might be helpful if I got an epidural. Up to that point I had been very hesitant and scared about receiving an epidural since I had such terrible experiences with them during Logan and Katelyn's births. Nikki explained that because my blood pressure was so high, the baby was measuring on the bigger side, and this was my 4th birth that there were higher risks of complications at birth to both me and the baby. She said that if I did need any interventions it would be easier and quicker for the medical staff to do what they needed to if my pain was already being managed. She also explained that there were certain meds that I wouldn't be able to use if they were needed because of my high blood pressure and asthma. To me it seemed like she was suggesting the epidural as a preventative measure given the different risk factors. Michael had been very honest throughout the pregnancy about wanting me to get an epidural. So I told her I would get the epidural if they were able to do it immediately.
At 1:30 AM the anesthesiologist, Jennifer, came in to place the epidural. She listened to my concerns and my past experiences and assured me she would numb me up extra. It was very uncomfortable but she really did a great job. I only felt pain once or twice and she immediately stopped to add more numbing stuff. I didn't like sitting in the hunched over position and it was nerve wracking having to sit like that and stay so still while also having contractions. The epidural started working almost instantly and it was a huge relief.
At 2:30 AM Nikki checked my cervix again. I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced. She said things are progressing well enough that it seemed like my body was doing what it was supposed to so they didn't need to give me any more meds.
3:45 AM I was dilated to a 6.5 but still a little thick. The baby was kicking around while she was checking. Nikki commented that I got the epidural right at the perfect time. My water still hadn't been broken and they hadn't talked about breaking it which I thought was odd because usually the doctor breaks it soon after we get to the hospital and get all checked in. I was feeling a little nervous because in the past I'd be at a 6 and then quickly dilate to a 10. Luckily the epidural was still working. The nurse had written the baby's name up on the white board and spelled it "Jonathan". While we were looking at it we realized that we had spelled it in such a way that the end of his name is "Nathan". Haha! But we also realized we liked it better spelled "Johnathan". We also decided that we want to give him my dad's middle name as his middle name.
At 4:20 AM I felt a big kick and heard a big kick on the monitor and then felt my water break. It was a weird and new experience since I had never had it break on it's own before. The nurse checked me and I was at an 8. I knew the baby would be coming within a half hour to an hour.
At 5 AM I was feeling a lot of pressure and feeling the contractions getting stronger. Nikki came in and had me start pushing just a little to get him to move into a better position.
5:10 the midwife, Amy, came in and I pushed some more. She had me do little pushes near the end and he came right out. The nurse, midwife and Michael were all so encouraging and helpful. It was a very different experience then with Katelyn and Logan. Both times it all happened so fast and people kept running into the room. It was chaos. This time it was just the midwife, doctor and Michael. No one did any kind of running and Amy was so sweet and kept telling me that I was doing a great job. She was so calm throughout the whole thing. There was a lot of pressure and it was very uncomfortable but it wasn't painful at all. The worst part was that I kept getting heartburn at the end of each push.
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