labor

INDUCTION OF LABOR

Friday

I was nearing two weeks past my due date with no signs of labor so my doctor and I decided on an induction. My husband and I arrived at the hospital at 5:30pm after both putting in a full day at our offices. We were checked into labor & delivery room 1 and I was hooked up to the monitor for an hour to get a baseline fetal heart rate and to determine my natural contraction frequency before I received the intracervical prostaglandin gel application. Despite contractions I’d had the previous week, my cervix remained tightly closed. After the gel application I had to spend an hour lying on my side in bed, continuing on the monitor. I had contractions, but they were painless, and therefore unproductive. After the hour, I was instructed to walk the halls for half an hour, then I returned to the bed for another hour of monitoring. As I had not gone into a good contraction pattern I was sent home for the night.

Saturday

After a restful night in my own bed, we arrived back at the hospital at 7:00am and were checked into the same room. The prostaglandin gel had softened my cervix somewhat, but it remained closed. I was started on IV Pitocin at 8:00am, with the dose increased gradually throughout the day. Being on the Pitocin required that I be on the monitor at all times, so I was tethered at the belly to the monitor and at the arm to the IV pole. Each time I had to use the toilet I had to unplug the monitor lines, loop the cords around my neck, pull the electrical line from the outlet for the IV and wheel the pole with me over to the bathroom. Needless to say, I couldn’t procrastinate and wait until the last minute to go to the toilet.

I wasn’t allowed any food on the chance that my uterus might begin contracting violently or the baby would go into distress which would require an emergency C-section. I was given ice pops and gelatin and the occasional cup of juice.

The contractions increased steadily in frequency and intensity. They went from being a generally felt tension to a more painful tugging and pressure at the lower cervical area. My husband and I managed to read, play Master Labyrinth (a board game), and relax up until around 3:00pm when the contractions became uncomfortable enough that I needed the time in between them to relax and gather my strength. After two hours of what felt like productive contractions, I was checked by the doctor and told that I was only 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The exam was painful because my cervix was bruised from the gel and the contractions, so I nearly jumped off the bed. The doctor gave me the choice of having an amniotomy (breaking of the waters with a hook, supposedly to speed labor), or stopping the Pitocin, getting more gel, and going home for the night. I refused the amniotomy for several reasons: I felt it was too early, the chance of infection would increase, the fluid provided a cushion which prevented cord compression, and if the baby didn’t come within 24 hours it would be an automatic C-section.

As soon as the Pitocin was turned off my contractions spaced out and became less forceful, which was a disappointing sign that my body was not taking the hint. I was terribly discouraged as I had really hoped to have my baby on Saturday. I was gelled, monitored, and sent home by 10:00pm.

Once home I went straight to bed, but I wasn’t able to sleep because I was having painful contractions. I thought the contractions would taper off, but they came every 5 minutes until 3:00am. I was worried that we’d have to return to the hospital in the middle of the night, only to be sent home yet again. I managed to sleep lightly from 3:00am until 8:00am.

Sunday

My husband and I had a nice breakfast together followed by a morning walk through the neighborhood. We arrived at the hospital at noon and were directed to room 1 again. I asked the nurse if there was another room which was known for its "speedy deliveries" as room 1 didn’t seem to be very lucky for us. The ward only had one other laboring patient, so we had our pick of the remaining nine rooms. We chose room 4, which was directly across from the nurses’ station and had a newer, more comfortable bed.

Two nurses struggled for an hour to find my veins because I was dehydrated, so the Pitocin wasn’t started until 1:00pm. My husband and I managed to get in one round of Master Labyrinth before the contractions became so intense that I was squirming and breathing deeply with each one.

Around 3:00pm the nurse suggested we call our doula as the contractions were looking effective this time. The baby went into a sleep cycle while the contractions intensified. After about half an hour the nurse came in and said the baby’s heart rate was looking suspicious (no reaction to the contractions as would be expected) and that I needed to lie on my left side with an oxygen mask over my face. This felt terribly claustrophobic, and then I was afraid for the baby, so the contractions were even more difficult for me to endure. The contractions were coming every 1 to 2 minutes, and my bowels suddenly couldn’t be controlled. Every 5 minutes I’d unplug the monitors and my husband and our nurse would help me to the toilet. While on the bed I felt myself fighting the contractions because I feared spraying everyone with diarrhea. The doula arrived in time to help me with a few more toilet runs, and then I became so weak that I could no longer leave the bed…