Background: I had been struggling with high blood pressure during the 3rd trimester, and as time progressed, my blood pressure kept creeping higher and higher. I underwent the blood work and 24 hour urine catch to test for pre-eclampsia, but the results were questionable. I wasn’t definitely in the pre-eclampsia camp, but I was having a lot of the symptoms (extreme swelling, vision spots, high blood pressure) so we were all on alert. The week of my due date, my doctor went out of town, and I opted to record my blood pressures at home and show him the log when he returned to get this opinion.

Originally, I had an appointment for the Tuesday following his return, but he called me in Monday instead. I showed him my log of blood pressures. Since I was already four days passed my due date, the doctor wanted to go ahead and induce labor. Coming to terms with that was difficult for me since I was really hoping to go into labor naturally, labor at home for as long as possible, and hopefully have an medication free birth. Inducing meant I had to let go of all of that.

Before we left his office, his nurse practitioner checked my progress, but since I have a long vagina (go ahead and laugh, I’ll wait) she reported that I was still high and closed. But that wasn’t really true. She just couldn’t reach, I think.

We checked into labor and delivery on Monday, 11/26 at 11:36 AM.

Since everyone thought I was completely closed up, they started my induction with Cytotec and it would be administered every four hours. And then we would move to Pitocin after that.

However, immediately after the first dose of Cytotec at 2:13 PM, one of the nurses and my doctor proceeded to check me and I was actually already 3 CM. I obviously hadn’t progressed from “high and closed” to 3 CM in a few minutes, so the nurse practitioner was probably mistaken when she had checked me. So, we changed gears and did not continue with the administration of the Cytotec. We moved right onto the Pitocin. At this point I’m hooked up to a blood pressure monitor, baby monitor, contraction monitor, pulse monitor, an IV, and a drip of magnesium sulfate to bring down my blood pressure and help prevent seizures. Being strapped to the bed with a million wires was one of my big fears about childbirth, but there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I tried to just remain positive. According to the contraction monitor, I was contracting regularly, but I could not feel anything yet. Bradley alerts our doula and says we’ll stay in touch until we’re ready for her arrival.

Since I had high blood pressure, I had to be on a magnesium sulfate IV for the duration of my labor and delivery. This can make people feel extremely flu like and unable to walk because they feel so woozy, so I had to have my second catheter administered during pregnancy.

Luckily, I didn’t seem to have many adverse effects from the magnesium sulfate, which apparently is unusual. The worst part was having to have that catheter in the whole time. It was so uncomfortable.

At 6:47 PM Bradley says we are ready for our doula, Heidi, to come over to the hospital and they are about to start the Pitocin.

Let me pause to say that I ate dinner the previous night, and for whatever reason, skipped breakfast before going to the doctor that morning. Huge, mega mistake. Because now, of course, I would not be allowed to eat or drink until after I delivered. I was allowed ice chips and an occasional popsicle.

Otherwise, the day actually went by very quickly. My blood pressure cuff was going off every 15 minutes, doctors and nurses were coming in just as frequently. I pretty much looked at the clock and every time I did another hour had gone by.

At 7:50 PM, the nurse comes in to start the Pitocin on a low dose (2) and will increase it every 15 minutes. I was hoping to keep the dosage down, but they were adamant that I was able to feel my contractions. Although they were registering on the monitors coming hard and fast, I couldn’t feel them.

I have a red popsicle at 8:20 PM and the nurse helped me change positions since my blood pressure is getting high again.

The doctor came in and attempted to break my water, but the jury is out on whether or not it really worked. We’re not sure if her head was just really well engaged or what, but there wasn’t a big gush or any kind of leaking after he did the procedure.

Since the night before the induction I got very little sleep due to being uncomfortable in late pregnancy, our doula, Heidi, suggests we turn out the lights and try to get some rest at 10:30 PM.

When my Pitocin drip was nearly maxed out (up from 2 to 24), I started getting slammed with extremely painful contractions at about 12:30 AM.

At 1:15 AM the nurse says they aren’t going to do any more internal exams until I am ready for pain medication or I feel an urge to push. All my hopes for a med free birth had already flown out the window ages ago, so after a few contractions, I was getting ready to ask for the epidural at 2:05 AM.

The monitors around my belly were driving me crazy so at 2:45 AM I completely ripped them off my belly.

The anesthesiologist came in at 2:52 AM and asked if I had any questions, I said no, and he got to work. I sat up for the first time in 12 hours, and proceeded to have a couple of contractions while he was getting the epidural administered. I assume that is when my water broke, because as I was sitting there, with every contraction I was just gushing and gushing fluid. It was such a bizarre feeling. I assumed it would feel like serious leakage, but it coinciding with the contractions was weird.

The epidural was in by 3:07 AM, and the pain relief was pretty immediate. I retained use of my legs pretty well, and we all settled in to get some rest. I was finally out of pain, but I was a little too excited to sleep, so I watched a couple of movies on our I-pad.

Then, my blood pressure started to drop and I became very nauseated, so they administered some medication to help stabilize me and I received some Zofran for the nausea.

Even though I had a hundred million interventions going on, nothing seemed to stall my labor at all. Each time I was checked I had progressed more and more, thank goodness. They check me at 3:26 AM and I was now 90% effaced and 6 CM dilated.

There was one spot on my lower left hip that started getting painful, so we paged the anesthesiologist to come and re-administer things at 4:47 AM. They left that little button where you could give yourself some extra juice if you needed it, but I swear it did absolutely nothing. After the doctor came back that second time, I got pretty numb and lost most of the use of my legs.

At 6:40 AM they check me again and I was 9 CM dilated and the baby was at a +1 station.

At 7 AM there was a shift change and we wound up with a very serious nurse named Cary. I am so glad she was there at that point because she came in and basically got everything ready in an extremely quick and efficient manner. She was great.

By 7:37 AM I was completely dilated and we did a few test pushes. I also have a popsicle to try and get some sugar for energy.

The area on my lower left hip started hurting again, but by that time it was nearly time to deliver and we needed the epidural to be wearing off so I could push effectively. We had the nurse page the doctor to see about beginning to push. He wanted me to “labor down” and would come by whenever he was on the way into the office an hour later. Under the advise of my doula, we opted to call him back and see if he would just come now. I did some practice pushes and I was ready to not be waiting around in pain for no real reason. So, he came right away.

By 8:25 AM I was now at a +2 station. Cary breaks down the bed and gets it ready for delivery.

The doctor arrives and I start pushing actively at 9 AM. I was nervous about having zero energy to push since it had now been 36 hours since I had anything to eat (although I think I did have two popsicles at some point – so nutritious). We did 3 rounds of pushing with each contraction. I think my doula held one leg, the nurse held another, and my husband Bradley held my head and encouraged me. The final two pushes were very intense. I remember crying out about it hurting really bad with one push, and then the last push I felt her entire body leave mine and out she came at 9:20 AM on November 27th, 2012! She was wailing and screaming and they put her on my chest. She was beautiful! It was such a powerful moment. At 10:12 AM she latched onto the breast for the first time.

But then things started to go a little haywire on my end. The doctor got underway repairing my second degree tear and was waiting for the placenta to deliver. But, the placenta wasn’t coming. Finally, after a lot of pressing, the placenta delivered followed by a humungous gush of blood. Because of the large amount of bleeding, I receive another dose of Cytotec, a shot in the leg of what I think was Pitocin, and a few other medications to help stop the bleeding. The doctor uses his hands to try and remove several clots (yes, this was extremely uncomfortable). He finishes repairing my tear after that. I wind up feeling really out of it and like I might faint a few times, so they gave me some more medication to help stabilize me. I also got overcome with severe shivers at one point, so they covered me with warm blankets to try and help calm me down.

They do the newborn exam at 10:20 AM. Baby Charlotte Rose scored a 9 on both of her Apgar tests and weighs in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and is 19.5 inches long.

At this point, I am still passing more clots and the doctor is trying to get my bleeding under control. If things keep progressing this way, I might need to go into surgery for a D&C and possibly get a blood transfusion. However, the additional medications I am receiving finally start to work and my bleeding starts to subside. By 10:55 AM I was stable and we were busy snuggling and enjoying our new daughter.

Because of my high blood pressure and post delivery complications, I have to stay in the delivery room for another 12 hours and remain on the magnesium sulfate IV and stay on the catheter. In the early evening I was allowed to have a cup of Jell-O. We finally got moved out of the delivery room and into our post-partum room and I was able to have a meal at 8 PM that night, 47 hours after I had last had anything to eat or drink (besides ice chips, a couple of popsicles, and a Jell-O).

Throughout all of that, I am really thankful that the only one who had any complications was me. Charlotte has luckily been a very healthy baby and I’m so incredibly thankful for that.