Cervidil Induction w/ Doula

On Friday morning I awoke to wet pajama pants around 6:00 AM.  I was 38w1d pregnant.  Around 7:30 AM I called my doula.  Since contractions hadn't started yet she suggested that I take it easy and call back in a couple hours with an update.  I arranged for a friend to pick up my 2-yr-old and I took a shower.  Then I went over to the mall to do a little walking and last minute shopping.  It was now noon and I still hadn't had any contractions.  My doula thought it was best to head over to the hospital because I tested positive for group B strep and I needed to get started on antibiotics.

I spent the afternoon walking the halls of the hospital and bouncing on the birth ball.  By 6:00 PM I still wasn't contracting (12 hours since my water had broken.)  I was only a fingertip dilated and about 50% effaced.  My midwife suggested Cervidil and a good night's rest (ha!)  I sent my doula home and my husband ran out to get some dinner.  By 6:30 PM the contractions had begun and by 7:00 PM they were 2 minutes apart!  Ouch!!!  My doula barely made it home and she was right back at the hospital.  At 10:30 PM my contractions were coming right on top of one another.  I was 3 cm dilated and the Cervidil was removed.  I was disappointed that I hadn't made more progress over the past four hours.

To manage my contractions I spend a lot of time in the bathtub in my room and also tried kneeling with the ball and leaning over the bed.  Nothing helped as much as the Tens machine that my doula had brought, though.  I don't think I ever could have made it through without it.  Whenever a contraction hit I could push a button on the handheld machine and immediately the electrical impulses would dull my pain.

By midnight I was exhausted and ready for it all to be over but I was still only 3 cm!  My husband went down to the chapel to take a break while my doula stayed at my side.  At 3:30 AM my midwife suggested we start moving towards the waterbirth room.  I was confused as to why we would be going down there so early since they had told me that you don't go to the water birth room until it's almost time to deliver and I was only at 5 cm.  My midwife explained that she could tell by my actions that it was time to go and that sometimes the cervix needs time to get with the program.

By 4:00 AM I had made it down to the waterbirth room.  This room had a much bigger tub and also a bed.  I was laboring in the water mostly on my hands and knees.  I was 7-1/2 cm dilated at 4:45 AM.  As the midwife was checking me I had a big contraction and changed to 9-1/2 (just a lip remained.)  She tried to push it out of the way but it was way too painful so I decided to just wait it out.

At 5:20 AM I started pushing, alternating between a squatting position and semi-reclining.  At 5:42 (after only 22 minutes of pushing) my baby girl emerged.  I reached down into the water and pulled her up onto my chest.  She was completely covered in a thick white coating of vernix.  I started crying.  Not sure if it was out of happiness or relief that it was over (probably a little of both!)  Holding her in my arms, her cord still attached to me, was the most amazing feeling.  She was warm and slimy and so alert!  After the cord stopped pulsing it was cut and she was moved to the warmer so I could get out of the tub.  I moved to the bed and she was immediately given back to me to breastfeed while I delivered the placenta.  I was given one stitch for a superficial tear.  Her apgars were 7 & 9.