On Wednesday January 24th my OB admitted me to the hospital since I had another low blood sugar that day. He wasn't sure what our plans were. He came and examined me that evening and found the baby was very low and my cervix was ready for an induction. We decided that that next day we would start an induction.
Thursday January 25th at 8:30am Dr Jones decided to insert a Cervidil vaginal suppository. It is to ripen the cervix. He hoped that since I was already dilated and effacing that it would put me in labour on my own. It was a very long day of nothing. It was quite discouraging. The first 2 hours after insertion I had to lay down and have constant monitoring. I got contractions but nothing much. After my 2 hours were up Stacy and I did laps of the maternity ward hoping to get things going. The Cervidil can be in for 12 hours maximum. At 6:30 my OB came back and decided to check my cervix. He went in and could not find the cervidil (it is in a mesh sack for retrieval purposes). I had looked before flushing each time as he had instructed and had not seen it fall out. He did a very thorough exam (which was very painful) and could not find it.
Around 7pm he decided to use oxytocin. But he didn't want to rupture my membranes yet in case we decided to stop and try again the next day. He was fine with it taking a couple of days of induction for the baby to come out. He said the stress of contractions would help ensure Baby's lungs were ready since he was a month early. I wasn't so big on the idea of a 2-3 day induction. The oxytocin did cause some contractions which got to be about 3 minutes apart but they were not strong enough or long enough that they were bringing baby. At 9pm after he did an emergency c-section he came and checked me again. I was only 4cms. As we discussed whether we should stop for the night or continue the decision was made. My water broke! (I was happy it did!) My Ob said he was happy with my GP delivering my baby unless something was going wrong. He also reassured me that nurses could deliver if they had to! He then left.
Right away the contractions picked up some. By 9:30 I was really in labour. I was having back labour. My pelvic bone was burning with each contraction. I was coping quite well with breathing though. I did find by accident that sitting on the toilet was the most comfortable place to be. I thought myself quite lucky that the nurse was letting me labour how I wanted to. Usually when induced with oxytocin constant monitoring is the norm. I had an internal monitor on for baby's heartbeat but we never used the toco to monitor my contractions. It was much nice just labouring instead of paying attention to the monitor. I would unplug the internal monitor and move about too.
Around 10:30 I was having contractions that were on top of each other. I was having trouble coping. I was getting shaky and thought I must be in transition. The nurse checked me and said I was only MCs. I said in that case I would like an epidural. I can't do this speed and pain for hours. She went to call my GP for approval for the epidural. As she left I unplugged the monitor and had Stacy help me to the toilet. I wanted to sit there where I was so much better off painwise. We could hear her talking to my GP. Then she came back and said he would be here in 20 minutes.
I was in another zone. I was sitting on the toilet leaning on Stacy. In this position I only felt the extreme pelvic pain I couldn't actually feel the uterus tighten. It was better but I really wondered how I could cope until Dr Griswold came checked me, approved my epidural and waited while the anesthesiologist came. I totally zoned. I held onto the bar beside the toilet with my left arm, my husbands hip with the right and leaned my head on his tummy. He put pressure on my shoulders. I bounced my left foot and leg. I had sweat streaming down my face. Thoughts drifted randomly through my head. Then I had this thought stream "it feels like I am sitting on chair" ....... "wait I am sitting on a toilet" ...... "it shouldn't feel like this"..... "my vagina feels kinda full"..."could that be the head?"..... "hey I am pushing"
I then managed to say "push" to my husband. He tried to get me off the toilet. My right leg was asleep. The nurse came in to check on me. I said "pushing" She began screaming at me to get back to bed. Dr Griswold had arrived. He calmly told me I had to go the bed so I could get the baby out safely. He has a very gentle manner and this was finally what got me moving from the toilet. I really didn't think I could. I was half walking half being carried by Stacy. The nurse was literally running trying to get things ready. She turned on the warming table and ran to get the instrument tray. I made it the 15 feet from the bathroom to the bed. I stood there, there was no way I could climb in that bed! I was gripping the bed pushing, saying "pushing" I was yelled at to breathe and quit pushing. I wasn't pushing consciously my body was just doing it. I found the yelling nurse very annoying! Dr Griswold's gentle voice firmly said "climb up Janice we'll get that baby out now" My husband and two nurses helped me. My bed was still a bed and not broken down. As soon as I was there Dr Griswold looked and said "head is right there" The nurse was yelling again not to push. I wanted to smack her! Dr Griswold had one hand in a glove. He put it on the baby's head as I was pushing despite him not being ready. He was trying to slow it down. He held the other hand up and the nurse managed to get a second glove on. "head's out, don't push" then sploosh.....the body and a lot of fluid slid out too. Dr Griswold did manage to catch him! It was very close though!
I was laying in a very messy bed. They did manage to adjust it to more a chair like position to have my deliver the placenta. Davis Ian arrived at 10:55 pm January 25th 2001. He was born exactly 21 minutes after the nurse proclaimed me to be 5cms dilated.
Good thing my Dr was a bit earlier than the 20 minutes he said it would take him to get there! Because it went so fast, I did tear. I ended up with 15 stitches. His birth story is so funny to me and I must admitted even at the time parts of it I found humorous!
Everyone was quite surprised when they weighed my 36 week "preemie" and discovered him to weigh 7lbs 3oz. He was 20 inches long and had a 14" head. I quite happily call Davis "my Moose".
