***WARNING: This is a birth story!****
My doctor and I had talked for a few weeks about tentatively inducing me on Wednesday November 18, figuring that I would be already pretty dilated and ready like I had been with the last two. So I was a little discouraged when one week before that I was only a 1 1/2 and not really effaced at all. I was starting to second guess if I should induce or not, and spent the previous weekend bowling, running, eating spicy food, and everything else to try to get a little more ready. I decided to just keep a flexible attitude and see how I felt/how far progressed I was at my appointment on Tuesday and take it from there. Much to my happiness, at my appointment I was a 3 close to 4 and 90% effaced. Woohoo! That made me feel a lot better about going ahead with the induction, so he told us to go in the next morning and he would do one prostin just to be safe and then start the pitocin an hour later.
We got to the hospital around 8:30 or so and it took a little bit to get the paperwork stuff done and the iv started etc. They put the prostin in around 9:30 and I started having a few contractions, then the pitocin around 10:30 and started having them more regularly. Josh asked me a couple times if I needed anything or wanted some music or movie on or something, and I said no, I was still doing good so I'd just read my book and wait til I needed something more. I called my dad just after 12 to make sure they had gotten to ballet okay and I remember telling him that contractions were going but I was still comfortable. And lo and behold, Aaron was born just 2 hours later at 2:10!
Just after the contractions started picking up in intensity my water broke when I went to the bathroom and when I got back the nurse checked me and I was at a 4. That was a little bit discouraging, but I still wasn't in unbearable pain so I breathed through them, and sat on the birthing ball for a little bit and that felt good, but it made it so the monitor wasn't in the right position to pick up the baby's heartbeat so the nurse wanted me to get off for a minute to do a check, and I was at a 7! I knew at that point that I would be just fine without an epidural. I decided to stay on the bed after because I knew if I got on the ball again I wouldn't want to get off. I could feel the baby making his way down and had the feeling that it would not be too much longer, and started to think my doctor better get here soon! He called Josh when he was pulling in and asked if he needed to run or not and Josh said he was fine, but I started pushing just a few contractions after he got there so it was a good thing he made it! (though really Josh could have delivered him obviously but I like him to be my support rather than on the other end). As I was pushing it was almost as if I couldn't believe it was already okay for me to push, usually it feels like I am wanting to push for awhile before I am actually ready. The great thing about a fourth baby is that my body really just knew what to do and he came out pretty quickly, and as they handed him to me I thought, "wow, I can't believe I'm already done!" It was a pretty happy and surreal moment.
On our way to the hospital
Still comfortable
So happy
He was 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long
These pictures make me smile because this was what was happening while I was in labor- Marissa's little ballet performance!
