Our Birth Story, Part 1

My husband and I planned on birthing our son completely natural - free of any drugs unless medically necessary. Well, that was my plan and my husband was supporting me in my decisions. It was important for me to take this route as I wanted our Little Guy to enter the world peacefully and for myself to be completely aware of my surroundings and in control of my body.

Great plan until my doctor informed me that he would not let me go over my due date considering that I have protein-s deficiency. With this my blood clots more than normal and even though I had been giving myself a shot each day throughout the pregnancy he said that my chances of clotting would increase with each day that I went over the due date. So, an induction was planned; we took the latest date we could - April 5th (his due date was Tuesday, April 6th). A couple of weeks before this I would have given anything to have him as I was so exhausted and still working every day. At this point I was on spring break and since I could relax at home I would have been willing to wait a few more weeks!

The doctor planned on using Cytotec to induce me as I wasn't dilated enough for pitocin. I went home and read all about it and started to freak out as the drug is not meant for labor instead it is an ulcer medication and a side effect is contractions. After my research I called the doctor and he calmed me down and I realized that I am not the only person in the world to use Cytotec for induction and the rare things that I read about could have happened to just one person but every case needs to be reported...

So, Sunday night we made sure we were packed and then got a lousy night of sleep due to finishing touches around the house, nerves, and getting up early. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am Monday, April 5th and got one of the rooms we wanted - a larger one with a tub! I immediately reminded the nurses that I wanted a doula but they suggested we wait to see if anything actually happened. After taking about 45 minutes to answer all of the necessary questions, I got my first dose of Cytotec. Yes, I said 1st dose- I didn't know that we would be getting more of this if it didn't take effect!!!!!!!!!!! After taking this medicine I had to lay in bed and be monitored for 2 hours for both the fetal heartrate and the contractions. After 30 minutes I had my first contraction and a few more followed within a short time; I was excited as I was sure something was beginning to happen - I was induced for goodness sake!!

We were taken off of the monitor at 10:30 and were allowed to walk around; our first stop was always at the nursery to see all of the new little ones :) There was a large rectangle in the maternity ward that was perfect for walking around and we completed so many laps that we had to turn and go clockwise after awhile... We had 45 minutes and spent a good portion of this time walking during which I felt several contractions but nothing that was extreme. The deal was that we would get the 45 minutes then be monitored for 15 and again get 45 to do as we pleased. The walking always brought on better contractions that the cytotec and laying in bed but that was not a choice that I was given.
After our first round with all of this we were given a 1/2 dose of Cytotec at 12:30 and they allowed me to eat a small lunch and the only really good part in all of that was the cookie!! I was told that if we did not make progress it was possible that we might be allowed to go home and come back as needed or Friday when my doctor was on call. This was one of those promises that seemed broken as nothing really did happen and I still had to stay... This dose followed the same path as the first; better contractions when we were up and walking than when we just layed there. At 4:15 the doctor came in and did an internal exam; we were 2cm dilated, 50% effaced, and -1 station. At 4:55 we were given 3/4 pill of Cytotec and the contractions started to become stronger and came every 2-3 minutes. Unfortuantely, this didn't last for too long...