On Sept 22, 2020, a Tuesday, I went into my OBGYN 39 week appointment intending to ask about being induced, and assumed it would be scheduled out later in the week. After asking my doc said “Well we can probably get you in tonight or tomorrow, we will call you once it’s scheduled.” I was shocked, that seemed too soon! I left and not 15min later on my drive home they called and scheduled me for 7:30pm THAT NIGHT. I ran my errand, cleaned the house, tried to nap, and finished packing and off we went!
By 8:30pm I was hooked up to monitors and was receiving my first induction meds. I was “high, back, and closed” so it was going to be a long night! The first med I was given was an oral med that “may” cause contractions but would help get my cervix going. Rather quickly I started having mild contractions, but also baby’s heart rate started doing abnormal things. The nurses were worried and very honest about what was happening. They prepped me to the idea of a C-section just in case. Since things can happen quickly in labor, they wanted me to be prepared. But they were reassuring that vaginal was the goal, I loved these nurses!!
I was originally supposed to receive a 2nd dose at 2:30am, but with the issues my doc decided they would switch to Pitocin (has more control in an IV than an oral med) and I started on that around 4am after getting in a little nap and baby regulating out a bit. The Pitocin acted quick and baby tolerated it much better, with only random heart rate dips. They manually massaged and pulled my cervix forward (SUPER PAINFUL btw) which stripped my membranes at the same time. I shortly after lost my mucus plug and started having more painful contractions and got put on fentanyl for pain.
My water broke a bit before 6am but I was still barely at a 1!
If you don’t know, your water breaking makes contractions more painful, like A LOT more. Over the next hours my contractions became more regular and painful without seeing much progress on dilation, just head position moving down a bit. The fentanyl can only be given every 2 hours, but the effect was only lasting about 30min before the contractions became unbearable again. I ended up getting 3 rounds, the last one only giving me a few mild contractions before the pain surged and seemed unending. The epidural was “coming” but the anesthesiologist was in surgery and wasn’t going to be out for awhile. So the worst 2 hours of my life commenced.
My contractions were 2min or less apart and often with pain in-between. I could hardly breathe through them and was hyperventilating despite my best efforts to breathe evenly in and out. My pain was at a 9 with no relief until the epidural could come. I could have never prepped for this constant pain, most women when they hit this constant of contractions are ready to push or close to it, I wasn’t even close. There was no end in sight and I was just lost and terrified in the pain.
Around this time my doc stopped by to see how I was progressing and was demanding I get the epidural as soon as possible. She was telling me she was glad I had chosen to get induced when I did because she was worried what baby’s heart rate would have done if I had tried to labor on my own at home before coming in! My nurse also mentioned that I needed the epidural asap in case I needed a c-section. Which sounded great to me, I just wanted the pain to stop!
They bumped another mom to get me in first right when he was out of surgery (sorry other momma!) What I didn’t realize at the time, both my heart rate and baby’s were struggling through these contractions and I was put on oxygen to help me breathe. Honestly my anesthesiologist was the kindest human and was so reassuring and calm while explaining everything he was doing. The “pain” of getting the epidural placed was literally a pinprick compared to the contractions I was trying to breathe through while getting it placed.
At noon it had kicked in and the epidural life was so much better. The contractions continued strong and I got to finally breathe and help baby breathe. He still had random heart rate issues but it was much less and things were looking much better. They put in an internal monitor to watch baby better and I was finally dilated to a 5/6 and was mostly effaced! Huzzah!
I was a human rotisserie chicken getting moved side to side to help baby’s heart rate, and even I got some sleep! By 4:30pm when I woke up I was at 9cm and they sat me up and called the doc to come right when she got done with the office hours because I would be ready!
She got in around 5:40 and we got right to work! George grabbed a leg to help hold, a nurse on the other, one to watch the monitors and the doc to catch the baby. After about 5 contractions of pushing this baby head was NOT coming out and his heart rate wasn't doing too well and I was already on oxygen. Doc asked if she could give me a small episiotomy. I said “If it will get him out, I’ll take a small cut!” One snip and 1 push later he FLEW out completely tangled in his umbilical cord. SO THAT’s why he was having so many heart issues, he kept compressing his cord stuck under his armpits and around his torso! George watched the entire thing and was so supportive and was working with the nurses encouraging my pushes. I didn’t even expect him to watch at all and he didn’t either! He also got to cut the cord nice and quick so they could untangle baby from it.
Baby was a little cone head suckling machine and latched quickly after getting cleaned up and was wide awake and just absolute perfection.
George Alexander Nelson
9/23/20 at 6:17pm
6lbs 4oz
19in long
We are so in love with this little man. He has brought so much joy and light into our lives already. We are exhausted and still getting used to being covered in random bodily fluids... But it was all worth it to have this little soul in our lives.
So enjoy these photos I took of him in the hospital and a week later at home!