On Monday 3/3, at 38w4d, I went for a sono and dr's appointment. The sono showed that I had low fluid. The doctor came in and said, that's it, you're done. Get your bag and head to the hospital. I called DH, told him to meet me at home b/c we were going to have a baby most likely the next day! My bag was already packed minus a couple of last minute things - chargers, ipad, hairbrush, etc. I had a sandwich, called the insurance company to make sure they received the preauthorization for the hospital, which they did. Then we were off to Stonybrook!

Upon admission, I went to triage where I put on a hospital gown, got hooked up to an IV after a few attempts which I still have horrible bruises from, was checked out by a doctor - was barely 1cm on the outside and closed on the inside, and then about an hour later, was moved to Antepartum. There, I was told to order dinner and then the doctor would come in to put in the Cervadil. The Cervadil wasn't too bad to be put in. Very quick and just a little scratchy. You can't get up for the first 2 hours so DH and I just watched some tv. The Cervadil is in for 12 hours total and at least after the initial 2 hours, you can get up and down, use the bathroom, etc. I started getting some contractions but they were sporadic. In the middle of the night, they started to get quite painful and I asked for some pain meds. Stadol is fantastic lol. In less than 2 minutes of getting it, I was out for a few hours.

The next morning, I had the cervadil removed but was still pretty closed up, just a little softer. I had breakfast, was able to shower, and then we headed over to Labor & Delivery. While there, I was put on Pitocin and the doctors attempted to put in a Foley catheter balloon to help me dilate. Holy crap that was torture. They tried for a good 5-10 minutes and it hurt so bad. I finally screamed that I had enough and they stopped. I remained on pitocin for the rest of the day but made no progress at all. One of my doctors from my OB's office came in around 6pm and said that since I wasn't making any progress, I was going back to Antepartum for the night and getting a 2nd Cervadil put in. The good thing about that was I was at least able to eat, which is something I couldn't do all day in L&D.

I went back to Antepartum, had dinner, and then around 10pm, had the 2nd Cervadil inserted. I was checked the next morning, 12 hours later and was now 1cm completely. So while it helped, I was still so upset that I was only 1cm. I had breakfast (made sure I ate well since I knew I wouldn't be able to eat in L&D), showered, and made another trip down to L&D. A couple of residents came in to give me my options. They could recheck my fluid and if there was a sufficient amount, I could go home (in my head, this was not an option for me since I was now in the hospital for over 36 hours and upon review of my fluid, it was immediately removed as an option), I could get the Foley catheter, I could get a C-Section, or just do Pitocin but they weren't sure if that would work. I was pretty adamant about not doing the catheter again since it hurt so badly the day before. However, my OB came in and he very strongly suggested that this was the best option. I asked him if he thought my baby would be born that day and he said most likely I was looking at the following evening. So, I let them try again with the Foley catheter, with success. But man, it still hurt like a raging b*tch. I screamed more during this procedure than during my entire labor including pushing.

I was told that with the catheter inside, I would still be able to move around, use the bathroom, etc. and it would not come out unless I was dilated past 3cm. So, I got up and very carefully tried to use the bathroom but nothing would come out! Then suddenly, I felt a ton of pressure, and boom! I gave birth to the Foley Catheter. It did come out along with everything in my bladder lol. I absolutely refused to get another one put in so they just put me on a little bit of Pitocin and increased it every half hour.

I was experiencing contractions again and I have a very low pain tolerance so I was able to get Stadol again. However, in the middle of the night, my BP started to go up. My left hand/arm with the IV completely swelled up, and I had to get bloodwork done to check for preeclampsia. Luckily, it went down and my bloodwork came back only slightly elevated so nothing needed to be done. I was checked at 12am and was now a measly 2cm dilated. The doctor decided the next course of action would be to break my water and strip my membranes. It was a very strange feeling! They also put in an internal contraction monitor.

My contractions were coming on a little stronger and more regularly at this point and when I was checked again at about 6:30am, I was 3cm. I was told I could keep going, I could get an epidural, or opt for a C-Section b/c at this point it had been about 60 hours since I came in for the induction. After discussing it with my DH, I opted for the epidural. I got it at around 7:45. While it was uncomfortable and difficult to stay still when I would get a contraction, I immediately felt relief from the waist down except for a small section in my left pelvic area. However, the pain was so little, like very mild AF cramps, I slept pretty much straight through the next 4 hours including when they put in the catheter.

I was woken up around 12pm by one of the doctors who came in to do an internal. The expression on her face was priceless. I was FULLY DILATED and +2!!! Everyone was in shock! My beloved epi pain relief button was taken away and within 30-40 mins was ready to push. I was still pretty numb except for that small area where I regained almost full feeling. I was able to tell when I was getting contractions so that internal monitor was removed. The only way to deal with the pain was to push. I couldn’t feel anything down below so I had no idea what kind of progress I was making with pushing until a swarm of people entered the room and crowded around me. And then suddenly, I felt a release of pressure and this little tiny body was placed on my belly. Hayley Elise finally arrived at 1:39pm weighing in at 7lb5oz and 19.5 inches long! DH cut the cord and the rest is kind of a blur. A NICU team was there b/c I had GD and they had to check her out so as soon as her cord was cut, she was taken away to the other side of the room. But she was perfect and they left! I ended up with a 2nd degree tear but honestly, didn’t feel a thing when it was happening. No “Ring of Fire” either! I give soooo much credit to those who do it naturally. I could never have done it.

So to sum up lol, I got admitted on Monday late afternoon, she was born Thursday at 1:39pm and we went home on Saturday around 12-1pm. The nurses and doctors and med students at Stonybrook were fantastic. They were so supportive, informative, helpful, and with the exception of one nurse, were extremely nice. I intended to breastfeed and the nurses tried so hard to work with us but DD just won’t suck! We’re still working on it. The first night was rough. DH went home and Stonybrook now “encourages” no separation so DD stayed with me the whole night. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep total between trying to nurse, vital checks every couple of hours, doctors coming in and out to check on me, etc. Poor DH ended up with the Flu while in the hospital during my super long induction. 6 days later, he’s finally got a chance to hold her, feed her, change her, and love on her. I felt so bad for him and he had to go back to work after a couple of days since he used most of his time at the hospital waiting for her to be born.

She has been an absolute joy of a baby. She is a sleepyhead like her mommy and daddy! She has the most amazing facial expressions and I’ve never been more in love. After 2 ½ years of TTC and 9 months of pregnancy, she has been well worth the wait.