When I had Aria, it was a schedule induction. We arrived at the hospital on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 11:30 p.m. and got checked into a labor & delivery room. The floor was super busy, apparently a lot of women went into labor that day, so I didn't get started until almost 1:00 a.m. Thursday. Once they were able to get started, I changed into a hospital gown and the nurse inserted a dissolvable medicine to help thin out my cervix. She said it would stay in for up to 12 hours before I was given Pitocin. Also with this medicine, I was not able to get up from bed for the first few hours, so I made sure to use the restroom! Once the medicine was in, I was given a sleeping pill to try to get some rest. The first hour went by and I was starting to feel tired so I tried to go to sleep. This became impossible as Aria kicked at my bladder, and the urge to use the restroom was unbearable. I begged to be able to go but was ordered to stay in bed. I counted down the hours and finally was able to get up! I slept off and on for the next few hours and around 8 a.m. ordered some coffee and jello. By 11:00 a.m. they took the medicine out from my cervix and I took a nice hot shower.
They started the Pitocin at 1:15 p.m. slowly increasing it every hour. At this point I was already 3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. I started feeling the contraction within 40 minutes. They were definitely tolerable. By 4:00 p.m. though they started to become so uncomfortable. I asked the nurse about an epidural but she said I needed to have stronger contractions that were closer together. At this point they were 4-5 minutes apart. They cranked up the Pitocin again and I really started to sweat! I would just squeeze Tony's hand as hard as I could do get through them! When the next nurse on duty came in I pretty much begged for the epidural and she was more than happy to oblige. I would say I received the epidural around 6:00 p.m. and was 5-6 cm dilated.
After receiving the epidural, I felt great! The first two hours flew by and the next time the doctor had checked me I jumped up to 9 cm dilated! We were so excited! The doctor informed us he'd come back in an hour to recheck me and hopefully it would be time to push. At this point I believe we were close to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. By 10:00 p.m. I was feeling exhausted, hungry, weak, and my throat was so dry that it felt like it was closing up. Also, the epidural had made my legs so numb I could not feel or move them at all. It was terrible. At 10:30 p.m. the doctor came in to check and I was still 9 cm dialated and my cervix was actually beginning to get swollen. He informed me that because of this, it would be best to consider a C-section. I agreed. It's hard to describe, but I had a gut feeling that something didn't feel right & a C-section was what would be best for Aria & I. Her safety was my top concern.
Tony & I then said a little prayer, and they gave me the anesthesia for surgery. As I was wheeled to the OR, Tony was taken to get dressed elsewhere. I felt like a shell of myself, shaking, having difficulty breathing and sick to my stomach. I ended up getting sick in the OR and was given oxygen, which I think made my throat even drier. After they began the procedure, I heard Ariana cry within the first 15 minutes. I unfortunately was unable to see her due to the drape covering my lower half. The rest of the surgery took about 45 minutes. I don't remember much of this part because I was knocked out, but before I knew it I was holding our sweet baby girl. It was the most overwhelming feeling.
We spent about 4 days at the hospital and despite sleeping maybe 6-8 hours the whole time, I enjoyed every second of it. Our post partum room was spacious and the nurses and staff were so accommodating and helpful. One of my concerns going into this was rather or not I'd be able to (or enjoy to) breastfeed Aria. Luckily in recovery Aria latched right away. I was surprised to find that it didn't bother me one bit and I really loved being able to provide that for her. Throughout our stay, the nurses were so knowledgeable about lactation and I really credit that to our success. I would say if you are considering breastfeeding, don't be embarrassed to ask questions. I would call my nurse to come in to check Ari's latch multiple times a day! Also, take as much stuff from the hospital as you can :)
Writing this, its hard to believe almost three months have passed. Overall, I absolutely hated everything about my labor. It was not the way I envisioned it going at all. Not being able to feel any part of your body, but still be alert, is so scary. Luckily I have a very supportive husband, who gave me a lot of strength. Despite everything, I could relive this day over and over again. The feeling of meeting our baby girl for the first time was the greatest moment of our lives. I would go through far worse for that. She has truly blessed our family in ways we never imagined.
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