Mason came on his due date, thanks to an induction that started at St. Joseph's hospital at 6am.
When we arrived we were set up in room 11 in the Labor and Delivery unit. At 7am, the nurse, who was just finishing her shift, put the IV in my arm. Casey looked about as pale as a ghost and so I sent him outside! If you didn't know, Casey and needles do not mix!
I was checked by the doctor and the resident and they determined that I was dilated to 1 cm and about 65% effaced. I was started on Misoprostol at 9:30am to help ripen my cervix.
After an hour of relaxing and letting the Misoprostol do its thing, I got to sit in the whirlpool bathtub for an hour. Probably the most glorious bath I had taken during the entire pregnancy!! After the bath, Casey and I did some walking to help move things along and so we could explore our surroundings. We managed to find the popsicles, a welcome treat, because I was not allowed to eat anything!
At 1:30pm I started Pitocin and by 3pm was dilated to 3cm. I asked for my epidural at 3:30pm- I wasn't trying to prove how tough I was!! I was able to enjoy labor- and my visitors- after that point. The epidural itself wasn't that bad... I had a great nurse and anesthesiologist who took the place of my squeamish husband.
At 5:30pm I was dilated to 4cm and at 7:45pm dilated to 6cm. The doctor was going to break my water when she checked me at 7:45pm, however, sometime between 4cm and 6cm, my water broke on its own. I had a hunch, but couldn't tell for sure because the bottom half of my body was numb.
Around 9pm, I started to feel like the epidural was wearing off. I let the nurse know, and when she checked me, she said, "It's go time!". I was dilated to 10cm. From there, everything happened so fast. She notified the doctor and at 9:15pm I started pushing. Casey was amazing, so supportive (literally... he was holding one of my legs). At 10:18pm, little Mason came out screaming. It was definitely one of the happiest moments of my life- along with marrying Casey and graduating from college.
I certainly have to credit my OB, Dr. Berga and my nurses, Elza and Christina. They were so fantastic and really made the whole experience unforgettable. This is the beginning of a very good thing....
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| Our handsome baby boy!! |
