Labor & Delivery

Okay so here's how it happened.

5:30am
Drove to the hospital for my scheduled induction.

6:45am
Checked in, got settled in my labor room, was hooked up to all sorts of machinery, nurse started the Pitocin drip.

8:30am
Doctor broke my water

The nurse came in every 20 minutes after that to turn up the Pitocin. Each time, she asked if I wanted my epidural. Of course I did. However, considering that my epidural wore off right as I was ready to deliver Ellie, I put it off as long as I could this time. I figured it would be better to be numb during the delivery than during the early stages of labor.

10:30am
Wimped out and asked for the drugs after hearing the screaming woman delivering her baby in the next room.

11:15am
Anesthesiologist finished doing his thing, and I was a very happy patient.

11:35am
Nurse checked me and asked if I was ready to have a baby. What!? I definitely was not expecting it to happen so soon, even though I was hoping to have her by 1pm. She left to get the delivery room set up and call the doctor.

We hung out in the labor room while the baby "labored down a little." The nurse said there was no need to waste energy pushing if the baby would come down on her own. And I wasn't feeling any pain, so what the heck, right? (I really loved my nurse, by the way. She was amazing! Coincidentally, she was the same nurse that I had when I had Ellie.)

12:15pm (or so)
Wheeled into the delivery room. Pushed through first contraction. The doctor walked in. Nurse said the baby was crowning. What!? Second contraction her head was out. Third contraction baby was born! I was only in the delivery room for 9 minutes before she was born.

It was so fast! But most importantly my epidural worked fabulously. I couldn't feel anything, which is pretty much the point. It was kind of crazy to be laughing and joking with the doctor and nurses during the delivery and shortly afterwards.

All around, a very good experience with minimal damage.