Charlotte Rayne "Lottie" was born at 11:29am on 1/29/15. She was 8lbs 3oz, 21.5 inches long-Natural vaginal birth.
I had my heart set on going into labor naturally, but my OB wasn't comfortable with me going over any longer, so I was induced. My incuction was a "two-part" induction because I never dilated or effaced prior to. I was admitted into the hospital at 6pm Wednesday evening, and given my first dose of Cytotec around 7pm. The first dose gave me some mild contractions similar to regular period cramps. After a few hours, the nurses checked me and I hadn't dilated at all. They gave me another dose of Cytotec which ended up dilating me to a centimeter. Nothing was really happening and I was worried I'd be headed to C-Section land. The doctor decided to start Pitocin and that is when things got rolling. I pretty much immediately started having contractions every two minutes. It stayed that way until I had her. I asked to walk around because the bed was uncomfortable. They let me. Walking around got things going more and helped me relax. However, the monitors couldn't read my contractions accurately so the nurse didn't believe me when I told her how strong they were. Around 9am, things got crazy. I was in pretty significant pain. I was dilated to around 5cm. That is when I went against my original drug free birth plan and asked for the epidural. I was exhausted. The anesthesiologist was on call, so I waited until 10:30 to get the epidural. When he finally arrived, I was in the peak of the pain. It's honestly a bit fuzzy looking back on it, but I remember that my contractions just weren't giving me a break... They were constant and I just wanted my baby out. He did an excellent job with my epidural. He mentioned that the pain would subside, but I'd still be feeling pressure sensation when my baby was about to come out... That "pressure" he mentioned was exactly what I had been feeling since around 9:30 that morning. I told my nurse that and she checked me immediately after the epidural. I was at 9.5cm!! She called my OB and things got real. My OB had a strange look on her face... The nurse gave me an oxygen mask. I told her I felt fine, but my doctor said "Your baby needs this. She is in distress. We need to get her out NOW". Seventeen minutes later, my beautiful, screaming baby was on my chest. She lifted her head up and looked right into my eyes. I will forever remember that wonderful moment. Time stood still. Despite the scary part of her birth, she was perfectly healthy. Even though I didn't entirely stick to my original plan of not getting any drugs or the epidural, I am happy. I made a beautiful baby.
Recovery was a bit rough, but not horrible. I tore pretty bad because she was born so quickly. I tore from the inside out and down. I also had some post partum anxiety, but it got taken care of. I am SO happy to finally have my little girl. This mommy this is pretty cool. :)