The Induction of Ella Constance.

So it was decided that because my Gestational Diabetes was a bit out of control that it would be safest for pumpkin to be induced between 38 + 39 weeks.
I was a fair bit hesitant but for the sake of a healthy baby I agreed and asked if it could be on Friday the 13^th of May as my first son was born naturally on Friday the 13^th of April in 2007 and thought that would be pretty cool. They agreed and were able to book me in for the Thursday night telling me I would be given the prostaglandin gel that night.
We arrived at the hospital on Thursday night and after a while of waiting around we were eventually told that because I was a second time mum and considered High Risk, it would be best if I wasn't induced until the morning. So the boys were sent home to come back in the morning (my DP and DS) and I tried to get some rest in the horribly uncomfortable bed. I took some tamazepam and it knocked me out for about 3 hours until my hips got so sore they woke me up. I passed out again and woke an hour later, only to pass out again and wake another hour later about 4.30am. I gave up sleeping at 5am and took some pictures and read my book and got hooked up to the CTG.
At 9am my OB's registrar came in and tried to get an IV bung into me. She tried my right arm, no luck, right hand, no luck and third time lucky, in my left arm. Ouch!

I was hooked up to the CTG for the second time that morning and was given an internal. It was decided my cervix was still not ready but I was an extra 1cm dilated than I was the Tuesday before when we tried for a stretch and sweep which couldn't happen as I was only 2 – 3cm dilated and my cervix was too far back. Now I was 3 – 4cm. They inserted the gel from a syringe and left the CTG on for a little while then left me to walk around.
I started timing the contractions I was having which were already 3 – 5 minutes apart and called my best friend who was coming to spend the day with us to help look after my son as I really wanted him to be there for the birth but still needed a babysitter for him just in case. I walked around the hospital quite a few times before my bestie and DP and DS arrived.
Contractions were still the same time apart but getting more intense. All the midwives who saw me were telling me how impressed they were of me being so cool and calm.
Finally 3pm came and I was told I was needed back in my room for the next check up.
I was 4 – 5cm dilated and the registrar broke my waters. The student midwife was told my waters were “pink”.
I was put back on the CTG and I asked for a mat to be set up on the floor. I got into position on my knees leaning on the bed. I changed from my pants into a skirt when I started feeling a bit “grunty”.
I was very vocal this time around and found it helped to moan through the pain. I still couldn't feel bubs head pushing down, and was wondering to myself how long it was going to take at this intensity. My bestie was keeping DS and DP both company and I was off with the fairies, in pain, then relax mode. I kept asking them to take pictures and photos for me and eventually gave them something to do by getting me cold face washers.
Quite suddenly I felt the head move down and I really became pushy. Uncontrollable pushy and I felt like I couldn't get my hips wide enough. I pushed for a while and was then asked if they could do an internal to check my dilation. Turns out I had a cervical lip and they tried to move it for me. Ouch again!
By this time my contractions were about a minute or two apart and very intense. The student midwife was trying desperately to get my blood pressure but he was just not quick enough between contractions. I can't remember if they eventually got it or gave up.
I was starting to get very uncomfortable and the midwife trying to get bubs HB with the CTG was starting to piss me off. The contractions hurt so much the last thing I wanted was her hand pressing into my tummy. They also told me bubs was posterior which was why they were having trouble picking up the HB and wanted an internal monitor. I really did not want a needle stuck into my babies head, but eventually I gave in to the pressure.
I continued to feel bubs head move down and down which was pretty awesome but boy did it hurt. I kept having to refocus my moaning as it started to get quite high pitched and I knew I had to try to keep it a low and relaxed moan. DS was giving me kisses and changing my cold face washers for me. He was such a great help. My midwife eventually told me to try to stop moaning and instead focus on bearing down, and this helped bubs head to crown quite fast and pop out. It hurt to wait for the next contraction and I pushed as soon as I could. I had my hand down on bubbas head which was all slippery and gooey but the midwife also had her hand there. She had to ask me to take my hand away as bubs seemed a little stuck and on the next push she had to lift bubbas head backwards to un-wedge the shoulders and out bubba burst! I later found out my hind water had exploded over everyone who was behind me, hahaha! The midwife passed bubba through my legs and I grabbed bubba between the legs pulled bubba up to my chest, although the midwife kept telling me not to pull so high because of the cord.
I felt the placenta in my hand between the legs but couldn't feel balls? I looked down and there it was! A fanny! OMGOSH! I yelled out to DP, It's a girl, OMG It's a girl! I practically screamed the hospital down! DP had tears in his eyes <3 and DS said, “See mum, told you it was a girl!
We were all so excited! I got to inspect the cord but never got to feel it pulse. I tried, but was told it had already stopped pulsing and I was able to cut it. It was very cool. I remember kissing her head and it was all gooey. We were then helped onto the bed. She was taken for a moment I think to check her breathing as she was grunting a bit and I think they did her apgars and cleaned her down (which I had asked in my birth plan for her NOT to be but I don't think anyone read it :( and weighed. Then was handed back and I tried to get her to do a breast crawl, but couldn't wait too long as she needed a feed to help with her blood sugars. So she had a feed and she had my expressed milk which I had brought from home and I swear there was more of it, but was only about 2.5 mls :( I'm sure I got 3mls out one night :( But it must have evaporated in their freezer??!! She had her blood sugars done which came back 2.2 which was just under borderline, so she was given a top up of formula which I tried my hardest to avoid but they were insistent or she would go to the special care nursery. She didn't want to take it all and the midwife had to help to get more into her. I was shown my placenta and was told it was very rare. The umbilical cord was actually attached to the water membranes and not the placenta itself! (Called Velamentous Insertion ) So the student midwife got a kick out of that. On the other hand, had they struck a main artery when breaking my waters, bubba could have bleed to death before birth!
Time just flew and the rest of the evening is still a blur. I was in shock I got my girl :) My bestie had to leave as she had a long drive to get home and had to work the next day. DP and DS had cuddles. I was still in bed and was bleeding a fair bit, but the middies thought it was ok. Eventually DP and DS went home for dinner and I eventually got Ella to settle and I stumbled to the shower and had an AWESOME hot shower. It was very difficult though as my ribs felt like they were collapsing in on me and it was quite hard to breathe. After my shower the midwife helped me collect my things and move to another room. Unfortunately it was a shared room, and I felt terrible as we were up all night. A midwife came in and filled out my records while I sat and fed and baby gazed and was generally just in a happy baby filled daze.
Bubba girl had her blood sugar levels tested every three hours until she had 3 good readings then another two tests, 6 hours apart which were all fine.
We were discharged Sunday afternoon but stayed one more night and left Monday morning.
I'm so in love with my baby girl!