My Labor & Delivery Story

It's been way too long since I've posted but I wanted to share my labor and delivery story while I still remember most of the details. Let's start my story at my 38 week appointment. My doctor had been monitoring Carmen's size and growth as she had been measuring small in her abdomen for a few weeks. We had been going in every week since 30 weeks to have an ultrasound and to monitor her growth to ensure that she was growing properly.We were doing non-stress tests and ultrasounds every week and she wasn't showing much progress. By the 38th week, the size of her abdomen was measuring in the sixth percentile and the week prior she was measuring in the eighth percentile. The doctor was concerned enough to schedule an induction at 39 weeks. He checked my cervix and I was already 3 cm dilated so he proceeded to strip my membranes. That Friday (only six days before my scheduled induction) I was concerned because I wasn't feeling her move. I called the midwife and she told me to come in to get checked. Her heart rate was looking great but they told me to stay overnight just to monitor me. I started to feel her move again and Derek and I decided to go home (also, the hospital bed was extremely uncomfortable). SO, we waited until Wednesday, September 20 to be induced. Tuesday night, we went to bed anxious and excited to meet our baby girl the next day. Little did we know, we'd meet her much sooner than we had anticipated. We woke up unexpectedly at around midnight to my water suddenly breaking. I was so shocked because I hadn't had any contractions or labor signs and the chance of someone's water breaking before the start of labor is pretty unlikely. I called the hospital and the midwife on call told us to come in as soon as possible. I took a shower, grabbed my hospital bag, and Derek and I left. I wasn't having contractions until I got to the hospital. at around 2 am, my contractions got really bad. They checked my cervix and I was 5 cm dilated. The contractions got so close together (less than a minute apart) and they were excruciating. It's so hard to describe the pain but it was the worst pain that I have ever felt. It felt as if someone was shredding apart my insides with sharp knives. It was unbearable. Derek was holding my hand next to me trying to get some sleep. This irritated me so I regrettably yelled at him to do something. At around 6 am, I got the epidural because I could not handle the pain a minute longer. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural within thirty minutes. Derek was able to stay in the room and hold me hand. I didn't see or feel anything as he numbed my back but I remember flinching because of my contractions and the anesthesiologist shouted at me to stop moving (whoops!). Within minutes, I felt completely numb. I felt no more pain and it was awesome. My body had relaxed and I progressed rapidly. My cervix was 10 cm and the midwife told me to push when I was ready. It took only a couple of pushes (less than 30 min worth) and little baby Carmen was born at 7:52 am. Only 2 hours after i was originally supposed to be induced. I guess she wanted to come into the world sooner than we had planned. I still can't believe that my water broke hours before I was supposed to be induced. Overall, my labor was easy (compared to others) which I am very grateful for. Also, the hospital staff was fantastic and I would recommend the Carlisle Regional Medical Center's Women's Center to anyone who is expecting! The entire experience was wonderful and simultaneously terrifying!We got a beautiful little girl out of it so it was so very worth it.