On January 12, 2010, our lives were enriched beyond measured when God blessed us with our daughter, Ilah LeAnn Eniola.
My pregnancy was quite a rough one {as many of you know, I had Hyperemesis gravidarum - extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy}. Rarely could I get through one day without having to take a Zofran pill to get the vomiting and nausea to subside. It was horrible, exhausting, and emotionally draining. Thankfully I was fortunate to stay at home throughout my entire pregnancy which allowed me and the bed to bond greatly.
As I approached the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I was eager to begin feeling the onset of labor…but I wasn’t having any contractions, I wasn’t feeling much abdominal pressure, I hadn’t lost my mucus plug, no sign of the bloody show, and at every visit towards the end of my pregnancy, even days before my due date, I was barely a half a centimeter dilated. I had wanted my body to progress naturally, but it just wasn’t. Because of the reasons I posted here, and here, the Dr. sent me to the hospital on Monday, January 11th to begin the process of being induced {I left my 12:00 noon appointment with instructions to give my labor and delivery nurse upon check-in and was advised that someone from the hospital would be calling me between 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. when my room was prepared for my arrival. We were so excited! We had actually hoped that at that appointment, the Dr. would say it was “the day” to begin to get things rollin’! After my husband and I left my Dr. appt we picked up lunch and headed to my mom’s house. After we ate, my husband and I snuggled up in bed and watched a movie. In true fashion, I fell asleep 30 minutes into it! I woke up when my phone rang at 6:00 p.m. – it was the hospital informing me of my check-in time: 7:30 p.m. I hung up and then looked over at my husband and smiled BIG! This is it – here we go!!!
Check in was a breeze as I had already completed, and mailed in, all the pre-admission forms and paid my co-pay in advance. On the way to the hospital I had read the paper that the Dr. wanted me to give to my nurse and I noticed that he had written that I was to be induced using Cytotec. A former classmate of mine, who is now a midwife {and who follows my blog and knew how my pregnancy was coming along}, advised me that should I end up being induced to NOT be induced with Cytotec for several reasons {here is one article highlighting the severe negative side effects of the drug – which is not even approved by the FDA}. When I entered my labor room and met my nurse the very first thing that I requested was that I be induced with a different drug – and I was. The nurse was even in agreement. I ended up taking an induction drug that went in vaginally, that should the baby not react well to it, it could be removed {whereas with the Cytotec, it’s an oral pill that once swallowed its effects cannot be reversed}.
I checked into the hospital without a stitch of makeup on, with my hair in a high ponytail. I wanted a freshly clean face and wanted my hair out of it. I wasn’t concerned about looking good – I was concerned about feeling good. And makeup on a pillow is icky to me. While this meant that my pictures wouldn’t show me at my picturesque best, oh well.
My pregnancy was quite a rough one {as many of you know, I had Hyperemesis gravidarum - extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy}. Rarely could I get through one day without having to take a Zofran pill to get the vomiting and nausea to subside. It was horrible, exhausting, and emotionally draining. Thankfully I was fortunate to stay at home throughout my entire pregnancy which allowed me and the bed to bond greatly.
As I approached the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I was eager to begin feeling the onset of labor…but I wasn’t having any contractions, I wasn’t feeling much abdominal pressure, I hadn’t lost my mucus plug, no sign of the bloody show, and at every visit towards the end of my pregnancy, even days before my due date, I was barely a half a centimeter dilated. I had wanted my body to progress naturally, but it just wasn’t. Because of the reasons I posted here, and here, the Dr. sent me to the hospital on Monday, January 11th to begin the process of being induced {I left my 12:00 noon appointment with instructions to give my labor and delivery nurse upon check-in and was advised that someone from the hospital would be calling me between 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. when my room was prepared for my arrival. We were so excited! We had actually hoped that at that appointment, the Dr. would say it was “the day” to begin to get things rollin’! After my husband and I left my Dr. appt we picked up lunch and headed to my mom’s house. After we ate, my husband and I snuggled up in bed and watched a movie. In true fashion, I fell asleep 30 minutes into it! I woke up when my phone rang at 6:00 p.m. – it was the hospital informing me of my check-in time: 7:30 p.m. I hung up and then looked over at my husband and smiled BIG! This is it – here we go!!!
Check in was a breeze as I had already completed, and mailed in, all the pre-admission forms and paid my co-pay in advance. On the way to the hospital I had read the paper that the Dr. wanted me to give to my nurse and I noticed that he had written that I was to be induced using Cytotec. A former classmate of mine, who is now a midwife {and who follows my blog and knew how my pregnancy was coming along}, advised me that should I end up being induced to NOT be induced with Cytotec for several reasons {here is one article highlighting the severe negative side effects of the drug – which is not even approved by the FDA}. When I entered my labor room and met my nurse the very first thing that I requested was that I be induced with a different drug – and I was. The nurse was even in agreement. I ended up taking an induction drug that went in vaginally, that should the baby not react well to it, it could be removed {whereas with the Cytotec, it’s an oral pill that once swallowed its effects cannot be reversed}.
I checked into the hospital without a stitch of makeup on, with my hair in a high ponytail. I wanted a freshly clean face and wanted my hair out of it. I wasn’t concerned about looking good – I was concerned about feeling good. And makeup on a pillow is icky to me. While this meant that my pictures wouldn’t show me at my picturesque best, oh well.
I changed into my hospital gown, got comfy on my bed and chatted with my mom and husband. I was totally enjoying the process of getting the birth of Ilah started! I got connected to a fetal heart rate monitor to monitor the heart rate of our baby {which I frequently found myself glancing at all night} and the nurse started my IV drip. Once my induction drug was administered {around 9:30 p.m.}, I had to stay in bed for two hours, and lay on my side, until it was fully in effect. The nurse advised me that if I wanted to eat something, I had to do so by 12 midnight so at 11:30 p.m. {when I was able to sit up and be mobile again}, my husband went to the hospital’s 24 hour McDonalds and got me a Southwestern salad {and french fries!}. With as much back pain as I had been having throughout this pregnancy, I felt none during my entire labor and delivery process. Also under control was my blood pressure. Praise the Lord!My nurses had switched shifts and around 1:00 a.m. in walked a bubbly, sweet, petite southern lady who had been a labor and delivery nurse for 37 years. The first thing she did when she walked in was greet me warmly, asked if I had any questions, fluffed my pillows and asked me what the dad-to-be would like. How nice of her to think of making sure that my husband was just as comfortable as I was! She stayed in the room for a short bit, just chatting with us, which I actually really liked because it allowed us to connect with her. Before she left, she asked me if I wanted an ambien to sleep through the night but I said no. I didn’t want to risk being drowsy the next day {when the morning rolled around I was in fact very well rested}. For the rest of the night, with lights out, my husband and I chatted, watched a few late night comedy shows on tv, tuned into CNN and then eventually {after I put earplugs in!} we fell asleep. As much of a sound sleeper as my husband is, he wasn’t while I was in the hospital. Every time I moved, even in the slightest bit, he would ask me if I needed something. And every time I had to get up and use the restroom, he would come and detached my monitor and wheel my IV behind me into the bathroom and then would help me back into bed and tuck me in. One time I called him over to get in bed with me – chancing that the bed might collapse! – but I just wanted to be snuggled up right next to him for a bit.
Very early in the morning {around 5 a.m.} I was given an enema to have a bowel movement – and {be prepared for a TMI here…} I loved the release! I had been so constipated throughout this entire pregnancy and having done research on the option to have an enema before labor really gets started, I knew that I wanted one. So when I was offered the pill, I was all about it!
Despite the nurse coming in and out to do routine checks throughout the night, I wasn’t bothered by it much. My doctor came in at 6:00 a.m. am {bright eyed and bushy tailed I might add – I even told him, “Wow, you are really a morning person!}. He checked my cervix – I was effaced 100% – but still just a half a centimeter dilated. He proceeded to break my water. Crykee!! It didn’t take long for the contractions to come…and when they came, they came fast and furious. I remember telling Dele that since I had never experienced a “real” contraction I was almost certain that they would be a doozy. Yep, I was right. I remember the nurse at my Dr.’s office telling me that contractions would feel like your uterus was being stabbed with an ice-pick. That analogy was pretty right on!
Nearly immediately after my water broke, I began throwing up. I had heard that many women vomit at the onset of labor so I wasn’t sure if that’s why I was or if I my “morning sickness” was kicking in as it normally does {yes, when I say that I was sick throughout my entire pregnancy, I literally meant up until the day of delivery}. There I was…vomiting…and having contractions...and having to go to the bathroom - all things happening at the same time. Yet in the midst of it all, I was sooo excited. Progression was happening – I was feeling it. This is the day we had been waiting for…for SO long!! And it was so astounding to actually be living out the moments that we had been envisioning for months and months!! The process of bringing our daughter into the world was well on its way…
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