Hi all -- congrats to mamas who had babies -- I haven't had time to catch up on everything, but just wanted to pop in and let you know that my daughter Sage was born yesterday after 8 hours of labor.
While I know this is not a popular practice on this board, I had decided (together with dh and my mw) that an induction would be best for this baby at my THursday appt. We live almost an hour from the hospital, I was 3 cm and 80% at the appt., and I was having lots of anxiety throughout my entire pg about who would watch my dd if we went in the middle of the night. We've never left her overnight, and she still co-sleeps. B/c of all this, my m/w thought it best to induce with pitocin and although I was a little hesitant, I ultimately decided it was the best thing to do.
It ended up being a great decision -- we got to the birth center at 7 a.m. and the drip started at 8 a.m. BY noon, I was getting into my zone and by 3 p.m., I was 4 cm and completely effaced, and I decided to jump in the jacuzzi. My birth team was wonderful and was critical in getting me through a "natural waterbirth", plus pit.
The jacuzzi did the trick and I was ready within a half hour -- I got into the birthing pool and pushed for 5 minutes -- Sage Elizabeth was born weighing 6 lbs 3 oz, considerably smaller than my first though born at 39w5d whereas my daughter was born at 38w5d on her own time weighing 7 lb 12oz!.
I had no tears and no hemmerhoids -- unlike with my first, and I am back into my regular clothes and the bleeding has just about stopped. I feel absolutely wonderful and I am jjust loving nursing my baby and smelling her sweet skin.
Opting for an induction was a really multifaceted decision and I was quite torn about it., But in retrospect,. it allowed me to relax knowing I had prepared my 2 year old to be without us for the longest stretch of time in her life! She did great with my mother and missed the actual birth by 20 minutes (whihc was a good thing b/c I forgot how much pushing hurts and I was screaming like a crazy person even though I had been so clam and collected while laboring -- that part really brought back some old memories, lemme tell ya)
Best of luck to those of you in waiting -- no matter how you reach the finish line
blessings, amanda
