The nurse checked us and my contractions weren't picking up and I was only dilated to 3, so they sent us home.
Thursday November 21st I had a check-up with my Dr. I was 39 weeks & 5 days. I was still at a 3 and she did a membrane sweep to help my body start more contractions.
Friday November 22nd I woke up having painful and frequent contractions so off to triage we went. They had been monitoring Genevieve's heart rate for a while and brought to our attention that her heart rate was pretty high, which wasn't very good. They also checked my dilation and I was at a 5. I wasn't in labor yet, but they encouraged us to go ahead and get admitted for an induction. We agreed that would be best, and around 9:30am I was hooked up to fluids and pitocin.
I started contracting pretty regularly, and they were becoming more painful. I wanted the epidural before they broke my water, and within a couple hours I was set up with an epidural. It worked just fine, and I asked the nurse to bring in the peanut ball to help me dilate with my contractions.
My Dr came in soon after to break my water. SO MUCH FLUID CAME OUT!! They had to bring more and more towels to soak up the fluids. I ended up needing a new gown cause the one I had was soaked with fluid. Cameron told me it looked like a gallon of fluid came out. My Dr was amazed at how much came out, and my stomach looked significantly smaller. I was checked for dilation and I was at an 8.
About an hour later I noticed my contractions getting more intense, which I expected but it hurt more than I remember from past deliveries. Then I could feel my legs, not good. I pushed my button for another dose for my epidural, and nothing. I waited to see if it would administer on its own... Nothing.
Suddenly my contractions were the most intense I have ever felt. Striking, piercing, pressured pain in my pelvic area, about where Genevieve's head was. I remember thinking that once she moves farther down the birth canal, it won't hurt so much in that area.
My Dr went off her shift at 7pm and we were all sure that Genevieve was gonna be born any minute. I started puking, my tell-tale sign that delivery was not far.
More time passed. No baby yet. My contractions had become so intense that I was yelling and crying during them. I was so exhausted from the amount of pain I was in that I was falling asleep in-between the contractions, which were about a minute to a minute and a half apart.
We asked for the anesthesiologist to come in and see what was wrong. She pushed lidocaine through my epidural line and it was the first bit of relief I felt in HOURS! I fell asleep cause I was starting to worry that I wouldn't have enough energy to push. But my nap didn't last long. The lidocaine wore off and I was back to intense pain, still in my pelvic area.
A nurse came in to check my progress around 9, and I was still at 8, with cervix still in the way. I felt a contraction coming on and my body instantly wanted to push, so I let it. I was already screaming in pain so I yelled to the nurse that I was pushing. I needed Genevieve to move down the birth canal! The nurse yelled back at me to immediately stop pushing. I was so confused cause I know when you feel the urge to push, you should push! The nurse said my cervix were still in the way and if I pushed, I could seriously damage them and things could go south very quickly.
The anesthesiologist stayed with us and pumped more and more lidocaine through my epidural line, but it only relieved pain for a moment. She suggested we re-do my epidural.
To keep me from pushing, the nurse had me doing breathing exercises. It was so incredibly difficult to not push. I was crying during the breathing cause the pain was just so intense. I remember saying "Why won't she move down??"
The on-call assistant Dr came in and felt my cervix as I had a contraction and he said that Genevieve didn't even budge. She wasn't coming down. Since I was on my back for that check, Genevieve's heart rate dropped significantly during that contraction.
Then the on-call Dr came in. Same one who delivered Walker. He was very calm and told us that it's very unusual to be dilated to an 8 for so long with no progress, and that with our track record, Genevieve is probably bigger than we think. He suggested a C-section. I looked at Cameron, he looked at me and nodded. I knew what he was thinking. Vaginal delivery was no longer safe for myself or Genevieve. We needed to have a C-section.
I was still having intense and painful contractions. The anesthesiologist began to re-do my epidural. It took everything in me to not move while still enduring the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. I had to breathe through the contractions while she carefully adjusted my epidural.
Once the new epidural was in, it worked pretty quickly, and I finally, FINALLY had relief. I grabbed the anesthesiologists arm and cried as I thanked her repeatedly.
I was wheeled into the OR, moved to the operating table and they started rubbing a solution over my stomach to sanitize, then the orange numbing solution was rubbed all over my stomach multiple, multiple times. The curtain was placed in front of me, and then they brought Cameron in. He stayed beside me and the anesthesiologist also stayed with me and told me when I'd feel movement and pressure. It was the strangest thing to know I was being cut open, to feel my body being shoved and jerked around as they cut through to get to Genevieve. I felt a sudden big jerk and I felt lighter. We heard her sweet cry and Cameron and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. She was here. Relief.
They brought her over to us and my goodness was she BIG! All the nurses were saying "Oh yea, she's at least 10lbs."
Cameron went back with Genevieve to our room to see her get weighed and measured. 10lbs. 11oz. 21.75 inches tall.
The Dr who performed the surgery said that he normally has to pull the baby out of the birth canal, but Genevieve was an easy one to pull out cause she wasn't in birth canal at all.
Overall it was about 40 minutes from the time they got us into the OR until they finished stitching me up. The nurse gave me a liquid to drink right before the surgery to keep me from getting sick during the operation, but I still ended up throwing up as they were stitching me up. I couldn't roll over to throw up, but the sweet anesthesiologist held a bag next to my face and used the same suction tool used by dentists to help me not choke. I apologized many times for throwing up at that point, but they assured me it didn't interfere with what the Dr's were doing.
In the last few weeks leading up to delivery I was told by so many "The 3rd one is a curve ball!" I thought I as ready for every curve ball that could come our way, even C-section. But I was not prepared for the massive curve ball of my epidural not working, then needing a C-section.
I'm so so grateful that Genevieve and I are safe and healthy. I'm grateful for Dr's who were ready to act and do what was best for us.
Recovery is much different this time around than with my vaginal births.
I love my little family, and I'm so grateful that we have been able to bring 3 beautiful children into the world.
One thing is sure, I couldn't have gotten through this without Cameron by my side. He was so strong during the whole thing. I know it was hard for him to watch me go through so much pain, but he was there every second. He let me squeeze his hand as hard as I could through the pain.
I am so lucky to have him with me through this wild ride of life.
