So Now I Know

The tacky peach color hasn't changed since 5 years ago - and that silly lamp!

My contractions going off the charts

At this point I was wondering if they would allow CNN to run in the background

Remember a post before this, I talked about my ding-donging decision making process to induce or not to induce because of my poor physical state? Yes so I did. But i'm never doing it again unless I really really have too for the next kid. Yes I would like at least 3 but I need to recover from this for at least 2-3 years... God willing.

After discussions with my doc, she said that if the cervix was dilated, we could prolly go ahead with inducing labour.

That would involve sticking a pill into your cervix and let the hormones do their thing. But if the cervix isn't ripen, the pill would be ineffective. The thing about inducing labour is that once you start the process, there's no turning back.

You are allowed a maximum of 2 pills and if nothing happens, you need to proceed for an emergency C-section to deliver the baby.

You can't go home and wait for labour to start because there is NO telling how fast the rate of absorbtion is and if the uterus suddenly contracts, its harmful for the baby.

What I failed to realize or maybe I was too impatient to listen carefully and know that these contractions that come with the hormone inducing pills are fake. Which means they are WAAAAAAAAAAY more painful and acute than normal labour contraction pains.

This is different from oxytocin which is given to augment labour already underway. This doesn't increase the labour pain. It's a mild drug to just help speed up the process a little...

Slap me now right?!

Finally after 2 weeks of waiting, I was dilated about 1 cm and the cervix had softened and we decided to head in on a Tuesday night.

Funny cause on the way in a nurse asks me why i'm inducing and she had done it and it hurt so horrible. But she said that since I was opting for epidurial I would be fine.

Pill goes in and slowly the contractions come.. it's ok.. cramping but not that bad.. and i'm still at a centimeter and a half. I'm coping ok and trying to sleep but nothing happens really. Then about 2.5 hours later, I suddenly feel this sharp pains come in all of a sudden. No warning. Just suddenly and it becomes unbearable. I try to breathe it off and use my mind power, whatever I could think of. Nothing happens. It just gets worse.

At this point my whole body starts shaking madly from the pain and I loose control of my muscles. I managed to crawl into bed and curl up and tell my husband not to be offended because I know he wants to help me but at this moment, just don't touch me. Poor guy. I know I found energy to apologise to him for that.

"Give me the epidurial now."

Nurse comes in and checks me, at this point, I think i'm so far into labour because the pains were like NOTHING I have ever felt. At this point, I think to myself... dodging bullets in Thai Red Shirt protests were NOTHING compared to what I was feeling now. This is a thousand times scarier!! If a doctor offered to knock me out unconscious at this point I would gladly accept.

"What? i'm still only 1.5 cm??? No progress after all that pain?"

"Sorry but I can't give you the epidurial yet because its too early. You have to be firther dialted. You just have to bare with it a little!" These words were confusing and not very comforting but at the same time something I kind of needed to hear because it makes you stronger.

She did give me an injection in the thigh just to take the edge off.

It worked for like 10 minutes and I was told that if the pain gets unbearable again, call the nurse.

10 minutes later, I start to bleed heaps and the pain seems to get worse.

I pray non stop, I think of Jesus being sacrificed on the cross and being stoned and think that what i'm going through is nothing compared to Him but it worked for 2 minutes.

"Sorry nurse I really tried to bare with it but its just horrible.. kill me now please!"

She checked me again and said that the sudden pain increase is because the cervix had suddenly doubled its dilation - see what I mean by inducing and the absorbtion rate?! It's not natural.

"Ok we can give you the epidurial, let's call the doctor."

They tell me he will be here soon and I ask if he's in the building and they tell me NO but not too worry because he is very quick.

I dunno why but then I go on to ask "Really? What car does he drive?!"

Anyway so long story short, he comes, gives me the epidurial and 20 minutes later I was myself again. I could open my eyes for prolonged periods of time.

Epidurial is Happydurial.

A couple of hours later, my pretty dainty doctor comes in as my Happydurial wears out but I have a little more strength from being able to nap and 2 pushes later, Nataley (who was then nameless) was out.

I never ever felt love at first sight but that morning, I did.

All pains were quickly washed away and once again I got to look at placenta and all, feel the amniotic sac that baby had been living in and hug that baby girl.

Of course the love at first sight was again interrupted with the first thought upon seeing the goo on her, "Oh she's so ugly... but she's mine!!!" ... then the love at first sight began..

But ask me again if i am going to induce birth? I would rather not.... Its too painful to do it... for me at least.