DeBruhl #3

Tuesday January 25th- I had a Dr's appointment and the news was the same.  Not effaced.  Not dilated.  I was on the schedule to go to the hospital wed. night to start cervadil and then start the pitocin thursday morning.

Wednesday, January 26th- Andy worked from home and I got things ready around the house and prepared mentally for the days ahead!  I lost my mucous plug in the morning and thought I might do this on my own!  We got to the hospital around 4:30pm and Dr. Panner was to give the Cervadil.  He checked and made sure we still needed to do it and was definitely convinced it was necessary.  Meds were in by 7:30 and we turned lights out by 9:30.  I thought this would be a process I wouldn't feel.  I thought I would just sleep and wake up and be ready for labor.  I was wrong!  Around 11, I started having contractions that were uncomfortable, and as the night went on, they got stronger.  I was mentally frustrated cause I wasn't getting the sleep I needed to sustain the labor and delivery the next day (I was told it could last through early friday morning).  Physically, I was struggling a bit as well. Once it hit about 3 or 4 in the morning, I wanted to peel my skin off... the contractions were painful, I was tired, and there wasn't much of a break from them.  I thought for sure when Dr. Jones got there in the morning, I would be 5cm.  I wasn't quite dilated 1cm.  After all that and hardly any progress, the possibility of a long labor, and the ultimate possibility of a c-section- i opted for the epidural.  I put aside my fears of the epidural and decided I didn't have to try to be super woman!

Thursday, January 27th-

7am- He broke my water, I got the epidural, and started the pitocin.  That epidural was heaven! My mom and Andy would watch the monitor that showed my contractions and would tell me when I had a big contraction!  I was able to take a nap and get the rest I needed to push later in the day!

10am- Suzy arrives!  Yes, my college roommate clocked in on her day off to be my labor and delivery nurse!  It was a blessing!  She took great care of us and was just as excited as we were!  We were able to joke around and enjoy the time together leading up to Ella's arrival!  Having her also made me more comfortable about the possibly embarrassing things that could happen during labor!  When she arrived I was dilated a little less than 3cm.

12pm- Dilated 5cm.

2pm- Dilated 7cm.  Suzy said the pattern was dilating a cm every hour, so she said I should reach 10cm around 5pm and should have a baby by 7pm.  That was good news to know we weren't going to be there all night long!

3pm-  I started to feel major pressure on my pelvic floor and felt like I needed to poop really badly!  I had that desire to push the poop out!!! (it wasn't really poop, it was Ella)  Suzy was not expecting me to be 10cm, so we talked about why I shouldn't push.  After about 15 minutes of the desire to push getting worse, Suzy checked me and I was definitely ready! I had reached 10 cm. and she called for Dr. Jones.... who as in a c-section.  So we started with practice pushes and if I was able to push Ella to a point, then we would stop until Dr. Jones was available. Good thing we started pushing cause I needed to work her down.  I got her to a point, and she wasn't moving much past that point.  You could kind of see it in Suzy's face that she thought we might have to go in for a c-section, but she wouldn't come out and say it.  She kept encouraging me to push and would say "Dr.'s can work miracles!  You never know what they might decide to do"

5pm- Dr. Jones came in and saw the progress we had made.  He looked at me and said, "I can get her out this way, but I am going to have to cut you and we will have to use the suction."  I said lets do it! So everyone started coming in and getting things ready!  With Dr. Jones, I pushed and pushed without any breaks for 10-15 minutes while he did all he could to help her get past that point of my pelvic bones that he wasn't sure if she would fit.

5:22- She arrives! I pushed for 2 hours, and those last 15 minutes were tough!  He brought her through without a c-section, and in his words "She paved the way for her siblings, so you shouldn't have problems delivering in the future".  She was 6lbs 15oz and 20in. long.

Reflection on God's providence:

I really wanted to consider asking Dr. Jones to let me try to go longer and see if I would go into labor on my own, but I decided not to cause I wanted to trust him as a doctor.  So I didn't get to go into labor on my own, but I am thankful we induced on my due date.  Dr. Jones said if she has been half a pound bigger, He would not have been able to pull her through.  So we avoided a c-section by not waiting.  I am thankful for God's providence over a vaginal delivery even if it came via induction.  Praising the Lord for his good plan and provision over us during this precious time!

We are home and Ella is such a content baby!  She only cries when she is hungry and can get a little fussy if she has gas or needs to go number 2.  Otherwise, she is content to be where you put her and just looks around taking in her new world.  She is such a blessing and we thank the Lord daily for His grace to us through her little life!