After 40 long weeks, it was finally time to meet Haddie. We had settled on an induction since Haddie showed no signs of coming on her own. At my 39 Week and 2 Day Appointment, I was still not dilating and had only experienced a few BH contractions. We were scheduled to go in for the induction at midnight the day after my due date, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
The plan was to start Cervidil that night, and in the morning, they could break my water and start Pitocin to really get things going. I, of course, did my research and was planning to be laying around for hours waiting for the medicine do all the work. I was also aware that the medicine used to induce labor can cause some pretty serious contractions. I will say that at the beginning of the pregnancy, I was gung-ho about having a natural delivery. By the time 40 Weeks and an induction rolled around, I had changed my tune slightly. I was going in open to the epidural, and planned to at least experience labor. I had heard that the IV pain medicine could cause some crazy side effects, so I had not given them much thought. My game plan was to see how my body handled the inducing medicines and go from there. If I absolutely needed it, I would not beat myself up about getting the epidural. That was about as much of a Birth Plan as I had.
The night before we were supposed to go in, I got a call at 1am. It was a local number, but who would call at this hour?! It was the hospital! They asked me if I was coming in. I panicked. I thought I had messed up. I told them that I was under the impression I was to come in at midnight the next day. Apparently, I had been scheduled twice for both nights. I instantly got scared they were going to tell me to come on in. Or worse, that they would have to reschedule for a later date. I was not mentally prepared for that! Instead, she apologized and told me to go back to sleep. So, I did. The rest of the day was spent doing some last minute cleaning and napping. Ed was working his last day before taking off a week. So, I had the house to myself and enjoyed my last few relaxing hours. My Grandparents stopped by and brought me a huge hamburger and fries. I ate every bit.
At around 8:30pm, I began having some pretty strong BH-like contractions. In case you hadn't noticed, Haddie had a way of making her prescence known before major appointments or events. With these BH contractions there was still no pain, but the tightening sensation was definitely stronger. By 10pm, they were beginning to pick up strength and were coming regularly. I would relate the feeling to menstrual cramps with a long, tight stomach muscle spasm. But the worst part was the pain in my back with each one. I knew they were the "real deal." Haddie was going to have the last word. No one was making her come! I jokingly told Ed that we would have been going to the Hospital that night regardless.
After the last few hours of counting contractions and twiddling my thumbs, it was finally time to leave. We took some pictures in her Nursery and checked (and double checked) everything in the house before heading out. It was a strange feeling to know that we would not be coming back to the house without Haddie in our arms. We stopped at the gas station so Ed could get a cappuccino, and I got my final pregnancy craving: hot chocolate. I chugged my hot chocolate as we made our way. I had a coupon for a free dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, so we also made a small detour to pick those up too. My nerves were all out of sorts, I didn't even eat a doughnut.
My Mom called to check in. I told her I had been having contractions for a few hours. She said she would check in again before going in to work. I had been under the impression that inductions took time. I had told the family that there was no point in missing work to sit at the hospital. They should just come on in after work. I could tell from my Mom's voice, she was questioning that judgement. We finally pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. We unloaded our luggage and decided who was going to carry what. After a few deep breaths, we walked (I waddled) into the hospital doors....
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