Failed Induction

As most of you know I was scheduled for an induction due to my GD on Monday July 9th.  Things did not go as planned!  We’re totally ok with how things turned out and are looking forward to the completion of Munchkin’s birth story.  I’m giving you the short version.  I had the long version written out and lost it and I don’t feel like writing it out again. 

When I went in to L&D Monday night because we had to start with ripening (softening) the cervix.  This way while the medicine was working I could sleep and get some rest.  Unfortunately the first medicine, cervidil, did not work so we moved on to the next one, cytotec.  I had wanted to avoid the use of this medication since it is no FDA approved for use as a ripening agent and doing some research, but after talking to the doctors I agreed to try it.  I started on a lower dose on 50mg.  It produced some contractions but a little dilation but did not change anything else. 

4-6 hours after taking it I was still have contractions to close together to get another dose so we just waited it out.  I was dilated about 1-2 centimeters and continued to be about 75% effaced.  Munchkin had not dropped at all so she was still –2 station. 

Before I got another dose, this time of 100 mg, I snuck a sandwich.  The doctors didn’t want me to eat in case there was an emergency and I needed general anesthesia so I was on a liquid diet for most of Tuesday.  I was not a happy camper, especially since I only got the ok for the liquid diet after much persistence on the part of my nurse.  My night nurse told me I should eat and so there was no arguing from us and The Man went and got me a 6 inch subway sub.  Nothing has tasted so good!

So around 8 I got the next dose and it produced contractions but  there was no more progress.  I was still having somewhat regular contractions and they were making it hard to sleep.  We decided to discuss our options.  I will say that no one was rushing us.  As they told us, we were working against my body and trying to make it do something it wasn’t ready to do.  They were willing to go slow.  The night docs didn’t think that more cytotec was going to do anything for more for me so they were will to either do a Foley bulb or to try Pitocin.  We decided to try the Foley bulb to get a little more dilation before starting the Pitocin.   

The Foley bulb got placed with minimal pain and then we waited.  We tried to sleep but that didn’t work.  The Man and I were both exhausted.  We had sent Nana home the night before so at least one of us was well rested!  Eventually they removed the Foley Bulb and to our surprise IT DID NOTHING.  Still no progress past the 2 centimeters of dilation.  So we talked with the the doc (who we really, really liked) and agreed that we would move on to the Pitocin.

The snag came when turnover happened.  One of the residents came in with our new nurse and they did a cervical check.  This guy has HUGE hands and every time he’s checked me he could never find my cervix cause it was still posterior so he would have the nurse check after him.  That was fine but seriously, I hate having so many hands up there!  Since there was no progress he kinda said in passing to the nurse that we would do another round of 100 mg of cytotec.  WHAT?!?!  That wasn’t the plan!  That wasn’t what we had decided on with the night doc!  I wasn’t super comfy taking the cytotec in the first place and didn’t want to take another dose that large.  He didn’t talk to us about it but we knew we would get a chance to soon.

Then the nurse needed to take my blood pressure and I asked for it to be done manually.  My blood pressure has been fine but on the low side and often the machine has a hard time picking it up so it squeezes and squeezes and leaves a bruise.  She decided the give me a little lecture on how she could do it now but when it got busy later and had to take my blood pressure every 2-5 minutes she would have to use the machine.  Her tone was that of talking down to me like I was a kid.  Granted, I was exhausted but I was in disbelief.  I don’t remember what I said but during her speech The Man reached for his phone texted our doula and requested her presence.  We also alerted Nana that she should come back sooner rather than later so she was on her way as well.  Good thing we only live about 10 minutes away!

While we were waiting for the rest of my support team, The Man went to request a new nurse.  He asked for the nurse in charge and got directed to our nurse! He very calmly and nicely said we would like a different nurse.  She said that she would let the head nurse know and they would move thing around.  She did come in a little while later an apologize but we did get a new nurse.  (For the record, I’m sure the first nurse was very good at her job but it our personalities just didn’t mesh, especially with us having so little sleep.)

That was fine then the team of doctors walked in, all 6 of them.  One of them was our night doc and the rest were the night team.  We talked about the progress (or lack of) that I had made.  The night doc talked and told me he would be back that night, which made us very happy.  Then doc who would be in charge took over and said that cytotec was how we should go.  She talked about several things that I don’t remember at this point but she did agree that I since I didn’t get any sleep that I should rest.  She was going to give me three hours to rest and then we would continue.  While she was talking we got the impression that not everyone agreed with her.  She also told us that she was on for 24 hours so we would have some continuity.

They gave me a Benadryl and while I slept my mom stayed with me while The Man went and talked with our doula Ashley.  They talked and did a little research.  When they came back I was awake and the 4 of us talked and agreed on what we wanted.  The head doc came back with our nurse.  As she was talking another doc, Doc Z came in.  In talking one on one with the doc I became more comfortable with her.  She was recommending continuing on the cytotec but on a dose of 25 or 50 mg, something I was much more comfortable with.  We were testing the waters to see if they might let us go home but she nipped that idea in the bud and said that since it wasn’t an elective induction that wasn’t an option.  We also wanted a few more hours to try some natural methods like pressure points and nipple stimulation.  She shot that down too, in a nice way, since that was something she didn’t have experience/knowledge with.  She also told us that she would be doing clinicals that afternoon and would check on us when we got back.  We asked for some time to talk and decide and the Doc Z said he had something he would like to talk to us about.

So we talked and decided to do the 25 mg cytotec.  I got my lunch of baked chicken, steamed carrots and diet noodles and dug in. I was afraid they were going to take away my food again!  Doc Z came in to talk to us.  He started off by asking if we were Christians.  When we said yes, he offered to pray with us.  We were surprised and said of course!  Then he went on and told us about a little of what he studied in school.  I forget what it was called but there was this one thing that was stressed not to do on pregnant women because it could cause them to go into labor.  While he had done it for a few other women, it had only worked once but he offered to do it to me (I think it was called a CV4 but I’m not sure.)  It was basically a head massage.  We said yes to that too!  He would do it before I was given the cytotec and that he would be back when I was done eating.

About 20 minutes later, some more doctors came in.  This time in charge was Dr. T, the doc we had been seeing for infertility treatments.  He came in and said that since I was only taking 1/2 a glyburide pill I was very low risk.  I had been lumped in since I did have GD but all things considered my risk was small and since my body wasn’t ready there was no reason to push it.  He told us that if we wanted, we could go home!  If we chose that we would do a non stress test at the end of the week and that I could come back on my due date.  We jumped at this!  We can always go back in if I go into labor.  Dr. T and Dr. Z are going to be duty on Saturday and my midwife who’s been out of town will be on duty on Monday when I go in.  I’m excited that she’ll be there! 

We packed up the room super quickly (we had moved in and there was a ton to stuff!) and then had to wait for the discharge papers.  I was so excited to be going home, even if I didn’t have a baby in my arms!

So the induction failed and we are so, so thankful that Munchkin & I are fine.  It was so nice to sleep in my own bed next to The Man last night.  It was great to see the furbabies and just be able to relax at home.  I’m can’t tell you how thankful I am that we walked through this with both of us being fine.  Munchkin’s heartbeat remained strong the entire time and I’m doing great too.  This could have ended in a c-section and it didn’t.  We’re still here and still praying we’ll get our natural unmediated childbirth

I’m currently having irregular contractions.  It’s a warm, sunny day here in the PNW and I think I’m going to head outside and enjoy the warmth and a book.  We have nothing planned since we were expecting to be getting baby snuggles but this works too.

Thank you for your prayers and your concern.

We appreciate your continued prayers.

I keep you posted on when the little miss makes her appearance.