Like many other mamas out there, I take the less is more approach to pregnancy.  I don’t take any medications, I drink lots of water and I eat healthy foods regularly. At 36 weeks, my doctor asked me if I wanted to go ahead and schedule an induction for week 38. Heck, no! NO induction for this mama! I mean, doesn’t that greatly increase your chances of having a c-section? C-sections are fantastic and have saved a lot of moms and babies, but I would prefer to not have one.

Week 38 rolled around and just for the heck of it (literally) my doctor decided that we would do an ultrasound at 39 weeks. We did our “just because” ultrasound and it turned out, the amount of amniotic fluid I had was extremely high.  This condition is called Polyhydramnios and it creates a few risks for the baby.  A higher chance of the cord wrapping around the baby’s neck and a higher chance that the baby could land on the umbilical cord if my water were to break. Those risks were concerning enough that my doctor decided that we needed to induce immediately.  Welp! This was not how I thought that ultrasound would go.

We casually walked out of the doctor’s office and went home.  Going to the hospital this time around was drastically different from my first birth experience.  I took a relaxing shower, shaved my legs and ate a light lunch.  We loaded up the car and headed to the hospital.  Really, it almost felt like we were heading out on a vacation rather than heading to the hospital. Once we arrived, I was admitted and immediately given a room.

The first round of Pitocin did nothing.  My doctor’s plan was to place a foley catheter filled with saline (think, tiny balloon) in my cervix to ripen it internally. In case you were wondering, I despise the term, “ripen” in reference to my cervix.  My water ended up breaking while the doctor was getting the foley catheter in place, so we had to forego the catheter. After my waters broke, we decided to see how my body would respond on its own before restarting Pitocin. At this point it was mid-night, so I was happy to get a chance to sleep a bit without being constantly interrupted.

An hour later, I was feeling light contractions, so we restarted Pitocin. This time around, I responded.  I wish I could be one of those mamas that can brave labor without pain medication, but I am not.  My epidural was placed around 6am and I’ve got to say, those epidurals are good stuff.  After the epidural was in place, my nurse got me set up with a peanut (peanut shaped yoga ball). I then napped for a few wonderful hours. My nurse checked my cervix around 10:45am after I started feeling pressure in my rib cage. Her eyes got rather large as she informed me that she  was going to call the doctor immediately because my baby was ready to be born. Our doctor got there just in time and two (seriously, TWO!!) pushes later my sweet baby girl was born.  8 pounds 13 ounces of pure perfection.

A new baby is like the beginning of all things – wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. – By Eda J. Le Shan

This birth experience was so much better than my first experience.  I labored in a private room without the worry of when was the right time to go to the hospital. Having my team of amazing nurses with me from the beginning to the end was such a supportive and calming experience.  Not going to lie, when/if baby #3 comes along, I am way more likely to take my doctor up on that pre-scheduled induction offer.