The Day I Was Induced

We went back to the hospital on July 24th. I do not remember much about the bulk of the day. I think we slept pretty much most of the day. I remember my husband forcing me to eat a couple slices of the leftover pizza. I remember him phoning the hospital to tell them we are on our way.

We arrive at the hospital, and park in the parkade. It was a very long walk from the car to Labor and Delivery.

I was induced at around 4:20 PM. They tell me it will take about 2 or 3 hours before I start feeling any contractions. However, the first contraction came about 20 minutes later. It was really quick in starting, so looking back, I wonder if my body was starting to realize that I was no longer carrying a live baby.

I am fuzzy on the timeline here. I was given Demerol to help with the pain. Anyone who knows me knows I have low pain tolerance. The Demerol did not help me with my pain, but somehow I put up with the pain. I never asked for more medication. But because my baby was no longer living, they kept pumping me with painkillers.

At one point, someone brought in a tv and vcr for us. My husband watched movies while I slept. I hardly spoke at all. Although I do remember asking a nurse if they could just cut the baby out of me. Or maybe that was the day before when they first told me what my options are.

I remember at one point I felt sick and I told the nurse that I was going to throw up. She turned around to get a pail and as she was about to pass it to me I threw up all over her. I later developed a migraine as my blood pressure raised with the contractions. I had been plagued with migraines for the bulk of the last 10 years at this point. This was also my last migraine. I have not had one since.

I remember they decided it was time for an epidural. They called the anaesthetist to come up. Unfortunately at this point, he is busy with another patient. They thought he would not be up to see me for a while so they gave me some more Demerol. By the time that was starting to kick in, the anaesthetist was there. So, they sat me up for the epidural but I was like jelly, I could not sit up and I was sleepy. He kept asking me to look at him and tell him my name but I could not keep my eyes open long enough to look at him. I guess they decided to go ahead with it and I hardly remember it. I was told later that my husband and a nurse or maybe 2 nurses held me up, because I had fallen back to sleep.

I do not know what time it is at this point. But I think I slept for a few hours. I remember waking up and looking at the clock. It was 10 o'clock AM. I fell back to sleep.

A little while later, I woke up again. I felt like I was dreaming because I could not really see, and I was lightheaded. I could not see my husband. I could not see anyone around me. I started to fall back to sleep when I realized I felt a bubble in my private area. At first I thought it was gas, since I was basically numb. Then I realized what it really was. It was my baby's head!

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