FINALLY! IT has happened.
I went into active labour on the 10th day I was overdue (28th March). I started feeling regular strong contractions around noon and decided to adopt a wait till it's more unbearable state before deciding what to do attitude. I also wanted to wait for Etienne to be home before making any decision. After hours of trying to walk, sleep and surf the pain away, it started to get really unbearable around dinner time. Etienne came home, we had some dinner with mum and then we called the hospital and describe to them how I was feeling and what we should do. The staff at the hospital said that we could go in and they will take do an examination and if I am not in labour, I can always go home after that. With that in mind, we decided that I would prefer to go to the hospital in case this was it. We left home for the hospital around 9.30pm.
Once in the hospital, I was checked by the midwife and told that I was only 2cm dilated!!! I had thought that I should be much more dilated by then! I was put on the CTG and it read very strong and regular contractions and they also found out that I was running a fever. I was asked to try to walk for an hour and after that they checked me again and there was no change though the contractions were REALLY painful by then. Since I was having a fever, there was a chance of an infection so they asked if I would prefer to be induced. It was a preferable choice since I was already 10 days overdue and my labour does not seem to be progressing fast enough naturally. After being 1cm dilated on 14th March, I was only 2 cm dilated on 28 March with strong PAINFUL contractions. It seems impossible to me at that time. So, we agreed to be induce with Pitocin. With that decision, they also give me antibiotic through the IV and had to administer the epidural. The epidural is a choice that I have decided on pretty much early in the pregnancy. I am quite wimpy with pain and any pain relief is God sent. However, I was not expecting the epidural to be tough to inject! And boy was I wrong. The anesthetist had to do it three times! The first time I jerked from the needle being injected and it was not properly inserted. The second time it was inserted well but hit my blood vessel! Finally, the third try was good. That itself was a little daunting but it did help reduce the pain that I was having from the contractions. I could feel only an aching pain in my lower back bone whenever a contraction hits. It was much preferable to the overall pain I was feeling before the epidural. However, I was feeling much sicker from the antibiotic and vomited my dinner and more. In my heart I was praying that hopefully with all that happening, the labour is progressing faster and Laetitia will be in my arms soon.
I have been in the hospital for about 5 hours and was hour into the Pitocin when they found that baby's heartbeat was going down to 80 and up to 160 and decided to try to break my waters and turn the Pitocin off. And they also took some blood from the head of the baby to measure her pH and were checking the amniotic fluid etc and a whole lot of other examination/test. I was starting to be really exhausted and also extremely worried about baby. I just wanted Laetitia to be healthy and delivered safely. Finally, at about 5am, the doctor made a decision that it would be better for me to have a cesarean as it seems that she had pooed in utero, she did not react well to the stronger contractions from Pitocin and I was not dilated fast naturally. So, they wheeled me immediated off to the surgery room and Laetitia was born a healthy little baby on 29 March at 5.25am! She is a healthy 3.48kg and measures 51cm. Her first apgar score is 10/10! I am so proud of her.
Here's some first day pictures of Baby Laetitia!
