Cal and Evie's Birth Story Part 2

...to catch up on the first part of the twins' birth story check out yesterday's post!

We ended with me getting a small dose of Pitocin to get things going. A small dose turned into the full amount because my body just wasn't responding with strong contractions.

Fighting through it. My doula would braid my hair for comfort and it felt SO good! 

Despite me wanting the least amount of interventions possible (I was already on mag and pit) due to some high blood pressure, we also decided it was time to break my water. I was stagnant and my doula and I agreed that this was a good step forward since some women's bodies respond quickly when their water breaks. I was dilated to a six when the doctor came in and broke Evie's (baby A) water.

Raw emotion right there. 

That did seem to speed things up and make my contractions more intense. After a little while the doctor came in and checked me and declared that I was a 9.5! I was thrilled and remember thinking, "wow...that wasn't so bad! I did it!"

My doula in her bunny suit after they wheeled me back from the OR. 

Matt and my doula suited up in their bunny suits and they wheeled me into the Operating Room. A different doctor checked me one last time and said, "Who checked her and said she was a 9.5?! She is only a 7!" Upon hearing this I started crying. When you have been laboring that long and think you are done...it is devastating news. Especially since I didn't have the comfort of an epidural.

They wheeled me back to Labor and Delivery where I knew I was going to have to keep laboring for a few more hours. I was so disappointed but made it to a 9 after a couple of hours.

The CRAZY swelling I got after being on so much magnesium. I'll have to come back and post a picture of my "regular" leg soon. By the time I delivered I didn't even have knee caps. 

I finally hit 9 centimeters at 3 pm and kept telling myself that I was SO close to meeting my miracles. Little did I know that I would stay at a 9 for FOUR hours. I can't begin to describe how miserable that was. The sensation of feeling like I had to push but wasn't allowed to (because they didn't want my cervix to tear) is unreal.

Honestly this is gross but imagine that you are sick with diarrhea and you gotta go but everyone is telling you not to. Then add in that they are making you drink coffee, while riding a horse, on the world's bumpiest dirt road. Oh and add massive cramping/pain to that without a break in between. FOR FOUR HOURS.

Stay tuned for part 3!