*My Birth Story!*

Monday December 14th I arrived at the hospital at 6 am to start my induction for my baby seeming to be very large and because I'm overweight. I was checked around 7:30 am and told my cervix was medium thickness and just barely 1 centimeter dilated. They inserted a pill into my cervix to soften it and then checked me around 2 pm and I was now 50% effaced and 2 centimeters. They were going to come back at 7 pm to check me but at 6 pm my water broke on its own!! Which meant my labor basically wasn't needing to be induced anymore. They gave me the option of the balloon which has quick results but would make me restricted to bed or cervadil the 'shoestring' that softens and can help labor progress. I chose the cervadil. They inserted that and checked me around 9 pm, I only dilated to a 2.5. I started experiencing the most intense pains of my life (yay contractions!). the monitor wasn't picking up my contractions so they kept putting off checking me. my nurse checked me at 12:00 am and I was still a 2.5, then my doctor checked me at 12:45 am and I was 6 centimeters! 3.5 in 45 minutes. Not a very good 45 minutes, my pulse was sky high along with my blood pressure, this was distressing my baby too. At around 2 am I got an epidural and things got SO much better. My blood pressure went right to where it should be along with my pulse and I could finally rest for a little. at 4:30 am I woke up to my nurse asking to check, she hardly put 2 fingers in and said 'we are going to have a baby!' 5 am my doctors arrived, 5:25 I started to push, 5:34 am my baby boy was laying on my chest!!!! I had the most amazing delivery and pushing was the best part. I wanted to go without an epidural but am so glad that I didn't because my body and baby were in so much stress before it. Elijah is 8 lb 4 oz and 21 inches long. not even close to the 10 lb they said he would be. He is everything and more than I have ever dreamed of ☺💓