Being Induced for Preeclampsia: My Labor Story
Reading birth stories can help prepare you for what could happen during the labor and delivery process. There are so many unknowns when it comes to giving birth. Every woman and baby has a different story to tell.
I love sharing my labor story and letting other mamas and moms-to-be know it IS possible to have a positive induction experience!
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35 Weeks and 5 Days Pregnant
On the day of my induction, I woke up thinking it was a perfectly normal day (besides the whole being almost 9 months pregnant thing). I was 35 weeks and 5 days along.
I got up, got dressed, took a picture of my belly (I was only slightly obsessed with my baby bump) and went to work.
On my way to work, I was at a stop sign when I was suddenly rear-ended.
It was literally a tap but I went into instant Mama Bear mode, yelling at this guy for not paying attention and hitting a pregnant woman. There was no damage to the car and I ended up driving the rest of the way to work.
I called my OB’s office and they told me to come to the hospital for monitoring just to make sure everything was okay.
They didn’t sound too concerned and I could feel the baby moving just like always so I knew she was fine. I also felt fine so I went to work for a few hours to get some stuff done.
Ironically enough, my coworkers had planned a surprise baby shower for me that day. I ended up staying a little longer at work than I anticipated before heading home and going to the hospital with my husband.
They had apparently been waiting for me at the hospital and asked why we took so long (oops). They hooked me up to the fetal heart rate monitor and checked my vital signs.
The nurse suddenly turned to me and said, “Why is your blood pressure so high?”
Not Leaving The Hospital Until YOu Have Your Baby
Everyone thought maybe I was stressed out from “the accident” but I kept assuring them I felt fine! By this point, I had been rear-ended over six hours ago.
My nurse, who was fantastic, told us she had a feeling I was going to be here a little longer than we originally thought. She told us we’d probably have to stay for 24-hour monitoring.
They gave me an IV, drew labs and got a urine sample.
When they came back in with the results, my husband and I could tell something was wrong.
My blood pressure at this point was in the 170s/100s and my urine came back with a protein level of 790. For reference, they get concerned with blood pressures over 140/90 and proteinuria over 300.
I was told I had preeclampsia and that I wasn’t leaving the hospital until I had my baby.
This came as a total shock and surprise. I just had an OB check-up the DAY BEFORE and my blood pressure was perfectly normal.
Looking back, I’ve realized getting rear-ended had to be a blessing in disguise. We would have had no idea that I had developed preeclampsia if we hadn’t gone to the hospital that day.
You can read more about preeclampsia during pregnancy here.
Luckily, I had been getting prepared, just in case, and had a hospital bag almost completely packed at home. My husband went home to get all our stuff.
In the meantime, they gave me IV medication to lower my blood pressure and started Magnesium to prevent seizures from the preeclampsia.
Related post: Hospital Bag Must-Haves For Pregnant Mamas
STarting the INduction
When they checked my cervix, it was completed closed. I got my first dose of misoprostol to start the induction process.
Misoprostol causes cervical softening, dilation and uterine contractions. I got a total of three doses throughout the night.
A little before 5am, my husband and I heard a loud “pop”. I felt that warm gush that could only mean one thing… my water had broken.
The nurses helped me clean up, changed the sheets and then we just had to wait for the doctor to come to check how dilated I was.
I worked for several years as a bedside nurse in the hospital and had never been on the other side. Being the patient gave me a new appreciation for how humbling it is to be stuck in the hospital.
Luckily, my primary OB happened to be on call that day so she would more than likely be the one who delivered my baby. As a first-time mom, this was so reassuring since she knew me so well.
I had actually planned on using a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) for my labor. My prenatal appointment had alternated between my CNM and my OB. Since I was now high risk, the OB would be delivering my daughter.
contractions and Pitocin
While waiting for the doctor, my contractions started getting more regular and stronger. They were averaging 2 minutes long and 6 minutes apart.
However, they told me I probably wasn’t very dilated yet because I seemed “too comfortable”!
During my pregnancy, my platelets had been low due to gestational thrombocytopenia. That morning they were up over 100 (a normal platelet count is 150-400) so I was told I could get in epidural if I wanted one.
The only birth plan I had made in my head was just to be prepared for anything.
This was a good thing since being induced for preeclampsia was NOT how I expected my labor and delivery to go.
I wasn’t opposed to an epidural but wanted to hold off as long as I could.
When the doctor checking my cervix, I ended up being about 2-3 cm dilated that morning. I was upset I hadn’t progressed more but my OB said that was great.
The medical team guessed we would have a baby within the next 12 hours.
I was having double contractions but they had started spacing further out from each other so they decided to start Pitocin.
The Pitocin kicked my contractions into high gear.
I also had intense back labor. The nurse showed my husband how to put pressure on my back during a contraction which helped take some of the crushing pain away.
Time For the Epidural
After about an hour on the Pitocin, I decided I wanted to get the epidural. The anesthesiologist was in a C-section so I had to wait another 45 minutes before getting the epidural.
About 20 minutes after the epidural went in, I felt SO MUCH relief.
Apparently, at this point, I was texting my boss, according to my husband. Since I wasn’t prepared to be out of work already, I had to make sure everything was being taken care of!
I could barely feel my contractions but started feeling a lot of pressure in my butt. We were told this meant I was close to delivering.
The doctor came in and checked my cervix. I was now fully dilated and she could feel the top of my baby’s head!
Everything happened so quickly from here on out.
My daughter came so fast that the doctor barely made it in the room. The NICU team hadn’t even gotten there yet.
The nurse coached me through the labor process with my husband’s help. He held my left leg and got to watch the baby being born.
The Baby is Here!
I pushed for a total of seven minutes and our daughter was born at 12:02pm.
My labor lasted about 16 hours from the start of my induction with my first dose of misoprostol.
Since she was premature, they had to take my daughter to the NICU.
I did get to do an hour of skin to skin with her before that.
Luckily, she only needed a one-night NICU stay, then one night in the special care nursery. She was able to stay with me for one night after that and then, we both got to go home!
The 24 hours from induction to delivery were a whirlwind but we were so happy to welcome our tiny but healthy baby girl into the world four weeks early.
I was terrified of being induced after only hearing horror stories. I love sharing my labor story and letting other moms know it is possible to have a positive induction experience!
Thank you for writing about your experience! I went through something very similar with the birth of my son 18 months ago. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 38 weeks, was induced, but ended up having a c-section due to not progressing and my son flipping to a posterior position. I have struggled to come to terms with my birth experience. Reading about other birth experiences definitely helps! Maybe I should write mine out too.????
It’s so tough when it doesn’t go the way you anticipated. Writing about it is definitely therapeutic! I love reading other mama’s labor stories.