Sorry not sorry: Why I chose elective induction at 39 weeks (and would do it all over again)
Okay, I am 100% not trying to brag at all. My entire pregnancy – aside from some constipation early on and pretty bad heartburn later on – was extremely enjoyable.
Overall, I felt unbelievable. I had high energy, not a ton of bodily aches, and only gained about 20 pounds (which I am happy to say that I quickly lost!).
At my 35-week check-up with my OBGYN, I was told that they would start to perform cervical checks at 37 weeks and will continue on until 39 weeks. At my 37-week check, I was only 1 centimeter dilated. My doctor advised that they offer elective induction at 39 weeks.
This intrigued me. Mr. Millennial Mom and I spoke about it, at great length, and decided that would be an awesome option for me. Aside from being able (hopefully) to determine when our son would be born, it would make it a lot easier for me to determine when my maternity leave would start at work. To be quite honest, the idea of going into spontaneous labor at work, scared the shit out of me. What if I went to the bathroom and no one was there to help me? The last thing I wanted was the drama of having the paramedics come get me from the bathroom, or worse yet, delivering my baby at work.
The decision was made after we did extensive research. Some of which, painting a not-so-pretty picture about risks to me and the baby. I went into the hospital four days before my due date for cervical ripening using Cervidil, a prostaglandin. Yes, I giggled a little bit at that. When you’re dilating at a snail’s pace like I was, it was necessary before the Pitocin was administered. I was bed-ridden for 12 hours, while the Cervidil worked its magic. The next morning, at 7:30, the Cervidil was removed. They measured my cervix again, and I was discouraged to hear that I was still 1 centimeter.
They began to administer Pitocin at 7:30 A.M. I wasn’t expecting a speedy delivery, since this was my first baby and I had heard several times that with first pregnancies, I should expect anywhere from 12 to 16 hours of labor. Or even those that were also induced, but it took them eight hours. The nurse began checking my cervix about every couple of hours. I was shocked to see how quickly I was progressing, and it seemed the nurse and my doctor were just as surprised.
By 9 A.M., I was three centimeters dilated; by 11, I had jumped up to 5 centimeters. At 12:50, the doctor did a cervical check and she just turned to the nurse. All the nurse said was, “You’re kidding me, right?”
I had jumped to 10 centimeters and it was time to push. They hadn’t even prepared the room for a delivery! If Guinness is reading this, please contact me, as I feel like I might be in the running for the fastest first-time delivery. I began pushing at about 1, and by 1:20, we had a baby! All 8 pounds and 4 ounces practically ran out, leaving me with a 3rd degree laceration, but hey, it was completely and utterly worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
What was your delivery experience like? Would you (or did you) consider elective induction?
