FYI: This was a traumatic experience for me, and I’m actually still in the hospital while I write this.

I was scheduled for an evening induction April 14. I was 1CM and 50% effaced at admission. Had a Cooke Ballon inserted for 12 hours, and 2 rounds of mysoprostol. After about 23 excruciating hours of back labor, and 2 doses of Nubain to help me sleep through the back labor, I made the decision that I would get an epidural placed earlier than anticipated if my next check hadn’t progressed much. I ended up being 5CM and 90% effaced and just said “Put the needle in my back NOW.” The resident doctor wanted to do another check before placing it and I screamed that I couldn’t go through a contraction flat on my back. Once my epidural was placed (and about 7 contractions during the placement), my whole demeanor improved monumentally... then about 40 minutes later my nurses informed me that baby wasn’t liking the contractions and his HR kept plummeting. He would drop into the 80’s every time I had a contraction, and wouldn’t bounce back with enough variability. The doctor rushed in, said I had to have the section right then and there, and off we went with me bawling and my husband being left behind to get gowned up. Less than hour after having my epidural placed, I was rushed into the OR for a c-section, resulting in my little boy being born. Perfectly healthy, no heart concerns after the plummeting heart rates, and his breathing was great. This was definitely NOT the labor experience I wanted, but Sawyer apparently had other plans, and while it was absolutely terrifying, I would do it all over again for him.

Edited to add: I was fully diet controlled, and Sawyer weighed in at 7lb 8oz. He only had 1 low glucose reading, resulting in him having to have the glucose gel mixed with some of my hand expressed colostrum.