The Miracle of Childbirth

Obviously, there are lots of things I don't understand about hospital procedures and giving birth. Or in my case, NOT giving birth. 

After my regular almost 41 week OB appointment on Tuesday, the doctor told me that they would be doing a two stage induction, starting with the insertion of a gel on Thursday night. The gel is a synthetic hormone that mimics what your own body would produce to make the circumstances favourable for dilation etc. and theoretically, can start labour. After the insertion, you wait overnight and if you don't go into labour from the gel alone, you go back to the hospital the next day for the Oxytocin drip, which really WILL start labour. 

Okey dokey, right?

No.

They called me to hospital yesterday at about 3 pm. This gel application process is supposed to take about a hour.  We got there and got all hooked up to the monitors and waited for the doctor to come do the exam. And waited. And waited. Then the nurse whispers to me that there is MAJOR emergency and the doctor is really tied up and is going to be awhile. After about 3-4 hours of sitting on this really uncomfortable narrow gurney, a resident finally comes in to do the exam, but needs the doctor's approval before she can actually apply the gel. Finally, the doctor arrives, and we have to wait an hour after the gel is inserted to make sure that I don't go into labour (which would be good) or have an overreaction to the gel (which would be bad.)

After I'd been sitting for another hour with zero labour pains to be had, I finally was so uncomfortable that I had to sit up and lean forward. A few minutes later a new nurse who we'd barely seen comes in - looks at me and says "Oh, now you can't go home!" I'm not sure what this mean....I think for a second that the monitor magically shows that I am having contractions or something, but no, I was NOT allowed to sit up. WTF? I'd been there for 5 hours total, had sat patiently for the hour after the gel and knowing I was not in labour and would be going home shortly, leaned forward to ease my agony. Didn't matter,  the cranky, power hungry witch made me stay hooked up for another 15 minutes - just to be sure. 

Fast forward to this morning, the gel application resulted in zero change in my status, they just did it again and sent me home with the same instructions...if you don't go into labour come back tomorrow at 8 am. And even worse, they may do the EXACT same thing AGAIN tomorrow. They can apparently do this up to 4 times. Why did nobody mention this to me until today? There is a chance that they won't start a Oxytocin drip until Monday. Although the doctor and the nurses have said that would be highly unusual and since this is my second baby, they think today's gel application will start the labour. Whatever. I'll believe it when I am doubled over in pain.

According to the nurses the baby looks "fabulous" and is happy as can be right where it is. Clearly, there is no medical reason to induce me further - at least not today. This is good news in a way....while I was there today there was a woman coming over from the OB's office who had "no fetal movement" and hearing things like that always puts things into perspective for me. I am happy that the baby is doing well and there is no distress. I am fine, albeit, bored and uncomfortable. 

And so the waiting continues....