I forgot to mention a few things in Part 1. Before I got my epidural, I was also catheterized. I didn't expect that to hurt as much as it did. It was pretty terrible! I'm not sure if the nurse who put it in didn't do a good job or if that's just how it goes, but it was incredibly uncomfortable. It continued to be uncomfortable after it was in. That was another reason I was all on board to get an epidural.
I also had an oxygen monitor put on my toe. And since my legs were so swollen, there were some pressure things that were wrapped around my calves. They would get tight every few minutes and help stimulate my blood flow to prevent blood clots. Oh, and a blood pressure cuff that would go off every 30 minutes. So I had an iv in my arm, a blood pressure cuff on the other arm, leads stuck on my chest to monitor my heart rate, two heart rate monitors on my belly to monitor the babies' heart rates, a catheter, leg pressure things on both of my legs, and an oxygen monitor on my toe. I couldn't move at all, which was incredibly uncomfortable. I was used to switching up my position every ten minutes or so, but now I was stuck on my back for hours.
Remember how I talked about how I was given magnesium because of my preeclampsia? Well, one of the charming side effects is making you feel incredibly hot. The nurses had warned me of this side effect and I didn't think too much about it. But it was terrible! It made me feel like my insides were boiling! I have never felt so hot in all my life. I was also on restricted fluid intake, so I was only able to have a measly half cup of ice chips every few hours. It was miserable to be so hot and not able to have water or ice. My throat would get so dry! I would try to ration my ice chips, but I was so darn thirsty when I finally got my new batch that I would gobble it all down at once!
Finally a nurse asked me if I wanted some washcloths soaked in ice water to put on my head. Adam and my mom had been putting washcloths with cold water from the sink on me, but it felt like the washcloths had been soaked in hot water instead. The ice water-soaked washcloths did help, but they only felt cold for the first few minutes they were on me. I also figured out that I could suck some water out of the washcloths. I'm sure I was jeopardizing my health by sucking up more water than I was supposed to, but I was so incredibly thirsty and my throat was so dry I could barely breathe or swallow. I kept asking people to get the washcloths wet again so I could suck out more water until they caught on. I looked really pretty at this point. See below for proof.
Around 6:15 in the morning on August 3, I was put on Pitocin. Pitocin helps your contractions get stronger and closer together. At this point I was dilated to 2.5 centimeters.
My contractions were definitely getting closer together and they looked stronger on the monitor, but thanks to the epidural I couldn't really feel them. Even though my contractions were improving, they still weren't really consistent. The reason was because of the magnesium. Basically, the Pitocin and the magnesium were working against each other. While Pitocin works to move labor along, magnesium works to slow or stop contractions. So the nurses kept cranking up the Pitocin, but the magnesium prevented it from working as well as it would have on its own.
Right around this time, my blood work showed that my blood sugar level was high. Because of this, I was put on an insulin drip. What's some more medicine being pumped into my body?
I was checked several more times and at 10am was dilated to 8cm and was 85%-95% effaced. The OB on call was pretty excited by this and said that I would probably have my babies by late morning or early afternoon! I was very excited by this news!
However, late morning turned into early afternoon. And then early afternoon turned into late afternoon. Then late afternoon turned into early evening and still no babies. I never dilated past 8cm. And my contractions started petering out. I honestly don't remember a lot about this day. I had so many drugs running through my body and just remember being super tired and very uncomfortable because I couldn't move around. I was still super thirsty and hot. I was so ready to be done!
Eventually, the OB on call decided to stop the Pitocin for an hour and give me a break. The thinking behind it was that my body could rest and then give it another try. My OB had told the on call OB how much I wanted a vaginal delivery. So the on call OB gave me every opportunity to make that happen. I definitely appreciated how patient the on call OB was with me.
During my break, a nurse named Julie asked me if I wanted a popsicle. I hadn't had anything to eat since the previous evening and just a measly amount of ice chips every few hours, so a popsicle sounded like a four course meal! I will remember Julie and that popsicle for the rest of my life! It was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten in all my life! Even though I was still exhausted and kinda fuzzy from all the medications being pumped through my body, I remember thinking it was quite the coincidence that I was having twins while eating a twin pop. My mom later told me I had asked Julie if I got to have both sides of the twin pop and that I was beside myself when she said yes.
After my break, they restarted the Pitocin. They cranked it up and my contractions did get closer together. Unfortunately, I still hadn't dilated past 8 cm. At this point, the on call OB told me I needed to start considering a c-section. By this point I was so incredibly tired and just plain ready to be done with the whole labor and delivery. So I agreed it was the best thing to do at this point.
I'll save the c-section for the next part!
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