The greatest words you can hear at 39 weeks pregnant

The greatest words you can hear from your OB at 39 weeks pregnant are “it’s time we bring this pregnancy to an end”, you will hear no complaint from me! It had been a rocky pregnancy to say the least and for unknown reasons, I was losing amniotic fluid and I hadn’t dilated more than .3 cm and was barely effaced. Labor was nowhere in sight
so my induction date was set for the 14^th of August. Because I hadn’t dilated I had to be manually dilated via balloons inflated to mimic the effect of the baby’s head. Bless the good Lord for amazing nurses. Yes, having balloons inflated pushing on your cervix hurts a lot, and my sweet nurses came in like clockwork all night long to give me medicine exactly when I needed it. The next morning I was 5 cm dilated and they removed the balloons, let me shower and then started my Pitocin. I spent the whole day sleeping on and off having mild contractions. At some point, I got my epidural (talk about feeling on top of the world!!) and continued sleeping on and off. I woke up a little after 6 feeling ready to push, being a first-time mom nobody really believed me and when they checked me found out that I was dilated to a 9.5 and Emmaline was on her way out. My OB had just enough time to get on his gown and gloves before my first pushes started. In 19 minutes (which actually felt like forever) sweet Emmaline made her entrance into the world. There aren’t enough words to describe what it’s like to hold your brand-new baby who was sent straight from Heaven. Tears streamed down my face as I stared into the eyes of my baby girl. My whole soul was filled with light and happiness and I was unbelievably grateful to be her mother! Some people have terrible experiences with being induced but I couldn’t have asked for a better first time delivery! I hope my next is just as easy!

- Jennifer