My Induction Birth Story: Gestational Hypertension, Pitocin, an Epidural, and an Unplanned C-Section

This post is my personal induction story, not medical advice.

Before I had my son, everything in my pregnancy had been going pretty smoothly.

Then, at 38 weeks and 6 days, I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension.

Honestly, my blood pressure was not even that high, but when you are that far along, it becomes one of those “better safe than sorry” situations. And if I am being completely honest, I was also so over being pregnant.

My son was born at the end of September, and it had been a long, hot summer. I was uncomfortable, huge, tired, and very ready to meet him.

The day before my induction, they diagnosed me with gestational hypertension, told me to go home, get my things together, and come back early the next morning.

I remember feeling so excited. I packed our bags, loaded everything up, and headed to the hospital thinking, “This is it. We are finally going to meet our baby.”

I had no idea just how long the next couple of days were going to be.

Arriving at the Hospital for My Induction

When we got to the hospital, they immediately started prepping me.

And right from the beginning, things were not exactly smooth.

They could not get an IV started.

I got poked five times before they finally got an IV placed in my hand. That was not how I pictured starting labor, and it definitely set the tone for how many unexpected things can happen during birth.

When I arrived, I was 1 cm dilated, so they were able to place a Foley balloon.

The Foley Balloon

The Foley balloon was definitely uncomfortable. For me, it felt very pinchy and crampy.

I had heard people describe it different ways before, but I do not think I fully understood what it would feel like until I was actually experiencing it. It was not the worst part of my labor by any means, but it was not exactly pleasant either.

Once the balloon came out, they started Pitocin.

Starting Pitocin

After starting Pitocin, I progressed fairly quickly to 6 cm.

At that point, I felt hopeful. Things seemed like they were moving. I thought maybe my body was doing what it needed to do and we were getting closer.

But then I stopped progressing.

I was stuck at 6 cm, and no matter what we tried, things were not changing.

The nurses had me bouncing on the birth ball and trying different positions. I was doing all the things you are “supposed” to do to help labor progress, but nothing was working.

Eventually, they decided to manually break my water.

By then, I had been in labor for about 12 hours, and the contractions were becoming unbearable.

Deciding to Get the Epidural

At that point, I was exhausted.

I had been moving, breathing through contractions, changing positions, bouncing on the ball, and trying to stay mentally strong. But I was so tired, and the contractions were intense.

I decided it was time to get an epidural.

And honestly, the epidural placement was the worst part of my entire labor experience.

The CRNA had a very difficult time placing it. I am talking 10 to 12 attempts. It was agonizing. My body started shaking, and eventually I had to take a break.

I remember feeling like I did not want to give up because I had already gone through so much to get to that point. I felt like the epidural was still my best option, but the process of getting it placed was terrible.

On what felt like the last attempt I was willing to try, he finally got it.

And that time, it did not hurt.

Once the epidural was placed, I felt immediate relief.

Labor Stalled Again

After the epidural, the nurses continued helping me change positions to try to get my son to drop down.

At that point, my body was having intense contractions very close together, but I still was not making progress.

Because my contractions were coming so quickly, they decided to back down on the Pitocin and then slowly ramp it back up again.

That ended up being a long process.

Once they started increasing the Pitocin again, my body was just exhausted. My contractions were no longer strong enough, and I still was not progressing the way I needed to.

Eventually, my water had been broken for 24 hours, and it was no longer considered safe to keep trying to labor.

That was the moment everything changed.

Finding Out I Needed a C-Section

I was devastated.

I cried because I had already gone through so much. The hours of labor. The Foley balloon. The contractions. The awful epidural placement. The exhaustion. The constant hope that maybe things would finally move forward.

And after all of that, I still needed a C-section.

I did not want to be cut open. I did not want surgery. I did not want that to be how my birth story went.

But at that point, I really did not have another choice.

They prepped me for the OR and wheeled me into surgery.

What the C-Section Felt Like

By the time I got to the operating room, I was extremely nauseous from all the medication and from being on my back for so long.

Luckily, they were able to use my epidural for the surgery, so I did not need to be put under.

But the experience was still very strange.

They strapped my arms out to the tables on each side of me. My husband was behind me. I could not feel my hands, and it felt like my eye was twitching.

At one point, if they reduced the medication, I could feel too much. But with the medication where it needed to be, I felt numb and strange and completely overwhelmed.

It is hard to explain unless you have been through it. You are awake, but you are not fully in your body. You are present, but everything feels surreal.

Hearing My Son Cry

Then finally, I heard my son cry.

And I immediately started crying too.

It was happiness, relief, exhaustion, fear, and love all hitting me at once.

After everything we had gone through, he was here.

He was finally here.

Why the C-Section Ended Up Being Necessary

After he was born, we found out that the cord had been wrapped around his neck and his body.

There had been no indication throughout labor that he was in distress, which I am so thankful for. But they explained that the C-section likely would have been inevitable, even if I had gone all the way to full term.

That brought me some peace.

At the time, I felt like my body had failed or like I had gone through all of that labor “for nothing.” But knowing there was a real reason he was not coming down helped me process it differently.

He was not stuck because I did something wrong.

My body was not failing.

This was just how he needed to be born.

What I Wish I Knew Before My Induction

Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had known before being induced.

I wish I knew that an induction can take a long time.

I wish I knew that progressing quickly at first does not always mean things will keep moving quickly.

I wish I knew that an epidural can be difficult to place, and that it is okay to speak up, pause, or ask questions during the process.

I wish I knew that needing a C-section after laboring for hours does not mean the labor was pointless.

And I really wish I knew that it is possible to feel grateful, disappointed, relieved, traumatized, and proud all at the same time.

What Helped Me During C-Section Recovery:

Because I was not expecting to have a C-section, I was not prepared for the recovery that came with it. Looking back, there were a handful of products that made those first few weeks so much easier. From getting out of bed more comfortably to caring for my incision and adjusting to life with a newborn, these are items I found myself reaching for again and again.

Read Next: Thing I Wish I Knew Before my Unplanned C-section.

Final Thoughts

My induction did not go the way I pictured.

I went in excited and ready to meet my baby. I left with a birth story that included gestational hypertension, a Foley balloon, Pitocin, a difficult epidural, stalled labor, broken waters, and an unplanned C-section.

It was a lot.

But it was also the story of how my son came into the world.

If you are preparing for an induction, I hope my story helps you feel less alone. Birth can be unpredictable. Things can change quickly. Plans can shift.

But needing interventions, an epidural, Pitocin, or a C-section does not make your birth any less valid.

You still did it.

You still brought your baby into the world.

And that matters.

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