I still can't believe I was told I'd be having a medical induction. It felt like something that happened to someone else, not me. I'd always thought abortions, inductions, and all that were things that happened to other people, not me.

But life has other plans. And it's not just a nightmare I'd wake up from and everything would be fine.

I'd done all the necessary tests for pregnancy complications, and I was waiting anxiously for the results. Unfortunately, all the tests showed that I'd have to terminate the pregnancy. And I was pregnant with a daughter, a girl. The ultrasound showed no abnormalities, but after the tests - the NIPT and amniocentesis - it was a different story.

By the time I got the results, I was already 18 weeks pregnant, and my growing belly was just starting to show. I was feeling okay, no morning sickness, which was a relief.

I'd read all the posts about medical inductions beforehand, and I wanted to share my experience, maybe it'd help someone else too.

Pregnancy is a fragile thing, it turns out. Anything can happen. Miscarriages, stillbirths, placental issues, and so on. Not to mention how hard it is to move around, bloating, digestive issues, morning sickness, the need to run to the bathroom every 40 minutes, shortness of breath when climbing stairs, and so on.

🍀 How it all happens

Day one

I went to the hospital on the appointed day, feeling like I was walking to my execution. I had to fill out all the necessary paperwork, and the doctor did another ultrasound. When she said the baby's heartbeat was present, I started crying. But what can you do? The complications can't be fixed; it's not something that can be treated.

The nurse took a blood sample from my vein and inserted a catheter. I had to use this catheter for the next three days, and it was a real pain. It hurt when I moved my hand, it hurt when I slept, I had to find a comfortable position to fall asleep, not to mention that I couldn't wash my face or style my hair. Get the catheter inserted in your left hand, it's less uncomfortable.

I was taken to a single-bed room in this hospital.

The hospital bed was medical-grade, and you could adjust the headrest or footrest using the control panel.

I'm just glad they put me on a different floor from the gynecology department. I mean, I would've been staring at all those kids' photos on the walls and just crying about my situation.

I was put on a different floor, where patients with various conditions were staying.

The medical staff were friendly, and I have to say, if they hadn't been, I would've felt like I was at a slaughterhouse during that procedure I was about to undergo.

On the first day, they took my blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and blood, and gave me an injection in my leg for the blood clot.

The second day

After breakfast, they took my blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. Then the gynecologist came in, gave me a pill to induce labor - MisoOne.

I had a bit of a stomachache, like when my period starts, but it passed. After lunch, she gave me another pill, and my stomach started hurting a lot more.

My husband was sitting with me in the room, and the nurses and nurse assistants would come in periodically, bringing a special stool, probably for artificial labor. It's a chair with handles, and inside the seat, there's a metal container. The container is needed when everything starts coming out, like the placenta and the baby.

I was constantly running from the bed to the bathroom, not knowing how to lie down comfortably so it wouldn't hurt so much. They brought me an IV with painkillers, and I got it.

The pain

I have to say, the pain wasn't like when I get my period. It's a different kind, lower in my stomach. But it's bearable. Not super intense, I could handle it.

For some reason, I started feeling cold, and I had chills, so I put on two sweaters, and my body started shaking violently, and I was literally bouncing up and down in bed. I was scared, and my husband was too. I asked the nurses why I was shaking so much.

They brought me another IV with stronger painkillers. Finally, the shaking stopped.

My lower stomach was cramping, like I was having contractions every two minutes. I've never given birth before, but I guess that's what it feels like. Finally, it started pulling down, and the placenta came out, and I rushed to the bathroom, and it all happened - the baby came out, and the placenta💧💧. My stomach stopped hurting immediately.

The nurses came running in, and they took everything away. They started preparing me for the D&C procedure under general anesthesia.

After the procedure, nothing hurt. But I was bleeding a lot, so I took some sanitary pads, and then they gave me an IV with oxytocin, and a catheter was already in my left hand. They finally removed the catheter from my right hand.

They discharged me the next day. In the end, I spent three days in the hospital.

After all that, my head was pounding like during my period, but without the pain for about three weeks. At first, it was moderate, then just a drip.

I remember, two days after that, my breasts swelled up, and oh boy, they hurt so bad I couldn't sleep or even touch them - that's when the milk came in. I had to go back to the hospital. They taught me how to use a breast pump and gave me special pills to stop lactation. They worked. I spent another three days in the hospital.

The Verdict

They said I could get pregnant again and plan for a natural birth three months after the artificial one. This procedure is terrible, but the emotional toll is worse. The physical pain fades, but the emotional pain doesn't.

You shouldn't be afraid of artificial births. In my case, it all went quickly, even the same day. The first and third days don't count. Although the doctor said some women experience pain and the process can take three days, which is worse.

The procedure isn't great, but when you need it, you'll do it. I hope it doesn't happen again.