In this episode, my friend Meaghan shares her induction experience followed by an agonizing 4th degree vaginal tear! Meaghan's Birth Story: Pre-pregnancy I was diagnosed with Chrohn’s disease and PCOS. Finding out I was pregnant was a huge surprise, but a welcomed one! My Chrohn’s symptoms were completely suppressed in pregnancy, and I was able to be off my medication the entire time which was unexpected! After a pretty normal pregnancy, I was induced 5 days after my due date on a Wednesday night. After about 12 hours of pitocin and cytotec to soften the cervix not much was happening and a foley balloon was placed to get my cervix to 4cm. I had a foley balloon in for almost 10 hours and Thursday late afternoon I was finally at 4cm and able to remove the balloon. Within a few hours, I reached around 7cm and the doctor broke my bag of water manually. I was able to try a “walking” epidural where there is no lidocaine so I could get pain relief and stay out of bed. Within 30 minutes I was asked to stay seated because of stress on the baby, so I switch to a full epidural. I got to 9 1/2 cm late Thursday night and stayed there for about 8 hours until 7 AM. My nurse practiced spinning babies and many positions to help, but it was long and I was tired! I started pushing 9:30am Friday and delivered my son at 1:30 after 4 hours of pushing! He came out with his fist next to his head, and many of my tissues or a weakened from Crohn’s so there was initial obvious tearing. My son had to go to the nicU initially for breathing, and in that time my doctor discovered I have a fourth-Degree tear. Which she said was the second in her 15 year career. After about an hour of active stitching in a second doctor to help I was stitched up and asked to rest. I was able to see my son a few hours later from the nicU and he was doing great. Later that day when the nurses try to get me out of bed, I fainted. This continue to happen through the night so I wasn’t able to leave my bed. The next morning it showed my blood count was down 40% and I wouldn’t be able to go to bed until I got a blood transfusion or wait it out with saline. I got two bags of blood and by the end of Saturday was able to take a shower and get out of bed. Thankfully my husband was a huge help And baby was doing great and breast-feeding well. Healing a tear that bad it’s tough work and made for a tough postpartum. I had two infections that are so painful I could barely stand that came with high fevers and  I had anabiotic’s for both. Because of the anabiotic’s the baby and I both had thrush which a different medication as needed for. After about five weeks I finally started feeling more myself and able to fully care for my baby right when my husband went back to work. I’ve done pelvic floor therapy since six weeks postpartum and it’s helped a ton. I’m still dealing with tailbone pain if I sit too long And pain with intercourse, but have plans to see a specialist about scar tissue and potential trapped nerves. Coming out of my delivery I couldn’t find a lot of information about tears this bad, and I want to encourage others that you can really do the work to get a lot of your body back and it can be OK. Meaghan's Bio: Meagan lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Zac and son Lincoln, who is turning one in August. Meagan previously worked in hospitality sales before choosing to stay home with Lincoln. She loves to cook, take walks with their dog ralphie and read.        SPONSORS: Mommy Knows Best Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply. Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind.    Pl