Some of you may not know but our son was a c section delivery after 14 hours of labor, having my water broken at 1cm dialated, pitocin shortly after that and having the worst labor and delivery nurse in the world. Even though I received an epidural the nurse had me basically sitting upright in the bed so the only thing numb was my butt. I pushed for 3 hours feeling all of the contraction and being told “they don’t call it labor for nothing” from my nurse. At shift change I got a new nurse who lowered my bed and the epidural finally was working. I pushed for another almost 2 hours before the Dr told me I had to have a c section. I was very sad and disappointed with this decision after working so hard. I will write this full birth experience next but for now I want to focus on the most amazing birth experience ever!

When we decided to have another baby I made the decision to attempt a natural birth instead of opting for another c section. There was only one OBGYN office that would perform a VBAC (vaginal birth after C section) in town so I had to switch Dr’s to go this route. I knew my first birth experience wasn’t the greatest but it wasn’t until talking with the new Dr about having a vbac that I realized how traumatized I really was from my first birth experience. Every appointment I had with her I would bring up what I didn’t want to happen and asking how we could prevent it this time. We also hired a doula this time around to help me through the process. I needed all the support I could get!

As my due date got closer we came up with a tentative birth plan. We would wait as long as my Dr. felt baby and I were healthy enough to wait to go into labor naturally but schedule and induction in case I didn’t go into labor on my own.

With my first birth. I was induced at 40 weeks and 4 days and delivered at 40 weeks 5 days. Induction included cervadil, which softens the cervix, that was placed the night we checked in. My Dr. broke my water at 7am the next morning at only 1 cm dilated then pitocin was started shortly after that. So when I heard induction I was very nervous. I did not want a repeat of the first experience.

We scheduled my induction at 41 weeks and 2 days. Labor did not start naturally so we checked in Saturday, November 17th at 8am. We were shown to our room, filled out all the normal paperwork, got hooked up to the IV and met with the Dr. I was still only at 1.5cm dilated and around 80% effaced. My Dr ordered pitocin to see how I responded to it. The nurse informed me that they start pitocin at 1 and it can go all the way up to 20. Don’t ask me how it works it just does. Pitocin was started at 10am and we started the waiting game. The nurse would come in, check on me and up the pitocin level occasionally. I could feel my uterus tighten like the Braxton hicks I had been experiencing most of my pregnancy but nothing was painful. Around 2:30pm the nurse was rubbing my stomach and telling me my body is going through alot (the pitocin was up to an 18 at this point and I was having a 5 minute long contraction that still was not painful) and I felt a sensation almost like the baby had kicked me and heard/felt a pop… That kick and pop was my water breaking! I can’t even tell you the relief I felt that my water broke on it’s own. My body was ready for labor! (I may have cried happy tears at this point) They turned down the pitocin and I started feeling the painful contractions that come with labor. They were pretty tolerable and I could actually talk between them. With my first birth I didn’t have much more than 30 seconds between contractions to catch my breath. My doula got to the hospital in record time and started helping both me and my husband through each contraction. I got on the yoga ball, I was able to still use the bathroom and at one point I decided to try and get on all 4s on the bed. While my contractions were ramping up I decided to have the nurse order the epidural because I knew I would want a little help with the pain come pushing time. (We also could hear a poor momma in the next room over before my contractions started and she sounded like she was in so much pain. I didn’t want to get to the point of screaming like her. I wanted a good experience and I am not against pain meds) At around 4pm I decided it was too much pain and called for the Dr to check me and for the epidural. My Dr came in to check me but I needed the epidural so at that point they sent in the anesthesiologist. As he was putting in the epidural my body started to tense up like I was going to throw up and push like I was having the baby. I remember one nurse saying oh that’s normal and another one saying don’t push. I really had no choice. My body was pushing! They got the epidural in and I was told it would take about 8 minutes to kick in… So 4:45pm my epidural would be working… The Dr came back in and checked me and told me we were ready to push. I was at a 10! Yay!

The next 40ish minutes were a blur with some random blips of memory… The sweet nurse had a hard time holding my leg, my husband was a rockstar and my doula was awesome at helping me stay focused. Even though I had my eyes closed 90% of the time I could hear her telling me I’m doing great or to push a little harder.  I do remember focusing and telling myself “this is it! This is what you wanted! Keep going! Almost there!” There were a few times I felt as if it was never going to happen. There were times between pushes that all I wanted to do was pass out and sleep for just a minute. My Dr was awesome and had me in the right position to help me deliver. She did have to perform an epesiodomy and she also had to use the vacuum to help our sweet baby girl out. When she was finally ALMOST out I was able to reach down and feel her head, something I had always wanted to do. I don’t remember much after that to when she was placed on my chest. Maybe it’s the brains way to cope with pain lol. But there she was! All 9lbs 10oz of our sweet baby girl! In my birth plan I had written up I included skin to skin for an hour after birth, the nurses helped me remove the top of my gown so that was possible before I delivered. The Dr allowed the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before they cut the cord. She allowed the placenta to deliver naturally AND one of the nurses gave me a glove and let me pick it up and touch it. I know that seems gross to many people but I find it fascinating that not only can i grow a human in my body but my body creates this whole new organ to keep this human alive! That and I like gross stuff.

The Dr did a great job and I will sing her praises to anyone who will listen and I also am just so thankful I had our doula with us as well. She tells me all the time I did awesome but I was there before and know the extra support helped me get through this and I accomplished what I set out to do!

After 41 weeks and 2 days our precious baby girl arrived. Abigail Grace was born Saturday November 17th, 2018 at 5:24pm weighing 9lbs 10oz and 21 inches long via VBAC.