If you are a male or could care less about reading birth stories then you might want to go ahead and click off of this blog ;).
I know I am not the only woman out there who loves reading a good birth story! I don't know what it is but they are so neat to me..Especially when im pregnant! I have friends who just had a baby, who are pregnant, and some who aren't moms yet but I wanted to share my 2 birth stories because they are VERY different and the second birth is what a lot of women I know are wondering about, excited about, or have done it too & in my personal opinion, I think it should be talked about more! :)
Easton's Birth:
When I was pregnant with Easton, I had a healthy pregnancy. I did have gestational diabetes but it was diet controlled and I ate healthier than I ever have in my whole life. At 39 weeks I was 3 cm dilated, 80 % effaced and had my membranes stripped. I was "ready at any minute" from my doctor. Another week passed and I was having contractions off and on some days and other days..nothing. January 15th, 2013 was 2 days before my due date. I was at work and having contractions every 8-10 minutes and then they would stop completely. I was keeping my eye on it but wasn't 100% sure. The next day was my 40 week check up so I was excited to see if I was progressing anymore. I took a picture that night before bed because I remember thinking "I'm huge!!" Now looking back, It looked so tiny!
That night, I woke up at 3 AM with contractions that were uncomfortable but not painful. I timed them for an hour, woke Jonathan up, called the Dr. and then got in the shower. They were starting to get more painful by then but nothing BAD. We headed to the hospital around 6:30-7 and got to triage around 7:30/8. They checked me and I was barely a 3.5 and still 80% effaced so no real change. I was having contractions every 4-5 minutes that were starting to last a little bit longer but wasn't have any dilation with them. I walked and walked for another hour and a half and still no change. I was given the option to go home or stay and have a little bit of Pitocin to help. I was in SO much pain at this point (back labor) that I didn't understand how I could leave the hospital like that but realistically I could have done it. I chose to stay and when I stood up to get admitted my water broke!! I was excited because that helped make my decision even more. (looking back, I should have gone home)
I was hooked up with an IV, a small dose of Pitocin, and ready to go. Since I was already in labor, this wasn't an induction ..it was just called augmenting labor. The contractions were really starting to hurt because of my water being broken and I STILL wasn't dilating after hours and hours. I got an epidural and immediately started dilating. I got the epidural at around 2pm. I labored all the way until 2:30/3:00 AM the next day! That's how long it took me to get to a 10. I pushed for 2 hours.
My doctor said that he felt OP (sunny side up) which was causing the back labor/taking forever to progress. At the 2 hour mark of pushing, my epidural had wore off, my temperature was going up from my water being broken for so long and Easton's heart rate was starting to jump. My doctor said he needed to be delivered and gave me the option of a Vacuum delivery but she didn't PREFER that option and neither did I so she recommended an emergency C-section.
At this point, I was SO out of it. As they were prepping me I was vomiting, loopy, in pain and just ready to have him out. I remember looking at my mother in law as they wheeled me out and her saying "its going to be ok!" I was so scared, tired, let down and felt like a failure. I wasn't even prepped for surgery but already second guessing every intervention I let take place.
We got into that cold room and less than 20 minutes later I heard the sweetest cry that I've ever heard and tears just rolled and rolled down my face. They popped Easton around for us to see him and Jonathan was completely out of it at this point too that he thought Easton didn't have his bottom lip. lol.
He was 6 lbs. 10 oz and born January 17,2013.
They wheeled me back to our room and Easton got to come in after being checked real quick since he was in fetal distress.
I got to hold that sweet little baby finally and I really did forget about all of the hard labor/delivery I had just gone through. And of course..just like almost every first time mom/C-section mamas I know...we struggled with breastfeeding right from the start! Woo!
After a couple of months went by, I realized that if I could help it I didn't want to do that whole C-section thing again and I wanted to try to let my body sort of decide. I researched and researched and read and googled and talked to random nurses/doctors/friends..anyone I could about VBACS. (Vaginal birth after cesarean section). I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would help me come to a decision and feel prepared & to also give me peace no matter what happens.
Sawyer's birth:
Fast forward to 15 months later and we got pregnant with Sawyer. VERY healthy pregnancy with no gestational diabetes! Woo hoo! I went to the chiropractor, was semi active (mainly chasing a toddler) and I tried to eat better.
At my 35 week appointment I asked the midwife I was seeing that day to do an internal check because I felt a good amount of pressure and sure enough I was 3 cm and 90% effaced...AT 35 WEEKS! She told me to pack my bags because he would come early. (I thought yeah right). I ran home and finished the nursery. HA! But I also was in disbelief that he would come early.
At my 37 week Check up (January 6th) I was still 3 CM and 80% effaced now and my doctor who delivered Easton (who I love) said that she didn't predict me going to my due date. I went home and took a nap while Easton napped. Around 5:30 we were getting ready to go eat dinner at Jonathan's uncles house and I was having Braxton hicks off and on (so I thought) but nothing crazy. They started picking up through dinner but I just tried to ignore them. At 7 pm I started timing them on my phone and they were every 3-4 minutes apart and were hurting pretty bad. We left at 7:30. On the way home I was hurting a little bit more but I thought there is no way I am in full blown labor at 37 weeks! We get home and I felt like I needed to push some. I called my dr and she said come in! So on our way to the hospital I felt like I needed to push the whole way. I was starting to realize things were moving quickly when I wasn't having any breaks between contractions and then I felt Sawyer get into the birth canal. lol Freaky. We ran into the hospital and im hunched over trying to walk. Jonathan was stuck trying to get us signed in since it was after the maternity ward was closed. We got there at about 8:30. I ran into triage (literally) and couldn't even get myself undressed..I had to have the nurse do it. My mother in law was with us but she got held back too to fill out some stuff. So I was by myself in triage and the nurse checked me (OUCH) I was 9cm!!! ahhh. They wheeled me back to delivery and it was go time!
They gave me the option of an epidural and I honestly was so scared of a uterine rupture and me having to have an emergency csection and having to be knocked out completely, that I got an epidural. I pushed for an hour and a half and he was born!!! 7lbs 3 oz at 3 weeks early. Birthday January 7, 2015 (same as his Nonnie's)
So a 26 hour labor resulting in a C-section vs. a 3 hour labor resulting with a VBAC! Crazy!!
My VBAC was so healing to me. Breastfeeding took off without any big problems and I got to nurse him for almost a year. I love talking about VBACs and love when my friends or other moms ask questions about them because I want other moms to know that there are other options besides repeat c-sections. (Finding out if you are a good candidate is probably the biggest thing)
My point of this blog post was to encourage other moms and to let any moms know that both births are HARD! I give my upmost respect to C-section moms because that is NO easy way to start out being a mom. ESP. a 1st time mom or a mom who labored 26 hours before, OR one who has to go back home to toddlers!
