Scottnsaranhenri VBAC birth & PIP

Scottnsaranhenri · February 2014

Baby girl Camille Evangeline arrived 2-10-14 at 12:02 AM. 9lbs 1oz & 20 inches long.

I started contracting Saturday night around 11. I managed to sleep between them until about 2 in the morning. Then I got up & started watching New Girl on Hulu & texted my friend who was my support person. She decided to come in to hang out with me. We were getting the first snow of the year (PNW), so it was a bit slick out.
My contractions were fairly strong- but not consistent. They'd go from 5 minutes apart to 15 minutes apart.
Sometime around 2 in the afternoon DH & I went up to try & nap & I noted I couldn't tell if the contractions were making me pee or if I was leaking fluid. Shortly after DH & friend said it was time to go to tfe hospital. I was surprised because I still felt Iike I wasn't frequent enough & I was still pretty excited. But she pointed out I had a lot of the emotional signposts & my contraction were very strong.
So off we went.
Our doula met us at the hospital, she had already checked us in so we only had to walk right into triage. I was already at a 6.5 to a 7 & my waters were leaking. We headed to delivery. Everything was a bit blurry around me, I labored & everyone scurried around. I needed to be monitored & have 2 hep locks placed. As soon as it was set up though I was given a portable monitor and allowed to get in the bathtub. I labored there for a bit over an hour. Then got out to try different positions.
I didn't have far to go at that point, almost at 10. My support was fantastic. At any point I had someone squeezing my hips, another pushing on my back & someone else holding my hands.
When they finally said I could push- well honestly that's when it got hard. I never got the strong urge to push & I couldn't really figure out how. I tried a birthing stool for quite a while & the nurse was amazing. Laying on the floor under me with a flashlight to guide me & check progress.
Eventually after 2 hours the dr came in. She said if I couldn't do it, they'd do a c/s, but she said the magic words "I think you can do this." So try I did. The doctor actually used some pressure with her fingers to show me where to push & she had me lay flat on my back to help move baby under my pubic bone. They put up the squat bar on the bed and tied a scarf to it. I put my feet on the bar & held onto the scarf & PUSHED!! About an hour an a half later, the dr came back to check on me & suddenly she's said "This baby is coming now!" And left to gown up,
At some point they had noticed meconium leaking so NICU was there, the bed was breaking down all this activity was happening outside my little bubble where all I could think was "Get It Out!"
The dr poured my jojoba oils all over & started stretching & massaging & all of a sudden baby crowned. She had me slow down then telling me when to push & when to wait. Then I heard her say something about the shoulder, I felt a ton of oressure & the dr saying "Push! Push!" Then she was slithering out of me. They put her immediately on my tummy, but they had to clamp & cut immediately because there was poop everywhere. They took her to the table and started cleaning her out while the dr delivered the placenta & stitched my 2nd degree tear. Apparently the shoulder was stuck & the doctor had reached right in and pulled her out.
I was never so exhausted or satisfied in my whole life. I was able to labor & deliver completely unmedicated after a previous c/s. And I have a gorgeous little girl to remind me forever that I could do it.
I'm sorry for mistakes as I've done this on my phone.