unmedicated VBAC

I have never posted here before, but thought some mamas planning a VBAC might benefit from my story, so here it is!

Also, I had a scheduled c-section with my son because he was footling breech.

At 4:15 am on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009, I woke up to go to the bathroom.  I got back in bed and laid down for a bit and then felt something warm between my legs.  I looked at the clock at it was 4:33am.
 
Funny side-note about this is that the first Tuesday of the month (which August 4th was) is girls night.  We've been doing it for a long time and it is our tradition.  Well, 4 months ago (also the first Tuesday of the month) one of the girls went into labor.  Her water broke at 4:30am and her son was born at 10:40pm that same night.  She had him naturally after 2 c-sections and she was and is a HUGE inspiration for me.  The night before my water broke she said something about how funny it would be if my water broke the next day.  We laughed about it and she jokingly said she would be thinking of me at 4:30!
 
So, back to 4:33am and the warm feeling.  I went back into the bathroom and the shorts I was wearing were quite wet and I had some bloody show.  I also had some cramps that I thought were constipation, so I just went to lay back down and see what was going to happen.  Well, I laid in bed for about 30 seconds when I realized there was no way I was going back to bed.  I was too excited!  So I went to lay in the living room.  DH asked what was going on and I told him that I was having some cramps and my water might have broken so I was going to go lay in the living room.  After about 30 minutes I started trying to time the cramps (which at this point I realize are in fact contractions) and I can't do it.  I go back into the bedroom and DH and I time them together.  We laugh and talk between them and even during some of them because they are not too bad.  At 6am, I decide to call the doulas (T and A) and see what they think.  While I am on the phone with T, I really have to breathe through contractions.  She says it sounds like labor and she will call A and they will be on their way after they get breakfast and whatnot.  Contractions get harder and stronger pretty quick, but they are still manageable.  I was doing laundry and folding diapers and would just get on all fours during a contraction, and have DH put his hand on my back.  At 8:30am DS woke up and T and A arrived shortly after.  DS was eating breakfast and we all stood in the kitchen talking and laughing and I would just get on all fours during contractions.  Around 9am my mom came to pick up DS and at this point contractions were painful enough that I really had to breathe and think myself through them.  The support I got from DH, T, and A was amazing!  It was really stressful for me to hear DS crying (he was scared because I was on all fours moaning) and I just really wanted him and my mom to go.  They left around 10am (the carseat in my mom's car was not installed right and DH couldn't get it right so he was trying to install our extra carseat in her car while T was with me.  I remember telling her that I needed DH, but I didn't want her to leave to get him.  Then I would tell her to get him, but stay here.  I am fairly sure this was transition for me.  After they got the carseat installed and my mom and DS were gone, contractions got hard and strong.  T and A said it was probably time to go and I just didn't want to get up and walk.  I also remember asking T if she was sure this was labor!  They said we could either get in the car and leave or call an ambulance.  T and I got in the backseat of DH's car and A followed us in her car.  I rode to the hospital, on my knees facing the back of the car screaming at DH's driving the whole time while also screaming that I needed to push.  I wanted nothing more than to push.  We finally pulled up to the hospital and someone got me a wheelchair (which I had said I didn't want prior to labor, but wanted so much once we got there!)  I am sure I was a sight to see because I also sat on my knees, facing the back of the weelchair and had DH push the wheelchair backwards so I could go forwards.  I should also add that I was wearing one of DH's shirts, an adult diaper, and a pair of DH's boxers.  DH later told me that the shirt was tucked into the diaper so I am sure that just added to the amusement!

We got on the elevator to go to the 4th floor and then they realized it only goes to 3.  FABULOUS!  The whole time I am screaming that I need to push and everyone is telling me not to.  The poor physical plant worker who was in the elevator with us is scarred for life I am sure.  He tried hard to help though and got us into the right elevator and up to the right floor.  But then no one knew where to go, so they were just pushing me and pretty much screaming for help.

This is when we passed the resident eating a candy bar in her office.  She rushed us over to triage (I am fairly sure she thought I was just a crazy laboring woman dilated to a 2 and thinking it was bad).  We got into the triage room and they made A and T wait outside.  The resident told me to get on the bed so she could check me and I just told her I really wanted to push.  She told me not to push because I might not be dilated yet and she needed to check me and I needed to get on the bed.  I told her no because it hurt so much and she could check me where I was (I was leaning over the bed with my feet still on the floor).  She said fine and started to check and it hurt so badly I screamed (T later told me she heard me scream in the hall) so I got on the bed and she checked and said I was a 10 and then said that there was a tiny lip of cervix still left so I shouldn't push.  The urge to push was nearly unbearable and all I wanted to do was to push my baby out!  They wheeled me on the bed into a delivery room (which we later learned was a high risk room because there were no regular rooms available).  I was on the bed on all fours with my lower half nude, so lady-like.  At this point, the resident asked me what drug I wanted for pain management!  I told her nothing.

Anyway, on the way to the delivery room, I kept asking if the L was on her way and the man said that if we didn't bring L with us she wasn't coming (I don't think he knew L was the midwife and A called on the way to the hospital to let her know we were coming).  So we get into the delivery room and someone tells me to get on the other bed.  I said I really didn't want to since I was in the middle of a contraction.  She was quite rude, but when the contraction was over, I scooted over onto the other bed.  Then someone said they were going to start my IV and I told them I didn't want an IV.  I was told it was hospital policy and I said I didn't care, I didn't want it (although I didn't say it that nicely).  They then said they wanted to do a Hep-Loc and I said no to that too.  That really made them mad, but I just didn't care.  L later told me that she got yelled at twice because I refused the IV and the Hep-Loc (my birth plan stated that I would have a Hep-Loc, but in the moment I just didn't want one).  I also heard a nurse call that we needed Pitocin (why, I don't know, routine I thought, and L later agreed).  A nurse kept trying to get the baby's heartbeat on a monitor and I just kept pushing her hand away.  It was really irritating to me to have her touching my stomach.  There were so many people in the room that I finally just yelled that everyone needed to leave and surprisingly everyone but L and one nurse left (the 3 people I brought stayed though, which is what I wanted). 

At some point they told me that they could not differentiate my heartbeat and the baby's because mine was high and baby's was low so they wanted to do an internal fetal monitor.  I said no and L said that I really needed to get the baby out because they couldn't make sure baby was okay.  She said if I didn't start pushing more effectively, I would still be pregnant in an hour.  At this point I thought they were sending me in for a c-section and I got a burst of pushing energy.  I not so nicely, told her to think positively.  I kept switching positions, squatting, standing, and laying on my side and baby's head was just not coming down.  I could feel the head come down and after a push, suck back up.  It was so frustrating.

At one point I was squating and stood up and the nurse said that she could still get the baby's heartbeat with me squating and I yelled at her that I wasn't moving for her.  T said that was one of her favorite moments. 

Finally, I got back on all fours and leaned on DH (he said I was choking him) and pushed and pushed and pushed until I felt baby's head crowning.  At this point I feel the nurse drop the monitor off my belly and I hear her yelling for L (apparently she had left the room to get yelled at by the doctors for my lack of IV).  L rushed in as I was pushing the baby's head (and the hand that she had by her face) out and at 11:47am our 7 lb 15 oz, 19.25 in long beautiful baby girl was born (She even pooped on my hand as I was pulling her out).  I called that it was a girl, but then had to look again to make sure since the cord was covering her genitals.  She was in fact a girl, and once the cord stopped pulsing, DH cut it and we were able to cuddle our sweet baby.  It was an amazing experience.  She didn't get suctioned or taken away or anything and we just got to hold the baby we had been waiting so long for.  I had only a tiny little ?flap? of a tear that didn?t even need a stitch.

After delivering the placenta (about 30 minutes after she was born), DH and I talked about names.  He said Juliet and I told him while I was pushing I kept thinking Meredith Joy (we didn't even know she was a girl until she was born, but Mama's have a special sense I think).  After she was born I really didn't like Joy, and DH mentioned Meredith Juliet and I said Meredith Claire.  He said he liked it and so she was named.

Having a med-free vaginal birth after a scheduled c-section was such an incredible difference.  I felt amazing and even mentioned that I would do it again within an hour of her birth.  Meredith was alert and active and responsive and I felt like I could do anything! It was amazing!  About 2 hours after she was born, L asked when we had planned on leaving and DH said as soon as we could.  She said we could leave then, but I really didn't want to have to cook dinner that night so we stayed overnight.

When we were leaving the hospital, I was being wheeled out and I was talking to the lady wheeling me and I said something about how they need bigger signs on the elevators that don't go to the 4th and 5th floors.  Then she said "You're the one!  You came in in labor yesterday and almost pushed your baby out in the elevator with my friend!  Was it a hand or a foot hanging out?"  I told her that was me, but nothing was hanging out.  That's just how rumors get started...