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3rd Trimester
My VBAC Birth Story!! (Long)
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Hey Ladies!
I had a VBAC on March 26th (my EDD, go figure)! Two weeks ago I posted ?My Water
Broke This Morning? on the 3rd Tri boards:
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/33914240.aspx
SO HERE?S THE REST OF THE STORY:
I made ?the call? at 3pm and as I expected, I was told to head straight to L&D. I had already taken a shower and curled my hair really nicely in the hours after my water broke, LOL! I figured I?d complete the look by wearing a maternity dress to the hospital since my water was still leaking. I also decided to take some castor oil because my contractions never started. I knew that the drs would go crazy if I walked in with a broken bag of water and no contractions?especially since I wanted to VBAC! I mixed it up with some vanilla ice cream and it wasn?t nearly as bad as I thought it would be!
We dropped DS off at the sitter and headed to the hospital. My parents were already on the way down from Maryland. Dad would get DS from sitter and mom would meet us at the hospital. Our doula was on the way also. Feeling good?labor plan activated perfectly thus far! All of a sudden it hit me that I wouldn?t be able to eat for several hours (maybe days) so I made DH stop and pick up 2 chicken soft tacos from a burrito joint! He was NOT happy considering he wanted to go to the hospital immediately after my water broke. It?s now nearly 7.5 later! After wolfing down my food in the hospital parking lot, I was ready to ?start the clock? and enter the hospital!!! My contractions began as we walked through the halls. I had my big birthing ball in hand and was bent over in discomfort. I repeatedly refused a wheelchair because I knew walking would help bring the baby down. It took a long time to register for some reason and the L&D unit was completely full! They said they?d take me to triage for assessment but had no idea when I?d get my own room! Contractions started getting much stronger? and the castor oil was kicking in also! Oh joy! I?m doing my best to hold it all in because I wanted to use the bathroom in my private L&D room. That obviously wasn?t going to happen. Luckily there was just one other patient in the triage area. I was in the bathroom for over an hour! (TMI, I know!) It was awful because I had really strong contractions in between. NOT a good combo! I was finally able to put on my gown and get in the bed to be assessed. I was 3cms and 80% effaced! Better than Monday?s internal! By now the contractions are more rapid? The kind that you definitely can?t talk through? The kind that you brace yourself for when they start and then feel so relieved when they end! My doula arrived and DS updated her on my progress. She jumped right in and they both talked me through the contrax. Rubbing, breathing, encouraging. I was on the NST monitor so I couldn?t use my birthing ball or move while laboring in triage!
Not sure how much time had passed, but a nurse said my room was ready. Again, I chose to walk to the room instead of using a wheelchair. I stopped and leaned on my doula when a contraction came. I was verbal and probably sounded like a wild animal (low grunting, low & deep breathing)! I remember the nurse telling people I wanted natural labor and that ?this is how your grandmothers used to do it!? I guess I was a ?big deal? because most L&D patients at my hospital are high risk (multiple births, older mothers, heart issues, high blood pressure etc. As a result those patients typically have c-sections and epidurals. Some of the staff had never actually witnessed an all natural, med-free labor! Craziness!).
Anyway, we?re in my room finally and I rush to the bathroom. Yes, again! I threw up and pooped? but I personally don?t think it was from the castor oil. I think my body was in transition?or getting ready for it! Well my next internal concluded 6cms and 100% effaced! The resident dr then says, ?Since you?re a VBAC we?re going to place an internal monitor on the baby?s head because that will provide us better readings on his condition.? I said, ?NOPE, absolutely NO internal monitoring. External is fine because I?ll have limited ability to move, but internal is out of the question.? She was shocked! She didn?t say a word and then had the nurse hook me back up to the NST monitors in bed. One VICTORY down, who knows how many to go!!! I was laboring in the bed and the contractions were 1000 times worse than when I was walking and standing up! Oh no! The resident dr said, ?You know the pain is only going to get worse. We can give you something for it. You still have a ways to go before you begin pushing. The epidural will help you rest. Let me know what you want to do. We?ll give you whatever you want. If you go natural, you?d be my personal hero! Ha ha.? WHAT??? Was she serious???? Some 2nd yr resident dr?NOT the attending-- pretty much taunting me during labor????? My DH and doula were really upset?DH especially! The staff had a copy of my birth plan and I specifically asked NOT TO BE OFFERED MEDS! Stupid resident! Well she got in my head because all I could think about after that was relief and sleep. They wouldn?t let me get out of bed so I felt like the pain would never end? unless I got medication. I had to be on the monitors for a certain amount of time in the bed before getting up and being monitored while on the birthing ball. DH & doula encouraged me through each contraction but I was too far gone. Instead of embracing the contractions like I had been doing up until 6cms, I was now fighting them. They were coming one after the other after the other with little relief in between.
I felt like an absolute failure for requesting an epidural. I was crying and kept apologizing to my DH and doula. They kept saying not to put so much pressure on myself. After all of this preparation, all of the reading, all of the praying, all of the positive thinking? I caved and asked for an epidural. Shortly after the anesthesiologist left, I started feeling better. There was a shift change and I now had a different resident dr-- a 4th year! She was calm and reassuring-- totally different than the other resident. I told her how badly I wanted a VBAC...and she actually listened to me. I kept asking DH if I made the right decision. He reassured me that no matter what happened from here, he?s proud of me. With that, I relaxed and got some rest. Instead of lying on my back, my doula suggested I lie on my side and then switch every hour. My mom finally arrived (after helping my dad put DS to bed). Now my birth space was perfect: DH, Mom, Doula and inspirational gospel music in the background. The next time they checked me, I was eight centimeters! Progress! This was the turning point for me because with DS #1 I got to 8-9 cms and didn?t progress. My impatient dr pretty much forced me into a c-section without offering suggestions on how to get things going. DH texted family & friends with update and asked them to continue praying for us.
About another hour went by and they checked me again? 9.5 cms! YES! The new resident dr came back in and said, ?We?re going to try to see if you can push yourself to 10 cms.? Everyone got in position: Doula on my left, Mom and DH on my right. I pushed three times, but the ?lip? wasn?t budging. Dr said she?d let my body do the rest and would come back in an hour or so. I was elated!!! 9.5 cms AND a practice push!! Wahoo!!! Well finally the time came. Dr checked me one last time and I was ready to go! I pushed for 20 minutes and our little one was born! I cried and cried and cried! I couldn?t believe! I VBAC?d! I DID IT!! Whatsmore, I had a 1st degree tear that required only a few stitches! PRAISE GOD!!! I VBAC?d!!!! So at the end of the day I labored at the hospital from 4:30pm to 1:30am?9 hours! Add to that the 8 hours I stayed home AFTER my water broke (8:30am-4:30pm). I VBAC?d!!!!
Recovery has been good. I was really, really sore/swollen for the first week but now I feel fabulous! Week two has been much better! I?m healing well and have cut back significantly on the meds! Although I had no complications with my c-section scar or recovery, it took forever to actually feel like myself again. Well my VBAC has been a totally different experience! I?m 100% mobile and feel that I can handle caring for LO and DS at the same time. Breastfeeding is going very well also! We had a great start?put him right on my chest! With DS, I didn?t get to hold him and start breastfeeding for several hours after the c-section.
I?m sorry this was so long! Thank you for letting me share my journey to VBAC!
All the best!
-Nicole-
For those of you trying for a VBAC here?s my advice:
-Pray and Trust God: This was personally the glue that held everything together. I prayed for a vaginal birth immediately after my c-section. At the end of Feb when Lent season started, my sacrifice was Facebook. It sounds silly but for me, giving up FB was really, really hard?especially since I knew I?d have the baby during the Lent season which would prevent me from announcing it online. But, I did it and prayed for a vaginal birth during the 40 days. I prayed that God give me the right nurses and doctors in the hospital. I also prayed and quoted scripture aloud during labor (?I can do ALL things through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS ME? Philippians 4:13). I prayed aloud for the doctors and nurses during delivery. I prayed and prayed because I wanted the presence of God in my birth space.
-Prepare Yourself: Read, read, read! Learn the risks of VBAC vs RCS. Join ICAN!
-Challenge Your Doctors & Hospital: If they say ?NO VBACS? then find someone else! Go to a pro-VBAC hospital because it makes a difference! Be sure you?re clear about what meds you want/don?t want upfront. Be in control! It?s YOUR body!
-Hire a Doula: Best $500 bucks DH and I ever spent! She helped DH understand why VBAC was so important to me vs simply scheduling a RCS. She gave me advice throughout the pregnancy, gave me books and videos to study, suggested birthing and exercise/yoga classes, stayed with us throughout labor and was simply a friend.
-Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: I started at 37 weeks but wish started sooner! I made huge pitchers and drank it cold rather than brewing one cup at a time. It?s supposed to strengthen your uterus so I figured it couldn?t hurt to add it to my diet!
-INSERT Evening Primrose Oil in Vag: Like many people, I was scared to do this at first. I was really worried that I would hurt the baby or have some sort of reaction. It?s supposed to soften your cervix which will result in dilation. I started poking holes on 2 capsules and inserting them before bedtime at 39 wks, 3 days. My water broke at 39 wks, 6 days! Nuff said!
-Prepare Your Birth Space: Ina May?s Guide To Childbirth was an excellent resource! She talked about making your birth space sacred and special. Fill it with photos from home, relaxing/inspirational music, familiar/trustworthy people, etc. Ask the nurses at the hospital to refrain from bringing a bunch of different people in your room. Distractions can stall labor. Unfamiliar people can stall labor. Give yourself the best chance to birth by being in control of who?s in your birth space!
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Re: My VBAC Birth Story!! (Long)
That's fantastic! Good for you for sticking up for yourself regarding the internal monitors. Congrats on your new baby!
Do not feel like a failure for getting an epi. You did great, and sometimes, epi's can actually help with progress (it did for me- I wanted to go med free too).
Thanks for the tips; I'm not going for a vbac, but I do plan to try to go med free again.
I just also had a successful VBAC!! Congratulations to you!!!
I also had to get the epidural, and I was scared and felt like a failure for needing it, but in the end it didn't stop my progress, it helped, thank goodness!!!
I am loving these successful vbac stories. It gives me so much hope and inspiration. Congratulations!! I hope you continue to feel well. I support your decision for an epidural in the end. No worries or regrets! You did it!!
One thing I am looking forward to after a successful vbac is being able to be awake enought to hold my baby. I seriously have a picture of me reaching out to hold my DS where I look like I crack mama!! "Give me my baby." Sad, but true and captured for all eternity!!