My water breaking / failed vbac birth story

kim1730 · March 2011

I had a repeat c/s scheduled for 39w2d on thursday March 24th but the whole time I was hoping I'd go into labor on my own so I'd have a chance at a vbac. I knew I was about 50% effaced, completely closed and baby was extremely low, but dr still thought I had a chance of going into labor before the c/s date. Early tuesday morning at around 430 am, I woke up to what felt like I had passed a bit of gas and then peed myself - enough that my shorts were soaked but nothing on the sheets. I got up immediately to go to the bathroom, sat down, and then peed. Thats when I began to really think that my water had broken. I planned to go lie down for a bit to see if it happened again, but just as I was about to get up from the toilet, blood ... lots of blood, then I panicked. I had a placental abruption last pregnancy so the dr had told me to call right away at any sign of blood. I ran around trying to find the dr's phone number and to try to figure out if it would be better to just call 911. Meanwhile DH sorta wakes up and asks me if everything is ok. I told him No, I'm pretty sure my water just broke and I'm bleeding. He jumps out of bed and starts getting dressed. I call the answering service for the dr, call my mom to tell her to meet us at the hospital to pick up my 2 year old, and wait for the on call dr to call me back who tells me to get to the hospital right away after I tell him I'm still gushing water and blood. With all the commotion, DS wakes up, gets all upset, somehow bangs his head above the eye on a glass of water which leaves a nice gash and he's now bleeding and crying.

During the long drive to the hospital, I'm still leaking quite a bit and the contractions had just started to set in. We get to the hospital, meet my mom there, I get out and was about to say Hi, when another gush of water/blood comes along with a contraction. I tell her I'm sorry, I gotta go and run into the ER with a towel between my legs and tell them I need to go to L&D right away. I finally get there, get set up, and get swarmed by doctors who quickly confirm that everything is just fine. I had just happened to have my water break, lose my mucus plug, have my bloody show (it was much more than just a 'show' if you ask me) and go into labor all at the same time. I had told them I was going to try for a vbac, they check me and I'm only a fingertip dilated and 50% effaced. Yikes. Not good since I now have less than 24 hours to deliver on my own. But on the bright side my contractions were 2 minutes apart. And over the next few hours they began to hurt really bad and the nurses had told me I should get the epidural if I was planning on getting one. It was heaven, and I didnt feel more than a pinch when it went in. Dilation was very slow though. It took me about 12 hours to get to a 4. Baby was extremely low the entire time at +1 station. 24 hours after my water broke I was at a 8, 90% and +2 station. I could not get pitocin or anything to help me dilate faster because of my previous c-section. They let me go until about 26 hours after my water broke, but because I was stalled at 8 cm for over 3 hours it was time to cut me off and get a c-section.

Joshua Matthew was born on March 23 at 6:39 am - 7 lb 3 oz 19 1/2 inches. I was so happy to be awake for the c-section this time and hear the first cry.

Here he is: