SET UP: With a previous Cesarean, Bryan and I decided that we would go for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). Many doctors and hospitals will not allow for this procedure due to high risk. After extensive research, we still wanted to try. Doctor Lewis (and our hospital) would allow for the attempt. Yay!
40 Weeks, 5 Days: Contractions through the middle of the night. This could be it. No Baby.
40 Weeks, 6 Days: Wake up with contractions. Feel it out. No Baby.
41 Weeks: Wake up Sunday morning at 5 a.m. with 6 out of 10 pain level contractions. Let’s see how this day goes. Contractions continue throughout the morning and afternoon 10-15 minutes apart. (The kind of contractions that you have to stop talking through but are still manageable.) Around dinner time, contractions start to become more intense and closer together. As close as 4-5 minutes. Could this really be it?
SIDE NOTE: My Cesarean had been scheduled for the following morning on September 1, Labor Day, at noon.
If this was really, really the start of labor, I had a chance to deliver naturally. And with contractions this intense and close together...this was it for sure.
My first evaluation: 3 centimeters dilated, 80 % effaced. Phew! What a relief. (The week prior, I wasn’t even a 1 and there was no signs of my cervix being ready for a baby.)
They would continue to check me every couple hours for progression. Our goal: a centimeter an hour. The contractions still weren’t close enough together for an epidural. When finding out I was moving along slower than they’d like, we decided to break my water.
SIDE NOTE: Breaking my water was a terrifying (and I mean terrifying) thought considering that once my water broke with my previous pregnancy, it left me in deathly pain.
11 a.m. A doctor came in to break my water. Nice guy, extremely painful procedure. But at least it was one step closer to having our baby. Contractions became slightly more intense and a minute or two closer...but NOTHING that I expected. I thought I would be in serious pain every 2-3 minutes. It was more like every 6-7 minutes.
Doctor Lewis came in around 2 p.m. to check in on me. I was now at 5 centimeters. She thought everything was progressing normally and not to worry. When I asked her about when to get the epidural, she replied, “When you start having pain.” Ummm, okay...I wish I would have known that sooner! In fear of the epidural slowing things down, she thought the opposite would happen. Her guess would be that the epidural would allow my body to stop fighting the contractions and relax a bit.
2:30 p.m.: Got the epidural. Felt it effects within minutes and began to enjoy not being in pain. My family came back in the room the check on me when they started to notice my contractions coming in HUGE every 3 minutes or so. I didn’t feel a thing! Yay! Finally we were getting closer to Baby coming. And without Cesarean.
When Doctor Lewis came back to check me a few hours later, I had only progressed to 6 centimeters, which disappointed everybody. She said I still had nothing to worry about because other signs of labor were showing up. She ordered the nurses to turn me from side to side every 30 minutes in order to move Baby’s head down the birth canal.
8 p.m.: As the night continued, my contractions slowed down a bit. Another disappointing sigh. And I was staying at a 6. Siiiiigh. My nurse spoke to Doctor Lewis who said she wasn’t liking the situation. Since my water had been broke for several hours, I was now risking infection. I was ordered an antibiotic for that. Then, Doctor Lewis suggested we start a small amount of Pitocin to get my contractions closer together. If this didn’t work, a Cesarean was going to happen. I felt like I was running out of time.
SIDE NOTE: Pitocin is not recommended for VBACs because it could increase the chance for the uterus to rupture. Doctor Lewis really doesn’t like having to use it, but thought maybe just a small bump could speed things up.
My family came back in the room and I suggested we pray immediately to reach that 10 centimeters.
Please Lord. You have gotten us to this point and we have been anticipating this all day. We got past our scheduled Cesarean. Please don't end the story on an operating table.
After we all prayed, the boys went downstairs for a bit to figure out where we were putting Lyric for the night. (It had been a long day for her. No nap. Lots of snacks. Lots of waiting around.) Demi and James went to grab some food. Mom and Cary stayed in the room to keep me company.
8:30 p.m.: My nurse came back in with my antibiotic and Pitocin. She also came in with another nurse. “I am going to have this nurse check you to see where you’re at. I have told her nothing ahead of time.” The new nurse checked me and replied,
“The head is right here. Your cervix is completely clear. You ready to have a baby?!!!”
30 minutes from a 6 to a 10…I was shocked! Mom and Cary couldn’t believe the news and called the boys back up because we were having a baby…like NOW! “Get my husband back up here!”
The emotional news had me shaking. Literally. My entire body was shaking immensely because I was so excited. Bryan joined me and began gearing up for the delivery. Hospital staff got the room ready. Doctor Lewis got there pretty quickly. And suddenly it was time. Bryan and I were going to have a baby.
Within 3 contractions and about 3 pushes per contraction, Baby entered the world. Doctor Lewis placed Baby on my belly and the first thing I did was look at Baby’s face to see if they were breathing. Then, my eyes shot down to see who this baby was. BOY!
9:19 p.m.
7 pounds 1 oz
20 inches long
Welcome to the world Cade.
Cade is here and he is perfect. My “stubborn” child gave us a wonderful trust story. Thank you God for teaching us to never give up on You.
