I had a c-section with my first born son for failure to progress. My water broke early in labor and My OB told me to come to the hospital. I was only 3 cm dilated but they admitted me. I believe my OB just wanted to monitor his time clock and didn't give me the time to progress before inducing me. I only got to 5 cm even with the pitocin.
Fast forward two years later with a new and supportive OB and I had the perfect VBAC experience for the birth of my daughter. Here it is:
(An important background note: I am the biggest April Fool's prankster you know. I've been pranking my husband since we met 10 years ago. So it is EXTREMELY fitting that my daughter was born on April 1st)
Midnight April 1st: As I'm laying in bed with my 2 year old, I feel contractions that center in my lower left abdomen, so I do the whole routine of drinking water and laying back down to see if they are Braxton Hicks. THEY'RE NOT. So around 4am, my son wakes up (I think he knew the baby was coming) and I just decide to get up and casually let my hubby know that today could be the day. He says "it's a shame you're using the baby to play an April Fool's joke this year" He didn't believe me lol Of course I know I deserved this for all the times I've "cried wolf"
8:00am Still having contractions, not very strong, and mainly in the front abdomen but becoming more like 10-12 minutes apart. So I let my mom and sister know and go figure, they say they don't believe me!!! I thought "thank goodness I'm seeing the OB today to confirm that something's happening."
10:00am OB appointment, all the nurses are excited that I'm having contractions. My mom comes with me and still doesn't believe me until the OB checks my cervix and says baby's head is lower and I'm 1 cm dilated. He says, it's such early labor that he could see me in labor later today at the hospital or not for another few weeks. (We were hoping today!)
11:00am I keep my hair appointment and drop off some paperwork at my job for maternity leave
1:00pm Hair is finished I head home and make sure my hospital bag is packed. I text my hubby that the contractions are still light, but regular so he can probably stay at work (IN LAFAYETTE) late as he had planned.
3:45pm My water breaks!!!! and the contractions get swift and hard REALLY REALLY quickly. I call the nurse at the OB's office and the OB gives me 6 hours to try to labor at home even with my water broken. I didn't have a birth plan because I didn't think I needed one. My plan was strictly to labor at home and go to the hospital at the latest moment possible, when no one could harass me with silly interventions, etc. We wanted an unmedicated VBAC!
4:05pm. I tell my hubby who's all the way in Lafayette he better hit the road b/c the contractions have sped up and are like 5 minutes apart and getting stronger.
4:05-6:30pm My labor progresses extremely fast. I'm managing contractions by changing positions and listening to motivational music. We had planned to leave home at 7 or 7:15pm to be able to say that my contractions had been strong and hard for 3 hours, but at 6:30pm I got this weird feeling of the baby wiggling down and I shouted "LET'S GO NOW!!" My husband had only been home 15 minutes!
6:45pm By the time we pack the car and I'm able to get to the car (had to wait until in between contractions) It's 6:45pm and I'm in major pain and contractions are 2 minutes apart.
7:00pm We arrive at Woman's assessment and I am triaged (all during very hard contractions where I'm shaking and shivering). I get back to assessment and can't even lay on my back for them to check my cervix, so they check while I'm on hands and knees and the nurse says 6cm dilated fully effaced. I thought "SIX CENTIMETERS?????!!!!" I was about to lose it, thinking if it was THIS painful to get to 6cm how am I going to get to 10 without medication????
7:10pm I get the urge to push and push, while the nurse who said I was 6cm dilated says DON'T PUSH! I'm like "Really lady?" Everyone's in a rush and saying I need to get upstairs NOW! My OB sends in his partner Dr. Mullens to deliver the baby and he says I should be able to have the baby vaginally! WOOO HOOO. But then there's this pain!! While he's saying this I'm being rolled quickly up to a labor and delivery room.
7:15pm We're in the labor and delivery room and Dr. Mullens is able to check my cervix and he says SHE'S FULLY DILATED SHE CAN PUSH WHEN SHE WANTS TO!! I was like "HALLELUJAH"!!!!! But my mom wasn't even in the room yet. My hubby jumps on the phone and says "Hurry you have to get here now!" My mom had been trying to get in the room, but the front desk folks were giving her a hard time. So my hubby had to get a nurse to forcefully make them let my mom in. She ran and was able to make it as I started pushing!
7:15-7:30pm I'm pushing (I had no idea pushing could be that intense or difficult. No wonder people say to rest during early contractions. I was so worn out I didn't think i could do it! but everyone, MD, nurses, hubby, and mom were SOOOOOO supportive!!!!)
7:30pm My beautiful baby girl, Malaika Sarah, is born!
So that's my story of a successful unmedicated VBAC that nearly happened in the car lol! I was at the hospital for THIRTY MINUTES before the baby was born! The nurses didn't even get to put in an IV or ask the general assessment questions before the baby was born. If there was an accident or bad traffic on I-10 coming from Lafayette, it's possible my hubby could have MISSED the birth. Literally less than 4 hours after my water breaking the baby was here!! If we had waited to leave for the hospital until 7 like we planned, things would have been even more chaotic lol
I am just so thankful that this time around I am able to honestly and happily say, I had the EXACT experience I wanted and wouldn't have changed a thing!! My advice is to stay home as long as you can and feel comfortable with and with a supportive OB and family you'll be just fine!!
Fast forward two years later with a new and supportive OB and I had the perfect VBAC experience for the birth of my daughter. Here it is:
(An important background note: I am the biggest April Fool's prankster you know. I've been pranking my husband since we met 10 years ago. So it is EXTREMELY fitting that my daughter was born on April 1st)
Midnight April 1st: As I'm laying in bed with my 2 year old, I feel contractions that center in my lower left abdomen, so I do the whole routine of drinking water and laying back down to see if they are Braxton Hicks. THEY'RE NOT. So around 4am, my son wakes up (I think he knew the baby was coming) and I just decide to get up and casually let my hubby know that today could be the day. He says "it's a shame you're using the baby to play an April Fool's joke this year" He didn't believe me lol Of course I know I deserved this for all the times I've "cried wolf"
8:00am Still having contractions, not very strong, and mainly in the front abdomen but becoming more like 10-12 minutes apart. So I let my mom and sister know and go figure, they say they don't believe me!!! I thought "thank goodness I'm seeing the OB today to confirm that something's happening."
10:00am OB appointment, all the nurses are excited that I'm having contractions. My mom comes with me and still doesn't believe me until the OB checks my cervix and says baby's head is lower and I'm 1 cm dilated. He says, it's such early labor that he could see me in labor later today at the hospital or not for another few weeks. (We were hoping today!)
11:00am I keep my hair appointment and drop off some paperwork at my job for maternity leave
1:00pm Hair is finished I head home and make sure my hospital bag is packed. I text my hubby that the contractions are still light, but regular so he can probably stay at work (IN LAFAYETTE) late as he had planned.
3:45pm My water breaks!!!! and the contractions get swift and hard REALLY REALLY quickly. I call the nurse at the OB's office and the OB gives me 6 hours to try to labor at home even with my water broken. I didn't have a birth plan because I didn't think I needed one. My plan was strictly to labor at home and go to the hospital at the latest moment possible, when no one could harass me with silly interventions, etc. We wanted an unmedicated VBAC!
4:05pm. I tell my hubby who's all the way in Lafayette he better hit the road b/c the contractions have sped up and are like 5 minutes apart and getting stronger.
4:05-6:30pm My labor progresses extremely fast. I'm managing contractions by changing positions and listening to motivational music. We had planned to leave home at 7 or 7:15pm to be able to say that my contractions had been strong and hard for 3 hours, but at 6:30pm I got this weird feeling of the baby wiggling down and I shouted "LET'S GO NOW!!" My husband had only been home 15 minutes!
6:45pm By the time we pack the car and I'm able to get to the car (had to wait until in between contractions) It's 6:45pm and I'm in major pain and contractions are 2 minutes apart.
7:00pm We arrive at Woman's assessment and I am triaged (all during very hard contractions where I'm shaking and shivering). I get back to assessment and can't even lay on my back for them to check my cervix, so they check while I'm on hands and knees and the nurse says 6cm dilated fully effaced. I thought "SIX CENTIMETERS?????!!!!" I was about to lose it, thinking if it was THIS painful to get to 6cm how am I going to get to 10 without medication????
7:10pm I get the urge to push and push, while the nurse who said I was 6cm dilated says DON'T PUSH! I'm like "Really lady?" Everyone's in a rush and saying I need to get upstairs NOW! My OB sends in his partner Dr. Mullens to deliver the baby and he says I should be able to have the baby vaginally! WOOO HOOO. But then there's this pain!! While he's saying this I'm being rolled quickly up to a labor and delivery room.
7:15pm We're in the labor and delivery room and Dr. Mullens is able to check my cervix and he says SHE'S FULLY DILATED SHE CAN PUSH WHEN SHE WANTS TO!! I was like "HALLELUJAH"!!!!! But my mom wasn't even in the room yet. My hubby jumps on the phone and says "Hurry you have to get here now!" My mom had been trying to get in the room, but the front desk folks were giving her a hard time. So my hubby had to get a nurse to forcefully make them let my mom in. She ran and was able to make it as I started pushing!
7:15-7:30pm I'm pushing (I had no idea pushing could be that intense or difficult. No wonder people say to rest during early contractions. I was so worn out I didn't think i could do it! but everyone, MD, nurses, hubby, and mom were SOOOOOO supportive!!!!)
7:30pm My beautiful baby girl, Malaika Sarah, is born!
So that's my story of a successful unmedicated VBAC that nearly happened in the car lol! I was at the hospital for THIRTY MINUTES before the baby was born! The nurses didn't even get to put in an IV or ask the general assessment questions before the baby was born. If there was an accident or bad traffic on I-10 coming from Lafayette, it's possible my hubby could have MISSED the birth. Literally less than 4 hours after my water breaking the baby was here!! If we had waited to leave for the hospital until 7 like we planned, things would have been even more chaotic lol
I am just so thankful that this time around I am able to honestly and happily say, I had the EXACT experience I wanted and wouldn't have changed a thing!! My advice is to stay home as long as you can and feel comfortable with and with a supportive OB and family you'll be just fine!!
RSS Feed