So after two years of infertility, in 2008 we were finally pregnant with our daughter, Bella. The entire pregnancy I never really mulled over her birth, I never thought I would have any complications ( much less a c-section). My husband and I took all the birthing classes, read all the books. I wanted to have the baby naturally, with no medications and no epidural. Well My blood pressure got high, and at 38 weeks I was sent in for a induction. 6 hours later, the dr broke my water, 12 hours later I was in so much pain, and only dilated to a 4 I broke down and got a epidural. 22 hours after we started the induction I was dilated to a 9, and started pushing. I pushed 20 mins before the dr said this isn't going to happen, your baby is in stress and you have a fever which means you have a infection. He said we are going to do a c-section. I was mortified, that after 22 hours of pain this was it. I asked him if he was going to do a bikini cut incision, and he said with my frame a classical would be the ideal cut.. After 10 mins of trying to convince him to not butcher my body, he finally agreed he would try a bikini incision first, but he wasn't promising anything. I know for a fact there are much larger women than me that have had bikini incisions with no problem, so I knew it could be done. It was almost 45mins from the time he said we are doing a c-section, until it actually started happening. Now if my baby was in stress why did they take so long? The doctor did do a bikini cut ( which a I am very grateful for), and had to have a nurse push Bella back UP threw the birth canal, so he could deliver her from the bikini c-section incision. If she was so low in the birth canal, why couldn't I deliver her vaginally? Finally Bella was born weighing 7.3lbs and 19 .5 inches long. Not a big baby. My road to recovery started.. I have NEVER been in such pain in all my life. It was horrible, I couldn't move by myself, I couldn't do anything without someone helping me. My milk was late coming in, Bella lost a whole pound in 3 days. I was deeply emotional, to the point I am sure I had postpartum depression. I was pissed I was cheated out of my 'majical" delivery. I was pissed my body couldn't do the job, I was pissed my doctor was such a butcher and eager to cut and maybe ruin my chances of ever having another baby. I was pissed my milk wasn't flowing , and I couldn't nurse with the greatest of ease. I was pissed period. The moment I knew I was going to have a c-section I knew the next child was going to be different.
Fast forward 9 months, I was healed and feeling alot better. I stopped all birth control and we started trying for another baby. Since it had taken us 2 years to get pregnant the first time, I wanted to start trying quickly. I started weight watchers, and started training for a 5k ( which i did!). I lost about 15lbs and Almost 8 months later I was pregnant!! I knew right away this was going to be different. I was only 6 weeks along when we had a meeting with a midwife( another midwife aunt of mine used to work with). We loved her, and we loved the birthing center. She seemed convinced I could have a successful VBAC. The draw back was, our insurance would not cover a penny of any kind of midwife services..At the time we couldn't afford to pay the almost four grand out of pocket, so I went looking for a VBAC friendly doctor. My friend just had a baby a couple of weeks before and our husbands worked together ( so I knew my insurance would cover this dr). This doctor said she would absolutely let me try a VBAC, but would do a c-section if necessary. I was okay with that, I just wanted a fair chance to go into labor on my own . If I needed a c-section after trying everything on my own I was okay with that, I just wanted the chance. I loved my doctor, she was young and didn't make me feel like a idiot, or like I was doing something horrible getting pregnant at my size. This pregnancy was completely different from Bella's. I was super sick and extremely tired the first 3 months. After that I wasn't real interested in food. I lost a little weight, and by week 18 we found out it was a boy! I guess because this was my second baby, or I was to busy with Bella and the other things going on I wasn't obsessed with the pregnancy. Not so say AT ALL I wasn't in love with this baby 100%, I just wasn't obsessed by the pregnancy every minute of every day. By this time we found out my husband's company was bought out, and the new company was transferring him to Bryan. We decided to stay put until the baby was born because I was so afraid I couldn't find such a good doctor in Bryan. Aram commuted back and forth for months. It was horrible, the stress that put on us and our marriage almost broke us. I lost 11lbs when I was almost 7 months pregnant. The stress I was going threw was overwhelming, and I prayed and prayed this sweet baby wouldn't be hurt and effected by the stress. We decided nothing was worth the price of our marriage so I quit my job and Bella and I moved to Bryan with Aram at one of the first places we could find quickly, a TINY apartment. But we would all be together has a family again. I traveled back and forth from east Texas to central Texas for all my ob gyn appointments. At 38 weeks my doctor was on vacation for a week,and I had to see her partner. While measuring my belly this doctor notices my c-section scar and asks when I scheduled my next c-section for. I told her I didn't because I was going to try for a all natural VBAC. She laughed, and said you have such a big baby already maybe you need to re-think that! I was so scared I would go into labor while my dr was gone and this butcher would want to cut me right away. It seriously seems some doctors have a quote of c-sections they have to do a month, they get so excited to cut quickly..I prayed God would keep this sweet baby boy in just a few more days. This was on a Thursday, and I had a appointment with my regular ob on Monday, so we just spent the week-end with my parents in east Texas. Saturday morning I started taking evening primrose oil tablets, and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. I had read IF your body was ready these things could speed up the process of labor. I took them Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night nothing was happening, so Aram had to go back to Bryan to work. I went to bed Sunday night, and Monday morning I was woken up by a weird pain at 5am. I went back to sleep, only to feel crampy for the next 4-5 hours. I really just felt like I was on my period and needed to take a Tylenol and lay down. About noon my mom suggested I go walk to see if this was the real deal. I took a 45 min walk, and they didn't get any stronger. So I took a shower and got ready to go to my normal obgyn appointment. I was so happy to see my regular dr was back. She monitored me for awhile and checked me, it was 5pm and she said I was almost dilated to a 4, and since I could hold a conversation during contractions I could just go back to my mom's house until I couldn't function during contractions. Well we stopped on the way back to get my mom a pair of shoes , and to get a sandwich. During this time the contractions started to hurt a little and they were 4 mins apart. I called Aram to come to east Texas , I told him whether or not I was in true labor I wanted him with me that night .Looking back I should have just gone back to the hospital. But I didn't, I drove the 45mins back to my mom's house. When we got back (it was like 7pm) I changed clothes, let my parents deal with Bella and I ate my sandwich in between contractions. I tried standing up and swaying during contractions and that didn't help, so I sat straight up on the couch. for 30 mins I could just put my head down and be really quiet and rock during a contraction, then about 15 mins later I was moaning during them, and I started trembling. The next 15mins I was moaning hard during contractions, and Bella started getting scared. My mom kept telling me it was time to go to the hospital, but I kept saying "No I want to wait for Aram, he will be here in an hour"! Finally around 8pm my mom said, you don't need to wait anymore, Mark (my step dad) is driving you to the hospital (45mins away) right now! So we started driving, and the contractions were like a minute apart, and hurting really bad. I started to get really nervous. I honestly thought that I was like a 6, maybe a 7.. The drive was horrible and felt like it took hours, even though Mark was driving 90-95 the whole time. The contractions seemed to be one after the other, only enough time for me to sip water in between them. By the time we drove in the hospital parking lot I told Mark " I know I've got a few more hours of this screw all natural, I'm getting a epidural now!" I was feeling the same amount of pain at this point that I had felt with the induction dilated to a 4, but I was probally dialted to a 9. It was about 9pm at this point. It took forever to get a wheelchair to the parking lot, and I was screaming during contractions at this point. I remember during one I raised up and pushed just a little, and it felt good.. That scared the crap outta me, I knew I was closer than I thought. Mark got up to labor and delivery and was frantically telling them "I've got a woman in labor". They kinda of smiled and calmly walked us down to the nurses station, where Mark left me to go move the truck and the nurses wanted to play 20 questions. During contractions I would ask them to hold my hand, because I was all alone. They finally took me to be checked and to give a urine sample. The sweet little nurses assistant asked me for a urine sample and I was like "are you kidding me"? The nurse told her it wasn't important and then I felt bad for snapping. So I said. I think I can give you a sample. I went into the bathroom and had a contraction and wanted to push, the nurse came in a said she was going to try and check me standing up, a look of slight panic came over her face and she said get back in the wheelchair, your at least a 7. She quickly wheeled me to a labor and delivery room, yelling for more nurses on the way. We got to a room and she tore my clothes off and I was half way sitting on the bed when another nurse came in and checked me. I heard a very loud " she is a 9-10 call Dr. Herod NOW" .. Then I had another contraction and my body took over and starting pushing. Everyone in the room yelled to stop pushing and I told them I wasn't doing it, I couldn't stop it. They said my dr was across the street at the other hospital delivering another baby, and another doctor I had never met walked in. Then with another contraction my body pushed and my water broke. I looked at the nurse and matter of factly said "I feel the ring of fire" The room turned into chaos. Thank God when that happened my doctor walked into the room. Then Mark walked in and was able to stand by my head and hold my hand. They put my legs up and Dr. Herod told me to to push. I did and then I asked her if I was pushing hard enough and she laughed and said your doing really really good. They told me to push again, and quickly told me to stop, then they pulled my legs back and told me to push crazy hard with the next contraction. I closed my eyes and pushed hard, and finally there was relieve. I opened my eyes and there was sweet baby Colton on my chest. He weighed 9.1lbs and was 20 3/4inches long. Mark cut the cord and I just layed there in shock looking at Colton. It was almost like I was dreaming, did I really just have a drug free VBAC? Did it really happen? Then I realized my husband missed the birth of our son, and I cried and cried. I just kept saying Aram missed it! My doctor said " well you did it!" and then asked the nurses if they knew I was a VBAC. They all laughed and said we barely had time to ask her name! Then I realized I wasn't in any kind of pain what so ever. Okay, that's weird I thought, a total 180 turn compared to Bella's birth. My doctor was cleaning me up and then I started cramping again, and delivered the placenta. My doctor said I barely tore at all, she said it was only a first degree tear and from a 1-10 I tore at a 2. The actual birth was pain free. I did feel a ton of pressure, but just the labor really hurt. The stitches hurt more than the birth. Colton was born less than 30 mins after arriving at the hospital, they didn't have time to start a IV, or give me a hospital bracelet, or to monitor the baby . I signed all the papers allowing the hospital to deliver my baby, after I delivered. After Dr. Herod finished stitching me, she had to leave to go back to the other hospital to deliver the baby she started earlier. It had been about 30 mins since Colton was born and I got up all by myself and went to the bathroom. Which was wonderful, with Bella I wasn't allowed to get up by myself until almost 12 hours after the c-section. They took Colton to his little warmer in the room and gave him a bath. Aram walked into the room, and looked very confused to see me sitting calmly in bed and a baby in the room. I told him to meet his son, that he was too excited to be born and couldn't wait for daddy. Mark left to go back home, now that Aram was there. Colton was done with his bath and Aram got to hold him. We just admired Colton for a little while, and then I nursed him. To my surprise and great delight he latched on correctly and quickly. I cried again. I was finally getting my "dream" birthing experience. They moved us to our postpartum room and since we were the only ones on the floor, we got the biggest room. There was already two cups of ice water with our names on them, classical music playing and my no slip socks were on the bed. It was almost like a hotel room. Our first night was great, Colton was feeding great, and we even slept a little. All my nurses were wonderful, I loved them all. With Bella all the nurses except for one acted like I was a burden. The next day Colton was a little jaundice and his pediatrician ordered that he be put under the light. All that day, and that night , and all the next day he was under the light. They said since he was so big( 9.1lbs) he needed to be supplemented with formula until my milk came in, and he tested positive for coombs disorder. Evidently its something where Colton has a different blood type than me, and Aram has a certain blood type that Colton got. It's confusing but it causes the jaundice to be worse. But after a few days under the light, and breast milk along with supplement formula he was finally ready to go home.
Although I was so disappointed and mad about Bella's birth, the end result was a healthy beautiful baby girl. Another answered prayer. Almost nine years ago I was told I may never have children, and God has blessed me with two beautiful heathly kids .God has shown me how wonderful he is again, and again and answered so many prayers. I have prayed for this type of delivery and quick recovery for months, but I don't think I really expected to be able to do it. My life isn't perfect, my husband isn't perfect, and I am definitely not perfect. But I serve a God who is, and I know every step I have taken ( good and bad) has been ordained by him.
