Diaper Swappers

Madeline's Mommy · 07-08-2011, 12:05 AM

I am going to start this off with a little bit of background info, as I feel it is very important to understand my history before reading this birth story.

My oldest child, my dear daughter Madeline was born in November, 2006 via emergency cesarean after a failed induction. I was induced due to severe preeclampsia, the grand finale to an overall terrible pregnancy. My labor and delivery with Madeline were a terrifying experience, which left me longing for a normal birth. The environment during labor was far from peaceful, my health was poor and I was not able to be conscious for her arrival into the world.
A year and a half later came time to deliver my DS Coen, in June of 2006. His birth was a repeat cesarean, which was disappointing for me, but taking away all of the horrible events of my dd's birth made the c-section OK. I was able to see, and nurse Coen immediately after the birth, and overall I was just happy that he was healthy, I was healthy and we were able to bond after he was born.
Fast forward about ten months to when we started talking about the possibility of a third child. I still had not given up hope of having a vaginal, birth. I began researching every little detail about vbac's, home births and home birth midwifes in the area. I was delighted to find a home birth midwife very local with reasonable fees. At that point we were not really trying to get pregnant, per say, but hoping. We quickly learned that conceiving for us comes very easily, but holding on to the pregnancy, not so much. The next year was a whirlwind of loss and pain for us, including the terrifying home birth of our very tiny, very preious still born Angel.
When we conceived again, unexpectedly, I decided that I just didn't have it in me to attempt again for a home birth, and I immediately began researching OB's. I was very blessed to be able to find a group of OB's who were supportive of my decision to have a VBA2C, even though I was considered very high risk.
My pregnancy with Julien went very smoothly, and was by far my easiest.
On to labor and delivery.

On March 6 2011, around 39 weeks pregnant (and so ready to be done)
I was knitting a tiny hat for our soon to be born son. I finished the hat around 1130pm, and not even 10 minutes later contractions came on full force. I spent the entire night having very strong, very regular contractions. By the time DH got home from work around 730am I had had strong contractions every five minutes for 8 hours straight. We got the kids ready to go, and loaded them up in the van to go to the in laws. My hospital bag was already in the car, ready to go, so we dropped them off and headed to the hospital.
As we got close to the hospital I noticed that my contractions, while still very uncomfortable had started to get further and further apart, which they continued to do after we arrived at the hospital. We were there for about two hours and then were sent home since I was not progressing.
We decided not to pick up the kids, because neither one of us had slept yet. It was close to noon when we got home and we both went right to sleep.
I was woken around 400pm by a very strong, very painful contraction, which was quickly followed by another, then another. I continued to have contractions every 3-5 minutes for the rest of the evening, but did not go back to the hospital for fear of being sent home again. Around 7:00 we went to Wendy's an got some food, me stopping every few bites for a contraction. After Wendy's I decided that I should walk around to ensure that things kept moving, so we walked around a couple stores and the library, stopping to have a contraction every few minutes. At this point they were painful enough that I couldn't talk or even think through them, but I was fine in between, so we headed home instead of to the hospital.
We were home by ten and I tried to lie down and relax with no success. The contractions were fairly regular at about three minutes apart. I spent the next 5 hours dealing with the contractions as best as I could by yelling, groaning, squatting, and getting in the bath tub. The bath helped a lot, but I kept getting uncomfortable and getting out. I was probably in and out of the tub at least every hour. At three AM I decided we would definitely be going to the hospital, and figuring that we wouldn't have a baby till at least lunch time, we decided to eat. Eating lasted all of teen minutes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I was yelling with every contraction, and my poor hubby had to pack up his food and help me to the van. I could barely walk and getting up into the van was almost impossible.
We had to stop for gas and by the time we were on the way to the hospital the contractions were slowing again, and I could tell DH was getting frustrated, thinking labor was stopping. At this point I knew it just meant we were getting closer to delivery. As we drove to the hospital I kept thinking I was feeling his head crowning, but I kept telling myself I was crazy, and I couldn't be more than four cm. When we got up to L&D it seemed like it took for ever to get checked in and to a room, but it was only 3 or four contractions so I know it wasn't that long.
They checked me at 4:30 and I was 6 cm!, and my water was bulging, which is why it felt like he was crowning. I was very pleasantly surprised to be past transition already, and DH was visibly excited. The admission process went quick, with the nurse talking me through my contractions. I couldn't walk, so they wheeled me into a delivery room and asked to check me again. I was complete! From 6-10 cm in about ten minutes! They broke by water for me since it was bulging so badly and causing a lot of pressure. I immediately felt relief, until the next contraction, which hit me so bad I instinctively jumped out of the bed and squatted. This caused all of the nurses that had gathered to panic and they forced me back into the bed. No doctors had arrived yet and the contractions were now about a minute or less apart, and I told the nurse I couldn't wait to push, my body was doing it with out me., and she told me to go ahead. Right after that the on call OB and three residents showed up. It was very amusing because all of the doctors stood back chatting with their arms crossed like they were watching a game or something. I'm not sure how long I pushed for, but I know I started to get a little loopy and was asking for pain relief (way to late). I know I wasnt being very nice, and DH tells me that I told a nurse to shut upand that I kept saying I couldn't push, although I was doing fine. When DS started crowning I calmed down and reached down and felt his head come out. I had my hands around him as he emerged, and it felt like I was pulling him out. Julien Eward Koch was born at 5:42 am on Tuesday March 8. He weighed 6 lbs, 13 0z and was 19in long.
When he was placed on my chest I felt like we immediately connected. I was unable to bond with him, or even fully convince myself that he was coming during the pregnancy, because of my previous experiences, but as soon as he was in my arms we were one. He won me over in less then a second I completely tuned out the doctors and nurses and began talking to my new, precious baby boy. A minute or so after he was born they took him out of my arms and I remember some buzz about them needing to look him over. My head was in a fog, as they had put some narcotics in my IV. I tore badly and the were stitching me- 40 something stitches.
Next thing I knew they ere telling me that he was in respiratory distress and they took him to the nicu- that was when I first noticed that he hadn't cried, and was making an odd grunting sound. Daddy went with him to the nicu, were he stayed for four hours. They did a deep suction of his stomach and some x-rays and determined that his breathing trouble was from respirating amniotic fluid, but that he was now fine. He returned to my room and I finally got to cuddle and nurse him. I was able to get up and walk around right away after the birth, which was amazing to me after 2 c-sections.
Julien is now four months old and I am happy that I got my vaginal birth, but I it was far from natural to me. I hated that the doctors and nurses kept telling me what to do, and that I had to push flat on my back with my legs in the air, it just didn't make any sense. I am now confident enough in my body's ability to birth a baby that if we are ever blessed with number four I will deliver my way, in the comfort of my own home, with my husband, and hopefully the wonderful mid-wife I found so many months ago to support me.

Kudos to you if you read the whole thing, which I typed one handed, while

So Im sure it is far from perfect, please forgive any typos or spelling errors.

rainydaysunshine · 07-08-2011, 05:31 AM

Congrats, mama!

arrowbabie · 07-08-2011, 05:54 AM

Thanks for sharing! Congrats!!

momofdolls · 07-09-2011, 11:51 AM

Congrats!

Cristina · 07-14-2011, 10:45 PM

Congratulations! Wonderful story! I got mad at the part where they made you get back in the bed

, homebirth next time is a great idea. Gosh, he is beautiful!

songbird516 · 07-15-2011, 07:13 AM

Congratulations

I totally know where you are coming from with being happy about the birth, but still wishing that the end had been more natural. I had the same experience of almost giving birth unassisted, but then being forced into bed when arriving at the hospital. Even my husband tried to tell them that I didn't want to be in bed. I remind myself that in the moment, you can only do what you are being allowed to do. It's easy to look back and say "I wish I had been more forceful" or whatever, but the reality is that we are not supposed to have to think that much during birth. Next time, I will birth at home, and I won't have to worry about arguing with the nurses or doctors.

You did great!

littlehands · 07-15-2011, 09:26 AM

Sounds like an incredibly healing experience. Congratulations on a successful VBA2C!

4littlevikings · 07-15-2011, 09:57 AM

Congratulations

Chessie · 07-19-2011, 07:51 PM

That's a cutie pie, sorry it didn't go as you wanted. Congrats Mama!

L&A'smommy · 07-19-2011, 08:01 PM

Congrats mama.

07-08-2011, 12:05 AM	#1
Madeline's Mommy Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kent, Ohio Posts: 1,335 Ratings: 30 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	The long awaited VBA2C of Julien Edward I am going to start this off with a little bit of background info, as I feel it is very important to understand my history before reading this birth story. My oldest child, my dear daughter Madeline was born in November, 2006 via emergency cesarean after a failed induction. I was induced due to severe preeclampsia, the grand finale to an overall terrible pregnancy. My labor and delivery with Madeline were a terrifying experience, which left me longing for a normal birth. The environment during labor was far from peaceful, my health was poor and I was not able to be conscious for her arrival into the world. A year and a half later came time to deliver my DS Coen, in June of 2006. His birth was a repeat cesarean, which was disappointing for me, but taking away all of the horrible events of my dd's birth made the c-section OK. I was able to see, and nurse Coen immediately after the birth, and overall I was just happy that he was healthy, I was healthy and we were able to bond after he was born. Fast forward about ten months to when we started talking about the possibility of a third child. I still had not given up hope of having a vaginal, birth. I began researching every little detail about vbac's, home births and home birth midwifes in the area. I was delighted to find a home birth midwife very local with reasonable fees. At that point we were not really trying to get pregnant, per say, but hoping. We quickly learned that conceiving for us comes very easily, but holding on to the pregnancy, not so much. The next year was a whirlwind of loss and pain for us, including the terrifying home birth of our very tiny, very preious still born Angel. When we conceived again, unexpectedly, I decided that I just didn't have it in me to attempt again for a home birth, and I immediately began researching OB's. I was very blessed to be able to find a group of OB's who were supportive of my decision to have a VBA2C, even though I was considered very high risk. My pregnancy with Julien went very smoothly, and was by far my easiest. On to labor and delivery. On March 6 2011, around 39 weeks pregnant (and so ready to be done) I was knitting a tiny hat for our soon to be born son. I finished the hat around 1130pm, and not even 10 minutes later contractions came on full force. I spent the entire night having very strong, very regular contractions. By the time DH got home from work around 730am I had had strong contractions every five minutes for 8 hours straight. We got the kids ready to go, and loaded them up in the van to go to the in laws. My hospital bag was already in the car, ready to go, so we dropped them off and headed to the hospital. As we got close to the hospital I noticed that my contractions, while still very uncomfortable had started to get further and further apart, which they continued to do after we arrived at the hospital. We were there for about two hours and then were sent home since I was not progressing. We decided not to pick up the kids, because neither one of us had slept yet. It was close to noon when we got home and we both went right to sleep. I was woken around 400pm by a very strong, very painful contraction, which was quickly followed by another, then another. I continued to have contractions every 3-5 minutes for the rest of the evening, but did not go back to the hospital for fear of being sent home again. Around 7:00 we went to Wendy's an got some food, me stopping every few bites for a contraction. After Wendy's I decided that I should walk around to ensure that things kept moving, so we walked around a couple stores and the library, stopping to have a contraction every few minutes. At this point they were painful enough that I couldn't talk or even think through them, but I was fine in between, so we headed home instead of to the hospital. We were home by ten and I tried to lie down and relax with no success. The contractions were fairly regular at about three minutes apart. I spent the next 5 hours dealing with the contractions as best as I could by yelling, groaning, squatting, and getting in the bath tub. The bath helped a lot, but I kept getting uncomfortable and getting out. I was probably in and out of the tub at least every hour. At three AM I decided we would definitely be going to the hospital, and figuring that we wouldn't have a baby till at least lunch time, we decided to eat. Eating lasted all of teen minutes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I was yelling with every contraction, and my poor hubby had to pack up his food and help me to the van. I could barely walk and getting up into the van was almost impossible. We had to stop for gas and by the time we were on the way to the hospital the contractions were slowing again, and I could tell DH was getting frustrated, thinking labor was stopping. At this point I knew it just meant we were getting closer to delivery. As we drove to the hospital I kept thinking I was feeling his head crowning, but I kept telling myself I was crazy, and I couldn't be more than four cm. When we got up to L&D it seemed like it took for ever to get checked in and to a room, but it was only 3 or four contractions so I know it wasn't that long. They checked me at 4:30 and I was 6 cm!, and my water was bulging, which is why it felt like he was crowning. I was very pleasantly surprised to be past transition already, and DH was visibly excited. The admission process went quick, with the nurse talking me through my contractions. I couldn't walk, so they wheeled me into a delivery room and asked to check me again. I was complete! From 6-10 cm in about ten minutes! They broke by water for me since it was bulging so badly and causing a lot of pressure. I immediately felt relief, until the next contraction, which hit me so bad I instinctively jumped out of the bed and squatted. This caused all of the nurses that had gathered to panic and they forced me back into the bed. No doctors had arrived yet and the contractions were now about a minute or less apart, and I told the nurse I couldn't wait to push, my body was doing it with out me., and she told me to go ahead. Right after that the on call OB and three residents showed up. It was very amusing because all of the doctors stood back chatting with their arms crossed like they were watching a game or something. I'm not sure how long I pushed for, but I know I started to get a little loopy and was asking for pain relief (way to late). I know I wasnt being very nice, and DH tells me that I told a nurse to shut upand that I kept saying I couldn't push, although I was doing fine. When DS started crowning I calmed down and reached down and felt his head come out. I had my hands around him as he emerged, and it felt like I was pulling him out. Julien Eward Koch was born at 5:42 am on Tuesday March 8. He weighed 6 lbs, 13 0z and was 19in long. When he was placed on my chest I felt like we immediately connected. I was unable to bond with him, or even fully convince myself that he was coming during the pregnancy, because of my previous experiences, but as soon as he was in my arms we were one. He won me over in less then a second I completely tuned out the doctors and nurses and began talking to my new, precious baby boy. A minute or so after he was born they took him out of my arms and I remember some buzz about them needing to look him over. My head was in a fog, as they had put some narcotics in my IV. I tore badly and the were stitching me- 40 something stitches. Next thing I knew they ere telling me that he was in respiratory distress and they took him to the nicu- that was when I first noticed that he hadn't cried, and was making an odd grunting sound. Daddy went with him to the nicu, were he stayed for four hours. They did a deep suction of his stomach and some x-rays and determined that his breathing trouble was from respirating amniotic fluid, but that he was now fine. He returned to my room and I finally got to cuddle and nurse him. I was able to get up and walk around right away after the birth, which was amazing to me after 2 c-sections. Julien is now four months old and I am happy that I got my vaginal birth, but I it was far from natural to me. I hated that the doctors and nurses kept telling me what to do, and that I had to push flat on my back with my legs in the air, it just didn't make any sense. I am now confident enough in my body's ability to birth a baby that if we are ever blessed with number four I will deliver my way, in the comfort of my own home, with my husband, and hopefully the wonderful mid-wife I found so many months ago to support me. Kudos to you if you read the whole thing, which I typed one handed, while So Im sure it is far from perfect, please forgive any typos or spelling errors. __________________ Dani CPST and WOHM to Madeline 11/06 and Coen 06/08, Julien 03/11 Our angel's Aislyn Faye 4/5/13-4/11/13 and the tiny one's. Last edited by Madeline's Mommy; 07-08-2011 at 12:07 AM.

07-08-2011, 05:31 AM	#2
rainydaysunshine Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,941 Ratings: 12 Feedback: 100%	Re: The long awaited VBA2C of Julien Edward Congrats, mama! __________________ Thia, semi-crunchy wife to G (2005) and mama to Ashur (9/2006) and Julian (3/2010-birth story). Bfing, Dr. Bob vaxing, sling wearing, extended rear facing Little girl, Seren Elise, born at home 11/18! Birth Story

07-08-2011, 05:54 AM	#3
arrowbabie Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,052 Ratings: 82 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Thanks for sharing! Congrats!! __________________ Susette-Finally finished nursing school and I get to be a sahm for a while! Mommy to Cayden 12/13/07 and Lillian 7/12/11 and all of our American Bullies. Married since 2/1/06 to my marine, John.

07-09-2011, 11:51 AM	#4
momofdolls Registered Join Date: May 2009 Location: Manhattan, KS Posts: 2,231 Ratings: 91 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: The long awaited VBA2C of Julien Edward Congrats! __________________ Cathy - married to the love of my life Alex , ~~SAHM~~ WAHM to B, J, M, J & G, D, and W Crazy Doll Designs and check out new savings here and visit my new store! Start your holiday shopping early! Message me for a great discount on M&D toys!

07-14-2011, 10:45 PM	#5
Cristina Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 10,983 Ratings: 610 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: The long awaited VBA2C of Julien Edward Congratulations! Wonderful story! I got mad at the part where they made you get back in the bed , homebirth next time is a great idea. Gosh, he is beautiful! __________________ Cristina- Mama to a bunch of super kids!