Because this is LONG over due and way to long, I'll put the pictures first so those of you who don't want to read the whole thing don't have to wait to see the little handsome!
Oh where to begin...perhaps with the birth of my perfect
son. And he is just that, perfect. I have never met a child who is so happy, so
calm, so smiley, and so patient and literally so perfect as he.
I was due to have Ryder on April 8th...and for
some reason I thought that meant he would actually come on that day or sooner.
Jetta after all, came 6 days early. (although not on her own accord, it was a C-section
because she was breach) but still, I had my mind made that he would come on or
before his due date, and when I make up my mind, things go as planned! Of
course everyone knows that is never the case with childbearing, but I was
different! HA!! Ryder proved me wrong as all children do to their parents. So
instead of having a baby on April 8th, I sulked and decided tomorrow
would be the day! Wrong again.
Maybe I wouldn’t have been so overly anxious if I didn’t
have a deadline, but I did. Because I was going to try a VBAC (vaginal birth
after cesarean) my doctor didn’t want me to go a week past my due date, because
as the baby grows there is less water and more pressure on my uterus and higher
risk of uterine rupture (or something like that). So if I didn’t go into labor
on my own then a scheduled C-section would take place on April 16th
at 8am. So yes, I felt pressured and anxious to have my baby! I was prepared
mentally if it came to a C-section, I had had one before and wasn’t really
worried, in fact I was more worried about the risks of a VBAC. I had gone
through my mind many, many times the pros and cons of both birth options, but
honestly in the end I chose a VBAC because I just wanted to be given the
opportunity to try. To actually go into labor, say I’ve felt a contraction,
have that excitement of needing to go to the hospital, and frankly to prove
that my body could do it, that I was capable of having a baby on my own. So as
the days got closer and closer to the 16th I got more and more
anxious and annoyed!
I was soo happy the day lost my mucus plug!!! I took a
picture of it! Called my family! YES!!! A sign my body was doing what it
should!!! That meant I had to be dilated right? At this point I was still not dilated
at ALL. My last two doctor appointments, including the one on my due date, the doctor
said I was completely effaced but not dilated so he was not able to strip my membranes.
I was so disappointed I cried after he left the room. But I lost my mucus plug
on the 9th and so I hoped things would progress soon. The next day I
went to Josh and AJ’s and went on a walk with them to help things move along. I
thought I felt some contractions while we were walking (I had never felt one
when pregnant with Jetta). They didn’t hurt but it was tightening, like everyone
told me contractions felt like. But no, nothing, or the next day. By Friday I
was “desperate” I looked up all the home remedies…and got to work.
I ate a whole pineapple (did nothing but make my tongue
raw), drank too many cups of herbal raspberry leaf tea, intercourse (“you get
them out the same way you got them in”- grandma), and then castor oil. Yes,
castor oil. Don’t worry I did my research, and even asked my doctor. And
honestly it wasn’t that bad. I took two tablespoons in a tall glass of V8
Splash, plugged my nose and drank. The juice did a good job of masking it at
first, but it tasted like lipstick after. Anyway I waited and nothing…then the
bathroom…yes it all came out but didn’t take long and I did get some
contractions after (more of the tightening) but then it stopped and never came
back. So I must not have taken enough (I didn’t get it all out of the cup
because it’s so sticky oily) so I tried again with only one tablespoon this
time because I figured that’s maybe how much I didn’t get out of the last cup
and didn’t want to do too much. The contractions came again (not bathroom this
time) and not wanting them to go away like last time I walked, and walked, and
walked. I walked to the bank, to the park, to the store, and home. But the
contractions didn’t get stronger and went away…oh well. I did what I could and
I was meant to have a C-section.
The next day (Saturday) I picked up my mom from the airport,
had lunch, got our nails done, and enjoyed our time. Sunday I announced in Relief
Society that I would be having a C-section the next morning. And that evening
mom and I sat outside in lawn chairs while Jetta played. That’s when I first
felt a contraction! But it was in my back! I tightly gripped my arm chairs and stiffened
my back and stopped breathing for a second. Mom noticed and asked with excitement
“a contraction?” To which I replied… “no it was my back.” And she told me that
some people have back labor and that it could in fact be a contraction. They
kept coming. Very uncomfortable but not too painful. That was around 8 o’clock.
By ten o’clock we were playing card games at the table and they were still
coming and I started timing. Went to bed, or tried to. Contractions kept waking
me up and lying in bed seemed to be the worst position for them. I got out of
bed so I wouldn’t wake joseph up with all my moving and sat on the couch. Kept
timing and they were getting closer and closer…
I was told to come to
hospital when they were 5 mins apart and intense enough that I couldn’t talk
through them. Mine were 5 mins apart and I wasn’t talking through them,
although it was 2 in the morning and no one to talk to…so I probably could have
waited looking back, but I was excited and nervous so I woke joseph up and we
headed to the hospital. The nursed checked me and I was 1cm dilated. To anyone
else that would have seemed horrible, but I was jumping for joy!!! I was
finally dialated….my body could actually dilate!!! I’m sure the nurse would
have sent me home and told me to come back when the contractions got really
bad, but since I had a scheduled C-section in a few hours anyway she told me to
walk around the hospital for an hour and then come back and see if I’ve
progressed. I had… 1 cm and so I was admitted.
From here it gets a little fuzzy, but basically I stalled.
Still had the contractions…all in my back still…ouch!!!! But I was still at 2
cm when the doctor came around 8 am. So he broke my water and then it hit…even
worse contractions! Was that even possible? Ohhh yes!!! My plan was to get to a
4 before I got my epidural. (Doctor suggested I hold off as long as I can
because epidurals can tend to slow down labor and with this being a VBAC they
want it to progress naturally because giving Pitocin to speed things along is
more dangerous). So a four was my goal, just to give me something to work
toward, but as soon as I felt that second contraction after my water broke, I
told the nurse I would like my epidural. The doctor was still in the room, and
he told me to try and wait. So I did…sort of. The next few contractions came
and I threw up once, maybe twice and I had had it! I told the nurse, sorry but
I’m done can you get me my epidural. And oh how sweet it was!!!! Immediate
relief! I smiled and joseph told the nurse “I never thought I’d see her smile
again”. I finally got to sleep a couple
hours. Next they checked I had already jumped to a seven! Wow! This was going
to happen soon…nope! I stalled again. I was at a seven for over 4 hours! They
finally did give me Pitocin to speed things along, but half the dose they give
regular vaginal births. And slowly over the next few hours I progressed to a
8…then 9…then 9 ½ and then a 10 on one half of my cervix and a 9 ½ on the
other! What the? I didn’t know half your cervix could be fully dilated while
the other half wasn’t but apparently it could. It stayed this way for way too
long…like hours. Sometime between all this, thinking I was going to give birth
soon, I asked the nurse if they had a mirror, she said “oh yes, when it’s time
to push I’ll bring it in” I said “oh heavens no, I don’t want to see that, I
just want to put some make up on!” She laughed got me a hand mirror and then
told me that some women like the mirror not just to see but it encourages them
to push harder/longer when they can see what’s happening. Humm…So when the time
finally came to push (9:45PM!!!) I agreed to have the mirror brought in to test
this theory! WRONG! It was not encouraging at all…all that work and all I see
is nothing…or a little something and then it slips back? Get that mirror out of
here! And so they did! Pushing was harder and more painful than I imagined. I’m
not sure if it was that my epidural was wearing off, or just pressure that
everyone feels whether they have an epidural or not, but it was painful and
very uncomfortable. I told my nurse that I could feel the pressure and that it
was uncomfortable, and she assured me that if my epidural had worn off that I
would be screaming. Joseph thought this would be a good time to take bets to
what time the baby would be born. One nurse guessed 1031pm (it was 9:45pm) I
gave her the best death stare I could muster and tried to grab her neck with my
eyes! Why would she say such a thing!!! Turns out my little sweetheart was born
at 10:51pm April 15th. But the coolest part of the birth was after his head was
out the doctor had joseph and I grab him and pull him the rest of the way out
and place him on my chest. It was amazing.
A 20 ¾ inches, 8lb
6oz chub of perfection!
So besides being forever long, the birth went very well, no
complications, a successful VBAC. Although if I’m honest with myself, my
C-section was easier. Instead of a sleepless night and then almost 24 hours of
labor, my C-section took more like 2 ½
hours from when I woke up to when I held my baby. And as for recovery, I
still think the C-section was better. Yes my stomach hurt, but just when I
coughed or used my muscles to sit up or down. But with my vaginal delivery it
hurt my vagina when I coughed, sat down, went to the bathroom, or even walked.
And it lasted for about two weeks! Maybe it’s because I was expecting the
recovery to be so much better, cuz that’s what everyone told me, or maybe it’s
because my C-section wasn’t an emergency and I had a really great doctor, but
either way I’d have to say I’m still glad I had my VBAC even if the recovery
wasn’t as great as I would have liked. Now I’ve had both experiences and am
ready for whatever happens with the next one!
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