I posted a birth story for Jamyson to recap our experience in the hospital.
I've always wanted to post a "VBAC" experience and never thought I would have the chance to do it.
Elizabeth's Birth Story
Thursday 7/20/17
Jamyson and I walked 2 miles with my friend, Misty in the morning.
I was 41 weeks 3 days pregnant at this point. No contractions, 1/2 dilated, 50% effaced.
Wasn't looking promising. My husband had been telling me the entire pregnancy, "Wouldn't it just be easier to schedule a C section?!?". Yes, it would've been but I was holding out the chance to try a vaginal delivery.
My doctor had scheduled a "balloon catheter induction" for that evening.
So, my Mom came over at 3pm and we put Jamyson down for a nap.
Rob was working and arrived home at 3:30pm, did some computer work and then we left for the hospital at 3p. We arrived at 4pm and checked into our room at 5pm.
The doctor came into the room at 5:30pm to place the foley balloon.
It hurt so bad and I immediately started cramping/contracting. "I'll see you in the morning", he told me as he left the room.
At about 6pm, I was hurting so bad I asked for some pain medicine. They gave me Nubain and told me I could have 2 doses, 2 hours apart but that I shouldn't take anymore because it can pass thru the placenta and make the baby sleepy.
Her HR (normal 140-160) stayed about 100 when they gave me the pain medicine.
We waited until 9pm to take the next dose of pain medicine.
My mother in law and her fiancé came to visit and greatly helped pass the time because I was still hurting.
At 9pm, they gave me an additional shot of Nubain and Ambien and the nurse said, "This makes everyone sleep through the night". I told her I was really in a lot of pain but she reassured me this would work.
10:30pm rolled around, still in pain, still contracting.
I got out of the bed and sat in a chair the rest of the night because I was hurting so badly.
Around 1am, I asked the nurse if I could get an epidural because the sleep concoction did nothing for me. I was wide awake and feeling everything. She told me to try another dose of Nubain and wait for the epidural until 4 am.
1am-3rd dose of Nubain (no pain relief) Baby HR drops to 100 again.
3am-I called the nurse and said, I'm going to need an epidural or C-section because this pain is for the birds.
4am-Epidural placed... immediate pain relief? Slightly relived. I was able to sleep from 4 am-6:30 am. At this point, I was placed on clear liquid diet but I honestly wasn't that hungry which was a complete change because I ate an entire cake, by myself, the week before I delivered.
8 am-Doctor came into remove the balloon. "You're 6 cm dilated, he said. Congratulations!" I'll see you tonight because I have a surgery until 5pm".
Uhhhh.... ok....
So, we go on from 8 am until 4pm. Rob's family came up around noon and waited with us while I was dilating. My oldest daughter arrived with Rob's dad around noon so she would be there for the birth.
I still hadn't need Pitocin and they started to check me at 2pm and I had only dilated to a 7. Still trudging on, epidural wasn't working as well as it had in the morning.
3pm-dilated to an 8.
4pm-dilated to a 9.
The doctor was still in surgery at this point. The nurse told me if I need to push before he was out, she would get another doctor. I really didn't want another doctor so I was trying to wait.
5pm-fluid bubbles started to come out from down below and I could tell she was ready to come out. The nurse came and checked me and I was at 10 cm. "Do you want to start pushing?"
I said, I guess so....
The baby's head was engaged to a 0 station and she said I would have to push her from a 0 to a +3. I still didn't know what that meant but I was ready to try.
5:15pm... started pushing. Rob had my left leg, Bri had my right leg. After two rounds of pushing, I was done trying. I didn't think I could push that long and the pain was terrible. Rob and Bri weren't ready for me to quit trying and the nurse said I could push up to 3 hours. I almost threw up when she said that. One thing I learned after about 45 minutes was it was better to push after the contraction peaked then to start pushing while it was rising. Your body will almost tell you when to push if you allow the contraction to build and peak.
I pushed from 5:15-6:45pm, strangled both Bri and Rob, spit in the nurses face, screamed my head off, burst blood vessels in my face and tore about 1 inch away from my rectum. I never did need any pitocin.
At 6:54pm, Elizabeth came out with a full head of dark hair. They put her on my chest and allowed a delayed cord clamping. After a few minutes, Rob was able to cut the umbilical cord. She cried right away and I was so happy. The pain was gone. The took her for measurements and then gave her to Bri while Rob stayed with me while they finished.
The doctor had to suture me up after the placenta came out. The pain was back. I started screaming again. After about 20 minutes, it was over and I was so incredibly relived and exhausted.
Elizabeth weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 21.5 inches long.
Jamyson was 8 lbs 11 oz and 20.5 inches long.
Brianna was 7 lbs 13 oz and 19.5 inches long.
I've never felt so much pain in my life and doubted she would actually come out after two rounds of pushing. I wanted a C section at that point. However, with God's grace, I was able to push out our nearly 10 lb miracle.
Having a successful VBAC was so much easier at the hospital I delivered because they had experience with the delivery and were not jumping at a C section like other hospitals.
The labor nurse I had was phenomenal. I couldn't reposition in the bed without her coming thru the door to reposition the fetal monitor. She was with me from 7 in the morning until 8pm that evening. She watched that baby on the monitor like a hawk. She counted every push out with me the entire time. I found out later that she was originally a Parkland L & D nurse. I knew I liked her for a reason!
Here's our newest family member and she was undoubtedly worth the work.
I've always wanted to post a "VBAC" experience and never thought I would have the chance to do it.
Elizabeth's Birth Story
Thursday 7/20/17
Jamyson and I walked 2 miles with my friend, Misty in the morning.
I was 41 weeks 3 days pregnant at this point. No contractions, 1/2 dilated, 50% effaced.
Wasn't looking promising. My husband had been telling me the entire pregnancy, "Wouldn't it just be easier to schedule a C section?!?". Yes, it would've been but I was holding out the chance to try a vaginal delivery.
My doctor had scheduled a "balloon catheter induction" for that evening.
So, my Mom came over at 3pm and we put Jamyson down for a nap.
Rob was working and arrived home at 3:30pm, did some computer work and then we left for the hospital at 3p. We arrived at 4pm and checked into our room at 5pm.
The doctor came into the room at 5:30pm to place the foley balloon.
It hurt so bad and I immediately started cramping/contracting. "I'll see you in the morning", he told me as he left the room.
At about 6pm, I was hurting so bad I asked for some pain medicine. They gave me Nubain and told me I could have 2 doses, 2 hours apart but that I shouldn't take anymore because it can pass thru the placenta and make the baby sleepy.
Her HR (normal 140-160) stayed about 100 when they gave me the pain medicine.
We waited until 9pm to take the next dose of pain medicine.
My mother in law and her fiancé came to visit and greatly helped pass the time because I was still hurting.
At 9pm, they gave me an additional shot of Nubain and Ambien and the nurse said, "This makes everyone sleep through the night". I told her I was really in a lot of pain but she reassured me this would work.
10:30pm rolled around, still in pain, still contracting.
I got out of the bed and sat in a chair the rest of the night because I was hurting so badly.
Around 1am, I asked the nurse if I could get an epidural because the sleep concoction did nothing for me. I was wide awake and feeling everything. She told me to try another dose of Nubain and wait for the epidural until 4 am.
1am-3rd dose of Nubain (no pain relief) Baby HR drops to 100 again.
3am-I called the nurse and said, I'm going to need an epidural or C-section because this pain is for the birds.
4am-Epidural placed... immediate pain relief? Slightly relived. I was able to sleep from 4 am-6:30 am. At this point, I was placed on clear liquid diet but I honestly wasn't that hungry which was a complete change because I ate an entire cake, by myself, the week before I delivered.
8 am-Doctor came into remove the balloon. "You're 6 cm dilated, he said. Congratulations!" I'll see you tonight because I have a surgery until 5pm".
Uhhhh.... ok....
So, we go on from 8 am until 4pm. Rob's family came up around noon and waited with us while I was dilating. My oldest daughter arrived with Rob's dad around noon so she would be there for the birth.
I still hadn't need Pitocin and they started to check me at 2pm and I had only dilated to a 7. Still trudging on, epidural wasn't working as well as it had in the morning.
3pm-dilated to an 8.
4pm-dilated to a 9.
The doctor was still in surgery at this point. The nurse told me if I need to push before he was out, she would get another doctor. I really didn't want another doctor so I was trying to wait.
5pm-fluid bubbles started to come out from down below and I could tell she was ready to come out. The nurse came and checked me and I was at 10 cm. "Do you want to start pushing?"
I said, I guess so....
The baby's head was engaged to a 0 station and she said I would have to push her from a 0 to a +3. I still didn't know what that meant but I was ready to try.
5:15pm... started pushing. Rob had my left leg, Bri had my right leg. After two rounds of pushing, I was done trying. I didn't think I could push that long and the pain was terrible. Rob and Bri weren't ready for me to quit trying and the nurse said I could push up to 3 hours. I almost threw up when she said that. One thing I learned after about 45 minutes was it was better to push after the contraction peaked then to start pushing while it was rising. Your body will almost tell you when to push if you allow the contraction to build and peak.
I pushed from 5:15-6:45pm, strangled both Bri and Rob, spit in the nurses face, screamed my head off, burst blood vessels in my face and tore about 1 inch away from my rectum. I never did need any pitocin.
At 6:54pm, Elizabeth came out with a full head of dark hair. They put her on my chest and allowed a delayed cord clamping. After a few minutes, Rob was able to cut the umbilical cord. She cried right away and I was so happy. The pain was gone. The took her for measurements and then gave her to Bri while Rob stayed with me while they finished.
The doctor had to suture me up after the placenta came out. The pain was back. I started screaming again. After about 20 minutes, it was over and I was so incredibly relived and exhausted.
Elizabeth weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 21.5 inches long.
Jamyson was 8 lbs 11 oz and 20.5 inches long.
Brianna was 7 lbs 13 oz and 19.5 inches long.
I've never felt so much pain in my life and doubted she would actually come out after two rounds of pushing. I wanted a C section at that point. However, with God's grace, I was able to push out our nearly 10 lb miracle.
Having a successful VBAC was so much easier at the hospital I delivered because they had experience with the delivery and were not jumping at a C section like other hospitals.
The labor nurse I had was phenomenal. I couldn't reposition in the bed without her coming thru the door to reposition the fetal monitor. She was with me from 7 in the morning until 8pm that evening. She watched that baby on the monitor like a hawk. She counted every push out with me the entire time. I found out later that she was originally a Parkland L & D nurse. I knew I liked her for a reason!
Here's our newest family member and she was undoubtedly worth the work.
Elizabeth Tayler Kennedy
Proud "Da-da"
Big Sister #1
Big Sister #2
That's all for now
@---)----)----
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