Oh, my sweet little boy. My husband and I had a difficult time conceiving our second child. Just when we thought that a second child was not in the cards for us, SURPRISE! Our first, Baby A, was a little over 2 years old now and I had started working outside of the home again, full time. I had a wonderfully smooth pregnancy and was feeling very confident in my ability to have a VBAC, especially with the new, supportive providers I was seeing. Baby J’s estimated due date was January 15. I had read over and over that it was very common to go into labor sooner with the second child so I was fully prepared to go early. Wishful thinking, for sure. Our due date came and went. At 4:30am on Sunday, January 17th, my water broke, again while I was asleep. This little guy was already following in his big sister's footsteps. My Mom came to stay with Baby A while my husband and I headed to the hospital. The provider on-call advised us that it would be best if I came in soon, because my water had broken and because I would be attempting my first VBAC. Contractions we roughly 10 minutes apart when we got to the hospital, which meant one thing… GAME TIME. After changing into the hospital gown, my husband I broke out some card games we had purchased just for this occasion… for passing the time while I labored! *I should mention here, if this is the first one my blog posts you are reading, yes… this is my second birth…but my first labor. My first child was born via c-section with minimal labor before hand* We made it through roughly two games before I needed to MOVE. I just wanted to walk, walk and walk some more. The hospital I birthed at required VBAC’s to be continuously monitored so thankfully I was able to move around while being continuously monitored due to wireless monitors. I was about 4 cm dilated when the anesthesiologist came in to discuss pain relief options. I was very sure at that point that I did not want to use anything, but per hospital rules, I signed the papers ‘just in case’ I changed my mind. The nurse suggested I try the tub and it felt amazing, for about 15 minutes. I just wanted to keep moving. My body knew that gravity was best so I tried the birthing ball. The birthing ball made me more uncomfortable, I think mostly due to my short stature and the hospital only having one size ball. It was shortly after trying the ball, that I decided I could not take the pain any longer. I decided to have the epidural placed. My OB checked my cervix once the epidural kicked in and I was 6 cm dilated. She suggested I get some rest, so we turned the lights down and I rested. A couple hours and a cervix check later, it was clear that the epidural had slowed my labor down. I hadn’t dilated any more since my last check, so my OB suggested using pitocin to ‘pick things back up’. We agreed. The bag of pitocin was hung and hooked to my IV line. I continued to rest because I still had the epidural so I wasn't’ feeling my contractions. My husband decided now would be a good time to go get some lunch. About an hour after the pitocin bag was hung, a swarm of doctors and nurses came rushing into my room. I had know idea what was going on! Were they here to tell me that I needed to push now? Is this what it’s like? Did a bell go off telling the floor that I had finally reached 10 cm? No. They were rushing in because Baby J’s heart rate had dipped dangerously low. They were there to reposition me and place an internal monitor to Baby J’s scalp. My husband came back from lunch just as the internal monitor was being placed into our unborn sons scalp. This drop in heart rate was most likely a response to the pitocin, so they lowered the amount that was being pumped into my body while continuing to monitor Baby J and myself. At my next cervical check, about an hour late, I was fully dilated and ready to push. I wouldn’t have known without my OB telling me because I was still numb from the waist down. I couldn’t feel any pain or pressure that is typically associated with that ‘I need to push’ moment. My OB and the resident suited up, helped me scootch my bottom to the end of the bed, put my feet up and told me to bear down…. nothing. I couldn’t feel anything down there so I had know idea if I was actually pushing or not. I was also very afraid…. to poop. I said it out loud… “I’m afraid I’m going to poop!” My OB thoughtfully smiled and said that it happens to everyone and that it’s nothing they haven’t seen before. She assured me that no one would even tell me if it had happened. And so I pushed. And pushed and pushed and pushed. For 55 minutes I pushed until that sweet Baby J presented himself to the world with our biggest surprise yet. “I can see his hair, a head full. A head full of red hair!” He was finally here, our sweet little boy with bright red hair. He was whisked away to the warming table while I delivered the placenta. I did it!! I had a VBAC!! Most importantly, Baby J was just fine. He did have a little mark at the top of his head where the internal monitor was placed, but it was hardly noticeable under that beautiful hair. We spent about an hour in the delivery room, skin to skin and suckling away, before we were moved to the mother-baby unit. We spent the next four days in the hospital because on day two, Baby J was sent to the NICU with hyperbilirubinemia, or Jaundice. His bilirubin level was so high that we feared he would need a blood transfusion. Thankfully, a few days in NICU with the ultraviolet lights was all he needed before heading home as our new family of four. Our sweet Baby J still has bright red hair.. and eyebrows and even eyelashes. We are blessed!
