Zoe Rebekah - Birth Story

[rasbneon]

Zoe Rebekah was born on Sunday Sept. 21st at 5:53 am.  7 lbs 11.9 oz. 20 1/4 inches.

My labor started Saturday morning September 20th at 12 am.  My contractions were coming about 10 minutes apart so I went to bed and did not mention it to Donavon because I knew he would get no sleep worrying.  The contractions were fairly strong but bearable.  They continued all night still 10 minutes apart with me sleeping between each one and started to get closer together around 7 am.  By 9 they were coming 6 minutes apart so we packed up the car and took Jonathon over to my sister-in-law and headed to the hospital.  Of course the minute we got in the car the contractions slowed down to about 8 minutes apart.  We got to the hospital and they started monitoring me.  My contractions were regular but we were informed that my doctor was not on call and the doctor who was would not do a VBAC.  I was only dilated 2 1/2 cm so the nurse advised me that if I wanted to I could go home and try drinking lots of water and resting to try to stall my labor until Monday.  So we went home at around 10:30.  I spent the day resting and drinking all the water I could and we continued to time my contractions which came further and further apart.  My sister-in-law was timing them and they were down to 20 minutes apart.  Then I went 40 minutes and the next contraction came.  I think at this point I said something like well it looks like I just might make it through the weekend.  I could feel the baby pushing with the contraction and she just kept stretching and pushing and then "pop!"  I was stunned.  I just kept thinking that so did not just happen!!  I sat there for a second then I got up and ran for the bathroom.  Everyone started asking me what was wrong and I told them I think my water just broke.  They looked at the couch where I had been sitting and said well it's not wet.  Sure enough as I got to the bathroom the slow trickle started and I knew for sure that my water had broken.  I asked Donavon to try calling the Dr. office emergency number to see if we could get a hold of my doctor.  The nurse offered to page the doctor on call.  The on call doctor called us back and I talked to her and asked her if she could try to get in touch with my doctor and let her know what was going on.  She said she would try but I needed to get to the hospital.  She called back a few minutes later and said she could not reach my doctor.  I asked her if there was any other doctor who would come in to do a VBAC and she said there was not.  I asked if I should try going to another hospital and she said I could try but would probably not find one willing to do a VBAC.  She again advised me to just get to the hospital.  I hung up with her and got ready to go.  My sister-in-law tried calling the other hospital in our area to see if I could go there and the nurse told her that they would not do a VBAC.  She then asked the nurse if I was just supposed to go have the baby in the parking lot or car and the nurse actually advised her that if I wanted a VBAC I could come in and have the baby in the ER waiting room and then be admitted!!!!!!!  So we went to our original hospital.  We got there around 10 pm.  When we got there the nurse gave me the whole speech again about how the doctor on call does not do VBAC's and that they would prep me for surgery.  I then told her I could not consent to a c-section.  You could see the "oh crap" look on her face as she repeated back very slowly "you are saying you will not consent to a c-section."  I said correct and she said ok well umm I will go let her know . . . About two minutes later she returned and said ok we have gotten in touch with your doctor and she is willing to let you try for a VBAC so she is on her way and will stay on site along with the anesthesiologist until you deliver in case of any complications.  They started monitoring my contractions and let me know she would come in as soon as they were coming ten minutes apart.  We were still timing them and they started to get closer together and more and more painful.  By this time it was about 3 am.  They were starting to be intensely painful and coming every three minutes but we had still not heard back from anyone so I finally called the nurse to ask her if I could get an epidural.  I had wanted to hold off as long as possible because I didn't want to stall my labor but I was in so much pain I was screaming.  I was also pushing with the contractions and could not stop myself.  The nurse came in and asked if the contractions seemed to be close together because she was not picking them up.  I was laying on my side so the monitor wasn't reading most of my contractions.  They decided to put in an internal monitor and they checked to see if I was dilated.  I was still only a four.  After they had me on the internal monitor and could see my contractions they agreed to the epidural.  I thought I was going to die from the pain while waiting for the anesthesiologist.  The strange thing is that when I had my son I was induced with Pitocin and those contractions are supposed to be much more painful than natural contractions.  I had to wait almost all day for my epidural and they gave me some other pain medication to "tide me over."  I went several hours after the pain meds wore off still waiting for the epi and though the contractions were not pleasant they were bearable.  I was more worried about the possibility of being in too much pain rather than not being able to handle the pain.  I have in fact had doctors tell me many times that I have a high tolerance for pain.  So when I was feeling so much pain I could not keep from screaming I knew it was not really normal.  In fact I would say it was worse than when I had come out of my c-section with Jonathon and my pain meds wore off.  That pain was intense but this was actually worse.  My whole body was shaking violently because of the pain.  Anyway I waited for the epidural and tried to keep from freaking out.  Finally the anesthesiologist arrived.  He told me I would probably have a few more contractions before the epi was in and I tried not to panic.  I did have two more while he was getting everything done but I managed to hold it together.  He got the epi in and I waited for the sweet relief it would give me from the pain.  No such luck.  It did numb the pain considerably but that the contractions were dulled I could feel the back pain more intensely.  It was constant.  I called the nurse again to tell her I was still in pain and she advised trying different positions before I tried a higher dose in the epi.  I tried different positions but no help.  When I was on one side I had intense back pain.  If I rolled to the other side I could feel the contractions again full force.  I continued to rock from side to side trying to keep the back pain away until the contraction would come and then going back to the other side.  Then I started to feel lots of pressure in the upper part of my stomach and it started to be very painful.  It was right where the baby was and it was like she was pushing out as hard as she could.  I was getting nauseous from the pain and was still shaking all over.  At about 5:30 am I called the nurse again to tell her about the pain because they told me at the beginning to let them know if I felt any pain in my upper stomach since this could be a sign of uterine rupture.  She checked with my doctor and said since everything was still looking ok on the monitor they could go ahead and up the epi if I wanted to try that.  I was still only dilated to a four but I told them I would be willing to try.  She asked if that did not work would I want to go ahead and have the c-section and I said yes since I knew I would not be able to handle the pain much longer.  She went out and my doctor came in to talk to me and ask if I really wanted to attempt the higher dose on the epidural of if I was ready to give up.  The pain in my upper stomach was getting worse and I knew things were just not right.  I knew that the baby was not in position (she was turned to one side) which explains the back pain and had been part of the reason for my c-section with my son (deep transverse arrest.)  I knew that upping the dose on the epidural would make it even less likely that I would dilate fully.  For some reason I was just getting this strong feeling that I had given it a good try but it was time to give in.  I agreed to the c-section.  My doctor informed me that the fact that I was in so much pain was really starting to worry her.  The anesthesiologist came in and gave me another dose in the epi before we moved in to surgery and then in the OR he gave me three more doses before all the pain finally went away.  This c-section was so much better than my first.  I know that was due mostly to not being an emergency so everyone was more calm and able to make sure I was doing ok.  I also really liked this anesthesiologist better because he was constantly reassuring me and making sure I was ok.  The last one hadn't listened to me at all and as a result I ended up in a lot of pain after the epi wore off.  I also know what to expect so I was much more calm.  I was able to relax and wait for the baby.  It seemed to go faster this time though they told me it would take longer since they did not have to rush. During the surgery I heard the assisting doctor tell my doctor she had found a "window" in my uterus.  Basically there was a really thin area that would have likely ruptured had I continued to attempt the VBAC.  It was likely the reason I was feeling so much pain.  Zoe was born Sunday Sept. 21st at 5:53 am.

They cleaned her up and brought her around to see me and I was able to kiss her and see her without throwing up like I did when I first saw Jonathon.

I started to feel a little pain and told the anesthesiologist and he gave me another dose.  After I was all stitched up and they were about to take me to recovery he "topped me off" to last until the iv pain meds kicked in.  I went to recovery and was feeling great.  I could not even wiggle my toes. :)  I was shaking throughout the whole surgery and after.  I would calm down and stop shaking if I closed my eyes and relaxed but Donavon was there with pics of the baby so I kept talking to him and would start shaking again and then would stop and relax for a little and then get caught up talking again.  Right about then I started feeling nauseous again and did throw up . . . all over the pregnant nurse!  Ahhh! :(  I felt so bad.  She had to call in another nurse to clean me up so she could go change her clothes. :(  Poor girl.  Other than that I did fine in recovery and they took me back to my room.  When we got to the room and they started to move me to the bed I started bleeding "excessively" and clotting.  The nurse called in more nurses and they started pushing on my stomach (they left a bruise) to see if I would continue.  They said my stomach was firm but they were going to call the doctor.  My sister-in-law arrived just as the nurses walked out and she heard them saying that they needed to get my doctor back right away.  The on call doctor came back and checked me and said I seemed to be doing fine but she ordered medication for me and they said they would be watching me.  So I started getting a shot in the hip several times a day.  Other than that there were no complications and I was able to feed her right away without any problems.  I slept the whole day partly due to not sleeping at all the night before and partly because of the pain meds.  Sorry to anyone who visited that first day.  I know I was not very good company.  We came home on Tuesday and everything has been going well.  I have been recovering nicely and have only taken Advil since I came home. 

Zoe is a joy.  She is very calm and rarely cries.  Even when she does cry she usually will let out a few little grunts first and then wait patiently.  After awhile she will let out a little cry then wait.  Then finally if she must she will cry for a minute then wait. :)  We had her first follow up doctor appointment today and she is already back to her birth weight with no signs of jaundice.  Unlike Jonathon she does not eat on schedule.  He would eat every three hours on the dot but she will sometimes be hungry after an hour and other times I have to wake her up after four hours to eat.  She is not easy to wake up either.  Jonathon my two year old is doing very well adapting to having a new baby in the house and he is a big helper.  He loves to give her kisses and talk to her.  He always alerts us when she wakes up and if he hears her cry he will bring her his favorite toys or her paci.  He tells us when she has "pee pee" and when she is in the swing he pushes her and sings twinkle twinkle little star.  Earlier he was pointing to her mouth and she started sucking on his finger.  He just sat there and laughed his head off. :)

 

Zoe is beautiful.  She looks a lot like Jonathon except she got Donavon's nose and Jonathon has mine.  She also has the darkest hair.  Jonathon was born with very blond hair but she has a full head of dark brown almost black hair.  She also has a darker complexion than any of us.  It is funny because I always used to say that we knew what our babies would look like before they were born.  They would be blue eyed, blond haired with glow in the dark skin!  She sure surprised me! :) She does have blue eyes though. They are already starting to lighten up and are a beautiful cobalt blue right now.

I just want to add that I have no regrets about attempting the VBAC even though it was not successful.  I am glad I attempted the VBAC because otherwise I would have always wondered if I could have done it.  I felt that I owed it to myself and to Zoe to give it my best try.  I also prayed very hard that if I was meant to have a VBAC that I would go into labor on my own and I put it in God's hands.  I went into labor on my own but I really felt a clear message when the time came that having the c-section was the right decision.  I feel that God was allowing me to try for my own peace of mind.  I also feel like He was protecting me and the baby from harm.  I felt so at peace with my decision and I know He granted me that peace.  I had been so worried and stressed before hoping for my VBAC and frustrated that I might not even get the opportunity to try.  I am glad I stood up for myself and insisted on being given the chance.  This whole experience has actually been very healing for me.  I had lots of regrets and feelings of being a failure after my son's birth but now I feel so much better about everything that happened.  In the end I have two beautiful children who are healthy and that is the most important thing.

[KnLzMom]

Sep. 26, 2008 at 11:29 PM

I really enjoyed reading this.  :D

I admire you for standing up for yourself. I think it takes a lot of courage to do that, especially in similar situations like the one you faced. I never even knew what a VBAC was until I read this, so it was informative. !:D Some of the things you went through sounded like my pregnancy, though both of mine were vaginal. I had the shakes wicked bad and threw up after birth. Also, I was rocking back and forth to try to ignore? the pain. The DR's kept asking my hubby if something was wrong with me. NOOOO! lol. You think?

Anyway, like I wrote, really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing your story. :)

[MamaJae]

Sep. 29, 2008 at 8:23 PM

Congratulations !!! Im sorry you couldnt have your VBAC but im glad your ok with your c-section. The same thing happened to me this time too. My water broke on its own but after 13 hours i never went into active labor so i agreed to a repeat c-section. I really wanted a VBAC but am very pleases with my c-section and dont regret it. My doctor also told me i had a small window and i most likely would have ruptured ! I wonder how like;y or common that is ? But congrats... take it easy and enjoy yuor new little one. She's beautiful :)

[Mommy_ICURN]

Sep. 29, 2008 at 10:03 PM

Congrats! My uterus ruptured when I had my son (5 weeks before my planned C-section date). It was NOT fun! I'm so glad everything went so well. I would love to have another, but most docs won't touch me with a 10 foot pole now! Oh well, I tempted fate twice and have great kids. What more can one ask for?

[PattyinNV]

Dec. 4, 2008 at 5:57 PM

am just now reading this, wow!  holy cow!  what u went thru u should be mother of the yr!  i'm not that brave.  my first baby i was in labor for 18 hrs, did it hurt?  oh yea, but with my second it was only 4 hrs, but oh my gosh sooo much more worse, the pain was in my back, it was dreadful.  but i'm sure nothing like what u went thru.  my daughter had two c-sections so she didnt have to have the bad pain thank goodness.  they gave her pitocin to start the pain, at one point she started to feel one and was on her tiptoes, i so wanted to take her pain for myself.  ya hate seeing your children in pain and cant do anything bout it.  thank goodness it was only that one.  congrats on your new baby girl.  she and you are so lucky!  my daughter was advised not to have anymore, she had a very ruff 2nd pregnancy.  and before she was even 30 had to have a complete hysterectomy, so hat took care of no more kids for her.  my son has one boy too, so no more g-kids for me. (they only want one child)   =(   congrats again!