Claire, born July 7, 2006
After having a c-section with Aaron, I was thrilled when my doctor told me that I could attempt VBAC (vaginal birth after cesearean) with Claire. There are risks associated with it, but really no more than with a second c-section, and I really wanted to try to give birth normally. I felt I had been robbed of that experience and wanted to at least give it another shot. My doctor told me the circumstances that led to my first c-section would not necessarily present themselves again, so I had a decent chance of successfully having a VBAC.
About 3 weeks before I was due with Claire, I started having lots of contractions. Some were more painful than Braxton Hicks and most of them took my breath away. I found myself always needing to sit down to catch my breath, and my tummy would get hard as a rock!
About 2 weeks before my due date, I just knew I was in labor. I was having lots of contractions and wasn't able to sleep. We called Chris's mom to come stay at the house with Aaron. I think it was around 4 or 5 in the morning. We told her not to rush, but I think she did anyway and got there around 5:00 or 6:00. I was second guessing my decision to go to the hospital by the time she got there, because my contractions started calming down anytime I sat and rested. Every time I got up and started stirring around, they would come back. Since Mimi had already come all the way to the house, we went on the hospital.
When I got to the hospital I was a couple centimeters dilated (maybe 3 or 4?) and they started monitoring my contractions. I was having regular contractions every 5 minutes, so we thought, "This is it!" However after several hours, my contractions got more sporadic, and I wasn't dilating any more. They finally sent me home that evening, and said there was a good possibility I'd be back the next day.
A week and a half later (!!!), I was still having several contractions each day, but nothing more than what I had been having. I walked around the block every night--just trying to bring on real labor! I made it to my next scheduled appointment, 3 days before my due date. The doctor was surprised to see I had made it that long, but she knew I didn't have long to go! That afternoon I picked Aaron up from summer camp at church, and I remember having to pause in the hallway a couple of times because the contractions really hurt. That evening, while Chris cut the grass, I walked around the block with my friend Debra, and we were timing my contractions. They were every 5 minutes, but I was still hesitating about going to the doctor. Debra couldn't believe I would hesitate, and asked, "Am I going to have to take you to the hospital myself???" Ha!
When I got home I went out to see Chris in the yard, and told him I thought it might be getting close to real labor, and maybe we should send Aaron to spend the night away so we would be free to leave whenever. We got Aaron's bag packed and took him to Mammaw's house. I will never forget the smell--Mammaw had been canning pickles that day (she wasn't really expecting company!) and when we walked in the house the smell of the vinegar cooking burned my eyes!! Aaron didn't seem to notice and was excited to stay with Mammaw and Pappaw.
We got home and I laid in the bed to try to rest for a while. The contractions were hurting pretty bad. Chris was standing by the bed during one of them, and when the contraction was dying down I heard a pop (he didn't hear it), and I jumped up and realized my water had broken!! The contractions came fast and furious at that point, and I was in some serious pain. We scrambled around to gather up all our stuff, and I remember thinking, "Get me to the hospital NOW!!"
We got to the hospital room around 11 pm, and I was blessed to have two nurses. One of them was in training, her 2nd day on the job. She was Indian, and had been a labor and delivery nurse for something like 20 years. Since she didn't really have any responsibility yet, she was able to stay by my bedside and help me through the pain until I got my epidural. She was wonderful! She massaged my back and helped me breathe. I think I would still remember her face if I saw her again!
I fully dilated on my own (no pitocin required, which was good because pitocin causes more risks for VBAC) by 4:30 or 5. When it was time to push I felt so confused about what to do. I had never done that before, and I couldn't really feel anything because of the epidural, but I tried to just do what the nurses were telling me. I pushed for an hour, then the doctor on call decided I needed a c-section. Claire was not coming down any further, and she was starting to go into distress. I was at peace with the decision, because I had come into it knowing it was a possibility. I was glad I had gotten a chance to at least try.
Claire was born around 7:30 am on July 7, 2006. She weighed in at 6 lbs 8 oz (a chunk compared to her tiny brother!), and healthy as could be. Aaron got to come later that day to see her--he was so proud. We are so thankful to have our sweet Claire Bear!
Showing posts with label labor story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label labor story. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My Labor Days...Aaron
In honor of Labor Day, I'm going to write my labor stories, for posterity!
Aaron, born June 6, 2004
It was the weekend of a cousins' reunion with Chris's mom's cousins. We spent the day Saturday at his parent's house, hanging out with some cousins we had never met before. We watched the news coverage of the death of Ronald Reagan. I laid around most of the day, even napping in the recliner some. I kept noticing mild contractions during the day but figured it was just the Braxton Hicks contractions and no biggie. After all, I was only 39 weeks pregnant, and people always told me you didn't have your first baby early. I naively believe I had one more week to go!
We got home that evening, and I got Chris to take a belly shot since I had not really done that the entire pregnancy, and I realized I might not be pregnant much longer. My contractions were getting a little more uncomfortable, but I was still smiling.
I tried to go to bed that night, but couldn't get comfortable for all the belly scrunching that was going on and the pain that came with it. Chris started scrambling around, looking for the booklet we had gotten at childbirth class, because suddenly we had both forgotten everything we had learned about when you're supposed to go to the hospital. We realized we needed to time the contractions, and when we did, they were 5 minutes apart! Time to pack up and go!!
I think it was around 1 am when we got to the hospital...or maybe 11 pm? All I know is we decided not to call the family in the middle of the night, because we knew it would be a while. I was only at 2 cm, I think. My contractions got pretty painful, and I got my epidural around 4 cm, maybe around 4 am or so. (Wow how these memories have faded!) Around 6 am we started calling family to tell them where we were. Chris's parents rushed to the hospital, and my aunt and uncle followed shortly later. All morning we just had family time in the delivery room...I was feeling fine with the epidural (just tired from being up all night), and I wasn't progressing very quickly.
Sometime around 2 pm the decision was made to do a c-section, because I had gotten to 7 cm, was progressing slowly, and Aaron was showing signs of going into distress. I cried and cried, and cried some more. I was totally unprepared for a c-section. It just never occurred to me that I might have to have one--I had even wanted to skip that week of our childbirth course! I remember after our family all left the room and I was waiting to be rolled back to the operating room, our pastor came in to pray with us. I tried to maintain my composure, but as soon as he walked in the room, I started sobbing, "I...have...to...have...a...c-section!" He was a little taken back but prayed with us nonetheless.
The extra anesthesia they put in my epidural gave me the shakes really bad--I could hardly keep my arms from flying up off the operating table. All my nervousness was not helping that situation either. We were not in the operating room for long, when they pulled out Aaron and I heard him cry. I started sobbing tears of relief and joy and emptiness. It's the strangest feeling-- such mixed emotions to suddenly be separated from this being who has inhabited your body for 9 months. I was so excited to meet him!
As soon as they took Aaron out, the anesthesiologist put something in my IV to help with my shakes, and my body immediately relaxed. The next couple of hours are pretty foggy...I was pretty out of it, but I remember getting to hold Aaron as they wheeled me to my postpardum recovery room. I got to breastfeed him for the first time, then our family came in to meet him. he was so tiny--5 lbs 6 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. In fact, his weight was just below some threshold the hospital has, so he had to go in a little isolette for 12 hours (they initially told me 24 hours).
So after the family left, the nurses took Aaron to the nursery, and I was pretty shaken up about this. I had planned on having him room in with me the whole time! I was worried about my poor little guy. But then they gave me drugs and I slept for 12 hours straight (only slightly wakened when they came in for blood pressure and temp checks). When I woke on Monday morning, I immediately asked to see my baby. They said he was doing great and could come out of the isolette early. I was so relieved! He was such a sweet little baby.
Claire's story...up next!!
Aaron, born June 6, 2004
It was the weekend of a cousins' reunion with Chris's mom's cousins. We spent the day Saturday at his parent's house, hanging out with some cousins we had never met before. We watched the news coverage of the death of Ronald Reagan. I laid around most of the day, even napping in the recliner some. I kept noticing mild contractions during the day but figured it was just the Braxton Hicks contractions and no biggie. After all, I was only 39 weeks pregnant, and people always told me you didn't have your first baby early. I naively believe I had one more week to go!
We got home that evening, and I got Chris to take a belly shot since I had not really done that the entire pregnancy, and I realized I might not be pregnant much longer. My contractions were getting a little more uncomfortable, but I was still smiling.
I tried to go to bed that night, but couldn't get comfortable for all the belly scrunching that was going on and the pain that came with it. Chris started scrambling around, looking for the booklet we had gotten at childbirth class, because suddenly we had both forgotten everything we had learned about when you're supposed to go to the hospital. We realized we needed to time the contractions, and when we did, they were 5 minutes apart! Time to pack up and go!!
I think it was around 1 am when we got to the hospital...or maybe 11 pm? All I know is we decided not to call the family in the middle of the night, because we knew it would be a while. I was only at 2 cm, I think. My contractions got pretty painful, and I got my epidural around 4 cm, maybe around 4 am or so. (Wow how these memories have faded!) Around 6 am we started calling family to tell them where we were. Chris's parents rushed to the hospital, and my aunt and uncle followed shortly later. All morning we just had family time in the delivery room...I was feeling fine with the epidural (just tired from being up all night), and I wasn't progressing very quickly.
Sometime around 2 pm the decision was made to do a c-section, because I had gotten to 7 cm, was progressing slowly, and Aaron was showing signs of going into distress. I cried and cried, and cried some more. I was totally unprepared for a c-section. It just never occurred to me that I might have to have one--I had even wanted to skip that week of our childbirth course! I remember after our family all left the room and I was waiting to be rolled back to the operating room, our pastor came in to pray with us. I tried to maintain my composure, but as soon as he walked in the room, I started sobbing, "I...have...to...have...a...c-section!" He was a little taken back but prayed with us nonetheless.
The extra anesthesia they put in my epidural gave me the shakes really bad--I could hardly keep my arms from flying up off the operating table. All my nervousness was not helping that situation either. We were not in the operating room for long, when they pulled out Aaron and I heard him cry. I started sobbing tears of relief and joy and emptiness. It's the strangest feeling-- such mixed emotions to suddenly be separated from this being who has inhabited your body for 9 months. I was so excited to meet him!
As soon as they took Aaron out, the anesthesiologist put something in my IV to help with my shakes, and my body immediately relaxed. The next couple of hours are pretty foggy...I was pretty out of it, but I remember getting to hold Aaron as they wheeled me to my postpardum recovery room. I got to breastfeed him for the first time, then our family came in to meet him. he was so tiny--5 lbs 6 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. In fact, his weight was just below some threshold the hospital has, so he had to go in a little isolette for 12 hours (they initially told me 24 hours).
So after the family left, the nurses took Aaron to the nursery, and I was pretty shaken up about this. I had planned on having him room in with me the whole time! I was worried about my poor little guy. But then they gave me drugs and I slept for 12 hours straight (only slightly wakened when they came in for blood pressure and temp checks). When I woke on Monday morning, I immediately asked to see my baby. They said he was doing great and could come out of the isolette early. I was so relieved! He was such a sweet little baby.
Claire's story...up next!!
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