O.k. So, a few people have been asking about how Jack came into the world and how i ended up with a c-section. If you have been around me at all during my pregnancy, you would have known that i was planning/trying to go completely natural for my childbirth. I took a natural child birthing class. I hired a doula (like a birth coach) who taught my class and is a certified midwife herself having delivery over 2000 babies. I went to a practice that has both midwives and doctors. I wasn't trying to be superwomen, i just wanted the birth to be as natural for the baby as possible and to allow my body to work as it was designed to do. However, thank God for medicine and for the advances we have made, because i honestly do not know if i would have had my little boy if i had to go natural. So, i am going to be a bit graphic, so if you don't want to know, don't read it...
I woke up on Thursday, July 3rd with steady contractions. They were not very close together, maybe 15-20 mins apart and not very strong. I went into work for a few hours and they kept getting stronger. Sitting or standing, they did not change. By 4 pm they were 10 mins apart and getting stronger and a bit painful. Ryan came home and called our doula. She said to wait till they are 3-4 mins apart for an hour and than call her. I got in the bath, and it did not change a thing. My contractions increased in time and intensity and by 7pm, i had been having them every 3 and half mins for an hour. We called our doula and went to the hospital. I was check out and i was already dilated to a 4. They put me in my labor/delivery room, called my midwife and we called our doula. I was barely hooked up to a hep-lock iv(meaning i could take it out and move around the room) when i promptly threw up all over myself and the bed. I had went my entire pregnancy without throwing up and sure enough, i puke. My water broke pretty much right after that there was meconium in the water. (meaning he had pooped in the water) My midwife was not concerned, but i would not be able to hold Jack right away. They would have to suck out his throat to make sure he did not swallow any of the meconium when he came through the birth canal.
My labor increased very quickly and i was soon at a 8 and going into transition. My midwife and doula were amazed that i was moving so quickly with this being my first child and they got the room ready for the baby to come. It was getting very painful at this point, but i was ready to start pushing and have the baby. I stayed stuck in transition for 4 hours. By the end of it, i was so exhausted and in so much pain that i was ready for some help. I than was checked and i was at a 9, but i was fully effaced. The baby was at a station -1, which means he was almost in the birth canal, but he needed to be much further down. I did a few squat pushes to try to drop the baby further down. After a few hours of being at a 9, i was having a sever pain in my lower stomach that would not go away after my contractions ended. My midwife and doula freaked out about this and insisted that i get an epidural. They needed to make sure that the pain went away with the epidural and if it didnt, than i could have ripped my uterus, which my midwife said would be "catastrophic". After i was given the first epidural, i found some relief and was told i had to rest. My cervix had swollen from the pushing and i needed to wait for it to go down and to sleep and let me body try to bring the baby down. I was able to get some rest, but when i woke up i was in a full force fully dilated contraction with no pain medicine at all. My epidural had worn off in my sleep. They gave me more medicine, but it did not work. That hour and half was the absolute worst of my labor. Nothing compares to waking up in the middle of a full force contraction. I was given a second epidural and was able to rest again. That epidural was a huge relief. I was fully dilated, but the baby was posterior. He was facing my stomach instead of my back, so it would take a lot longer and harder pushes to get him down the birth canal. He was engaged at this point, but still needed to drop. I pushed in 7 different position for 2 hours. At this point, it was 11am on the fourth of July. My midwife and doula were very concerned. They called in my head doctor. They were going to try to use a vacuum to help bring him down the birth canal. Dr. Valentine said he would try, but if it didn't happen right away, than i would have to have a c-section. We tried the vacuum and the baby was not moving. I had to have a c-section right away.
The c-section went well and when they took him out, he had had his cord wrapped around his neck twice. He was posterior and a little sideways. He most likely would never have dropped down without causing major damage. I was really bruised and swollen on the inside as well. In fact, i am still dealing with the swelling of my uterus now. My doula said that if i lived in the 1800's, the baby or i probably would not have made it through. I did not realize the seriousness of the labor till afterwards. We had people praying all over the country during my labor, and we believe that it was by God's grace that Jack did not go into fetal distress at all.
It was one long, crazy labor that i am thankful is over and done with. I am still trying to recover from it. I have to recover from both a vaginal and cesarean due to the use of the vacuum. Jack has had some feeding issues, but it is all starting to come around now. My midwife joked with me a few days later, that i was the most experienced new mom on the block. I could tell them how pretty much any type of labor was like. It is something that i wish i didnt know, but i am thankful that i have a healthy beautiful baby boy to show for it. I thank God that everything worked out and that we were both in His hands.
