Baby Andrew’s Birth Story {A Successful 2VBAC}

When I realized what was happening I called my mother-in-law to come get the boys. Ben was already on his way home but I called him anyway. I had been making dinner and bouncing on the birth ball when I noticed wetness. I was pretty sure it wasn’t a loss of bladder control which was confirmed when I went to the bathroom and had extra fluid leaking besides urine.

I wasn’t ready for him. I had prepared my self for a 2VBAC but not labor at 35 weeks. I had a ton of things on my to-do list. Just that day I had gotten the clothes out and washed them. But only the 0-3 month clothes that Cameron was pretty much in from birth; I didn’t have anything washed for a 35 week preemie. I didn’t have the car seat cleaned. I didn’t have the Pack ‘n Play set up or fixed. I was worried about so many things on the way to the hospital. I had been anxious the whole pregnancy and as it was nearing the end I was even more so then I had been at the beginning. I had tried some fear release exercises that I recommend to my birth clients and those were helping but now with my water leaking every few minutes those fears were back with a vengeance.

Ben and I were on our way to the hospital. I text my mom who was there teaching a childbirth education class that we were coming in. I had contacted my doula/birth photographer/dear friend before we left the house and made her aware of what was going on.

The hospital that I had chosen to deliver at technically has a VBAC ban. I had my first VBAC there and I wanted my second there as well. I was a little more prepared to refuse the cesarean section and stand up for my patient rights of refusal. Thankfully this time we were met by a supportive nurse {unlike our experience with Seth} and my doctor was on call!

While waiting for Ben to get home from work I had tried to get things together for my hospital bag, another thing that was on my to-do list for the next week, I knew I was missing things but we were hoping to be home in a couple of hours anyway since I wasn’t having any contractions.

When in triage monitoring baby we found out that most of the time when there is preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes {pPROM} it is usually because of an infection or inflammation of the uterus. Because of this and the fact that I was attempting a 2nd vaginal birth after cesarean {2VBAC} I decided to stay the night and get some antibiotics with the hope that labor would start during the night with no interventions. That night I had some strong contractions but nothing was consistent.

The next morning since nothing was happening I decided to send Ben to work. He had a big job that needed to be finished and then he was coming right back. I paced the room, sat on the birth ball, updated my sisters and a few other people who I had informed and asked to pray for us and talked with my doula who stopped by with almond milk for my coffee. Nothing happened that morning.

When Ben got back from work, around noon, we talked and decided to check out of the hospital against medical advice and go home with the hope that we would be back in a couple of hours. I couldn’t see labor starting at the hospital because I was worried about being on the clock and when talk of a repeat cesarean {RCS} would come up. We packed up the things we had brought in and signed the AMA forms. {I was comfortable going home because if I had been a few weeks further along in this pregnancy they would have sent me home since I was not in labor. We also had a doppler (borrowed from a friend) that I could use to take the same twenty-minute “strip” every four hours that the nurses at the hospital were doing. And I was taking my temperature every couple of hours to catch any fever- one of the signs of uterine infection. We also made an agreement that if nothing was happening by noon the next day we would be back in to discuss our options.}

On the way home we stopped to see the boys. They were a little confused as to why the baby was still in my belly but they were having fun. I walked home while Ben visited with them a little longer. I tried to take a nap. I put up the Pack ‘n Play, I packed more things for our next trip to the hospital, I ate, I drank, I pumped, I applied oils to pressure points, I had Ben massage my feet, ankle and leg points…I tried everything to get contractions going. Nothing worked. Again that night I had a few hard contractions that woke me, but nothing timeable.

The next morning we packed up the car and left early. While we were pulling out the car seat we found the strap were covered in mold, so we headed to Walmart to grab a new one. We stopped at the bank and made the car payment. Then we headed back to the hospital.

We were met by my doctor and we talked about our options. Because it was almost forty hours after my water had broken, my GBS test wasn’t back yet and I hadn’t had all the doses of antibiotics, and my mental state wasn’t the best we decided to go ahead and start Pitocin. The use of Pitocin during a VBAC does increase the risk of a uterine rupture but since I had already proven that I could have a VBAC two years before the increase for me was minimal. We would start the Pitocin at half the usual dose and increase by half every half hour.

The Pitocin drip was started between 11:30AM and 12. At 12:30 I text my sister-in-law that contractions were getting stronger. They weren’t bad at that point, they felt like normal early labor contractions. During the first couple of hours I stood and swayed, walked the room and sat on a birth ball trying to relax my hips and breathe through contractions. As the contractions got stronger our nurse Maureen came in more frequently to bring ice water, offer encouragement and check on how I was doing.  I so appreciated her calming spirit and gentle touch. She knew when to be quiet and allow me to work through contractions on my own and NEVER offered pain relief- something I had mentioned on my birth plan.

Just before 2PM I text my doula and told her she could head over whenever she wanted. At that point the Pitocin was at 1.5. I was definitely retreating into myself and practicing deep, slow breathing. Ben and I were still talking between contractions. I was drinking Powerade by the glassful, originally I had wanted to make my own Laborade like this one but getting the supplies wasn’t on my to-do list for a couple of weeks.

My doula arrived around 3:30. Things were quickly picking up. Movement was necessary and staying upright wasn’t a choice. I was letting my body tell me what to do, I knew if I didn’t I would start to get overwhelmed. Ben and my doula were needed now to get warm blankets, drinks and offer position options. Around 4 I decided that I was ready to be checked and see how far dilated I was and if I could have the Pitocin turned off. I was a little nervous about having it turned off because I was afraid that things would slow down.

My doctor came in around 4:30 and I was at 7 centimeters and 90% effaced. I decided to have the Pitocin turned off and to get in the tub. The tub was great! I added lavender oil to the water to help me relax and it did. But after three contractions I couldn’t sit any more and decided to get on the toilet. {I went through most of transition with Cameron, my first VBAC, on the toilet and I remember it being my favorite place to labor.} Sitting on the toilet definitely made the contractions more intense and soon I was in transition. I love the toilet because you are helping baby down by using gravity, any upright position will do this, but you also allow the pelvic floor to relax and you don’t feel the pressure like you do when sitting on the ball during transition.

I labored on the toilet until a little after 5. Vocalization and touch were what helped me through the intense transition contractions. Then I felt something I hadn’t felt before, the urge to push. I had to push NOW! I slowly made my way out of the bathroom with Ben’s help and made my way over to the bed, knelt beside it {the same position I had Cameron in} and was checked one last time {only two times while in labor!} and was almost complete with a slight lip. My OB held back the lip and had me push through it. Two or three more contractions and Andrew was here at 5:21.

                            

Relief and amazement. After getting on the bed Andrew was immediately on my chest where the his pediatrician did all exams right on me. After the cord stopped pulsing Ben cut the cord, a first for him. We found out that Andrew’s cord had a true knot in it, something that is pretty rare. Andrew did have to leave for just a little bit to get some labs drawn because of his prematurity but otherwise he roomed in with us.  Andrew didn’t have any breathing or nursing issues, thank the Lord! His blood sugar was a little low but once we got him under the warmer for about twenty minutes he was back in the normal range. He was weighed about two hours later and weighed in at 5 pounds 9 ounces and measured at 16 1/2 inches long.

                            

Ben gave Andrew his first bath at 5 days old. By his first doctor appointment at 5 days old Andrew was back up to birth weight and has been quickly gaining since then.

The postpartum recovery has gone very well for me. This is the first time I’ve gotten to experience what a normal recovery should be like because after Seth was born I was dealing with the cesarean birth and after Cameron was born I had a pretty major postpartum hemorrhage.

Maybe the knot in Andrew’s cord was the reason he was early. Maybe God knew my anxiety was growing and decided to end that. Maybe Andrew was going to be early just because that was the time he was supposed to be here. We’ll never really know, but I’m glad that things happened exactly as God planned them.