Lily's Birth Story

So here it goes... with all the details... Pictures at the bottom…

It was Thursday night and DH was feeling a little frisky (I told you I would give all the details). I said, "Last time I was up for 3 hours in the middle of the night with contractions, I really need to get better sleep, not tonight". But, I caved (he he). So, after sleeping a little, here came the contractions. So I got up, turned on the computer, did my midnight TS correspondence (seemed to be my only quite TS time lately). Then I noticed that the contractions weren't so mild so I grabbed my timer and started timing. After about an hour and a half, I decided to make DH come and help time, after all, they were all his fault.

So there we were, early Friday morning, timing contractions and I'm thinking we better call Labor and Delivery. Contractions were getting uncomfortable and coming every 7 minutes. We decided that we needed to act because my mom lives 2 and a half hours away and the twins really only know her. So we called my friend to come over so she could wait for my mom. Called my mom and got her on her way. Packed a bag for me (yes, I still had a lot I needed to do) and headed out the door around 3:00am.

Driving was so NOT fun! When we hit the freeway I ordered DH to find the least bumpiest lane and drive 70 (he is a slow driver). He of course drove 50 and slowed for every stoplight after getting off the freeway (grrrrrrrr). We checked in and there we were.

Contractions were every 4 minutes and really starting to get more intense. When they first checked me I was 1 cm. I held out for about 3 more hours and they checked again, only 1 cm (grrrrrrrr again). Then, they started to wane off. As I am going for a VBAC, they really didn't want to just send me home again so they transferred me to Mother/Baby and put me in a morphine sleep for the morning and early afternoon. So that was my first 4 hours of labor and the long sleep.

Around 7pm on Friday the contractions started back up. I just started timing them again and they were 7 to 10 minutes, not too bad. And, as to be expected, by 9 they were getting pretty intense, but where was a Dr. to come check me? There was a huge surge of mother's coming in to L&D that night and they were overflowing into the waiting room (thank you DH for getting us admitted early so I could have a bed). A Dr. didn't end up coming in until almost midnight. Boy did I wish we had taken a refresher birthing class! Contractions were not fun and DH was sleeping thru them so I was still noting the time and working thru them.

This is where my memory might not be as good as I wish...

Finally, a Dr. came in and again, since I was aiming for a VBAC, they transferred me back to L&D. The Dr. on call is great and says let's get your epidural going. Thank you epidural!! I can now relax a little and get some rest. After the heavenly numbing, the Dr. says I'm only 2 cm and starts to stretch my cervix. He gets it to 3.5 cm. A few hours more and I was now at 4.5 cm. This is going good, right?!? So at 6am on Saturday, the next time a Dr. comes in to check on me, I am still at 4.5 cm. What, no progression?

As expected, after the epidural, my contractions start to fall so they start a slow patocine drip to keep them coming. That's fine by me... I was still feeling the contractions and they were bearable, I was able to cat nap between them. By 6pm, they were getting too hard to rest thru the Dr. comes back in to check me and I'm at 9.5 cm. I cannot even explain how surprised I was. I was really thinking I would never progress.

So another hour goes by and I'm at 10 cm. The party is starting!! There is a nice calm, the nurse is prepping all the tools and adjusting the bed. The nicest Dr. just starts her shift and I am her first priority. Not only am I VBAC, but they notice that the baby is feeling the long labor and not really responding that well to all the contractions. She has me start on oxygen to keep the baby more happy and this works. I have to really say that I liked this Dr., she was almost more committed to letting me have this baby naturally than I was. She assured me that this was her goal and she would be there (did I say I really liked her).

It's 7pm and here we go. The nurse starts helping us start to push with each contraction. I can do this... Then here comes the Dr. again, pushing with every contraction is too much for the baby, so we move to pushing with every other contraction. This is doable at first, but you know in the movies when the mother in labor just says "I cannot NOT push", this is sooooo true. The contractions were crazy! I would try so hard not to push, but the body does what it's supposed to.

The baby isn't moving too much so the Dr. comes back in and suggests that we lower the epidural dosage so I have more pushing capability. Does this mean I will feel more pain, YES!! Almost immediately I feel more pain but it pays off, we can now see the top of the baby's head, it was so exciting!!! I truly now cannot NOT push at every other contraction and the Dr. gives the okay to push hard every time, but still no real progression.

Here comes another talk from the Dr. She brings up that we might need to try the vacuum to help the baby out (did I mention that the baby is posterior, yah, that wasn't helping with pushing). She is still committed to giving me my VBAC and explains that with all the stress the baby is under, she will give me three contractions for the vacuum then if that doesn't work, we will be off to the OR for another c-section. Just think about it and let us know when you want to try the vacuum.

It's now 10pm and I am ready to try the vacuum, "Let's do it", I say. I know that this is my last chance for natural child birth but I am just so tired. Here come more Drs. and more tools. They unhook all the monitors so they can rush me to OR if this doesn't work. The Dr. are ready.

It's all on me now. Another calm comes across the room as everyone is just waiting for me to cue them when the next contraction is coming. Here it comes, the first of my last three contractions... no baby. Here comes the second contraction... three more pushes... no baby. It is just so hard to even muster up the strength for three 10 second pushes, but I know this is it. The last contraction... push one... push two... push three... I know it's now or never and all I have I give it... here is the baby!!!! What an awesome feeling to have the baby placed on my stomach. "Is it a boy or a girl?" is all I can say. They are wiping, the baby is starting to cry, the most wonderful sound in the world... "It's a girl!!!" Our Lily Colette is here.

DH cut the cord and they whisked Lily off to clean her up and help clear her breathing. The Dr. then got to work stitching up my tear. I ask, "Did I tear?". The Dr. tells me I did, and it's a little worse than average. That translates to I tore pretty good, it took her a good 30 minutes to stitch me up.

I'm done being stitched, Lily is stable all the nurses are done cleaning and now everyone leaves and DH, Lily and I are left alone for our first nursing session. She is an immediate pro and hasn't slowed.

Lily Colette
Born December 22, 2007 @ 10:36pm
8lbs - 7ozs, 22 inches

We got to go home on the 24th early in the morning, just in time to be able to wake Chloe and Cole home and suprise them with their new baby sister.

Since being home, Lily's jaundice count skyrocketed so the hospital has sent over a Bill Blanket for her to lay on for the next few days. She is being so cooperative!!! She just eats, sleeps, poops... then all over again.

New baby with mommy
Coming home
Lily's coming home dressChloe and Cole helping out
Little Lily Bud
My "Blue Light Special"

ETA: a few missing details

 

WOW what a birth story. Your Daughter is beautiful.

 

Wow, you had quite a long labor. I'm glad it all turned out well in the end and you got your VBAC and a beautiful little girl in the end! How exciting!!! Sounds like things are going well. The pics are just beautiful!

 

What a great birth story. She is beautiful!!! Congrats!!

 

Wow, great job telling the story! She is so beautiful! Congrats!

 

she is adorable. Wot a birth story, u are a very good writer, u should consider writing (In ur spare time that is haha).


amanda

 

Congratulations! Be sure to save that story for her memory book! She is precious!

 

:birthday: Lily.
Congratulations, she is beautiful! Enjoy this sweet new baby time.

 

OMG! I am sitting here in tears at work reading your story! Congratulations on your beautiful little girl! I'm so thrilled you had a successful VBAC!

 

Wow...I don't know if you remember my vbac birth story...but it was sooo similar...except that they wouldn't admit me!! so no epidural!!! the part about the pushing contractions is soooo, sooo true... I would probably have had more success trying to get my own heart to stop beating than I did trying to fight the pushing. I wanted to punch my doc in the face b/c he kept yelling at me to stop pushing. I still view him as an arrogant jerk who simply doesn't understand b/c he doesn't have a uterus. You know, my labor coach told me that she sees a lot of vbac patients taking a really long time to labor. It's almost like the body intentionally slows down so that the uterus isn't overly stressed with a fast, hard labor. I have to laugh though b/c I still remember my labor as really hard...just not fast..ugh!!

 

YAY!!!you did it!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :birthday: sweet girl!!!!

 

Fantastic! I was smiling as I read your birth story since your doctors were not trying to pressure you into moving to a c-section. It's so wonderful that things got to progress naturally. Lily is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations!

 

What a birth story! I am glad you got a VBAC and both you and baby Lily are doing so well! Congratulations! :birthday: Lily!!!

 

Congrats!!!!

 

What a birth story!!

Congratulations!! I am so happy for you all!!