(Please excuse any details being too graphic-I edited it as much as possible, but this is a birth story afterall :) )
I had been having pre-labor for most of the past 3 weeks. We thought a couple of times "This is it!", but all to no avail.
Monday, October 8th, I took a long 2 hour walk with Grace & Jason, and started having contractions that night. It tapered off, and I got a good nights sleep. Tuesday, I had contractions off and on all day and night. Wednesday, all was fine! I slept most of the morning, and settled down with a good book, and decided to stop fretting about it all, and just trust God to let my body do what it needed to do to get baby ready. I started having consistent and regular contractions Wednesday evening, and all through the night. Thursday was the same...about 5 minutes apart, and really getting more intense. We all didn't want me going into labor exhausted, so we decided that we would try some tinctures to get things going. Early Friday morning, I was for sure in labor, but we started tinctures anyway to make sure labor was well and established.
All day we did this, and Friday night/Saturday morning, our midwife and doula came to our house. I was about 4-5cm dialated when my water broke, at about 9:30am. Back labor had already been excruciating, and Sharon (my doula) and Jonathan were working hard with accupressure to relieve the back pain. After my water broke, things got so much worse, I can't even explain it. I was so exhausted, and was dozing off between contractions...which was horrid because I would wake with a killer contraction out of nowhere.
I started going through transition, and we checked and found I was at about 7cm, but baby was in a bad position (thus the back pain). They tried to get me to eat and do different positions...but I was starting to "lose it" more and more with each contraction. Everything was torture!
Monday, October 8th, I took a long 2 hour walk with Grace & Jason, and started having contractions that night. It tapered off, and I got a good nights sleep. Tuesday, I had contractions off and on all day and night. Wednesday, all was fine! I slept most of the morning, and settled down with a good book, and decided to stop fretting about it all, and just trust God to let my body do what it needed to do to get baby ready. I started having consistent and regular contractions Wednesday evening, and all through the night. Thursday was the same...about 5 minutes apart, and really getting more intense. We all didn't want me going into labor exhausted, so we decided that we would try some tinctures to get things going. Early Friday morning, I was for sure in labor, but we started tinctures anyway to make sure labor was well and established.
All day we did this, and Friday night/Saturday morning, our midwife and doula came to our house. I was about 4-5cm dialated when my water broke, at about 9:30am. Back labor had already been excruciating, and Sharon (my doula) and Jonathan were working hard with accupressure to relieve the back pain. After my water broke, things got so much worse, I can't even explain it. I was so exhausted, and was dozing off between contractions...which was horrid because I would wake with a killer contraction out of nowhere.
I started going through transition, and we checked and found I was at about 7cm, but baby was in a bad position (thus the back pain). They tried to get me to eat and do different positions...but I was starting to "lose it" more and more with each contraction. Everything was torture!
After 4-5 hours of this (since finding out I was at 7cm), I begged my midwife to check and see if baby had moved, or any progress had been made.
She checked me, and found that the baby's body was posterior (his back facing my back...BAD position), and his head was tipped to the side (Cheek coming down, not top of head). She said that it was my decision if I wanted to keep going. We knew ahead of time that this would be a big baby, and there was a chance he could get stuck...but all of us had a peace that God would work it out. However, being stuck in transition, and knowing that it would take so much more to get him in a good spot, I really felt like it was time to go to the hospital, and pray God would give us a good doctor and nurses that would let me get an epidural, and still try for a VBAC (a normal birth after a caesarean).
Jonathan and I prayed that God would give me strength to try a little longer. I ate some smoothie, and we started trying a couple different positions with Sharon, at which time my midwife told me what I would need to do to turn the baby. I knew I couldn't do it. I looked at Jonathan, and said "We need to go. I just can't help him get where he needs to be". God gave Jonathan a peace at that moment that all would be fine, and we told everyone that we were gonna transfer. I got in the shower to try and slow things down while everyone else kicked into high gear getting stuff ready. We left 15 minutes later, at about 3:15pm.
The car ride was torture...we hit every bump and pothole it seemed!! We arrived at the hospital, and (not including one cranky nurse) we were treated SO nicely, and given a room immediately. I was having such horrible contractions on top of each other, they really rushed us in there :) Jonathan was parking the car, so Sharon was with me, and helped me get admitted and into a hospital gown. The first thing I said when I got in the room, was "I just want an epidural NOW!!" I'm sure it was really funny...though it wasn't to me at the time. I met my doctor, and he told me that I was good to go for having a VBAC, and I would have the epidural in less than 15 minutes. He was right! Sharon & Jonathan coached me through contractions until they gave me the epidural, and then I felt so wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jonathan and I prayed that God would give me strength to try a little longer. I ate some smoothie, and we started trying a couple different positions with Sharon, at which time my midwife told me what I would need to do to turn the baby. I knew I couldn't do it. I looked at Jonathan, and said "We need to go. I just can't help him get where he needs to be". God gave Jonathan a peace at that moment that all would be fine, and we told everyone that we were gonna transfer. I got in the shower to try and slow things down while everyone else kicked into high gear getting stuff ready. We left 15 minutes later, at about 3:15pm.
The car ride was torture...we hit every bump and pothole it seemed!! We arrived at the hospital, and (not including one cranky nurse) we were treated SO nicely, and given a room immediately. I was having such horrible contractions on top of each other, they really rushed us in there :) Jonathan was parking the car, so Sharon was with me, and helped me get admitted and into a hospital gown. The first thing I said when I got in the room, was "I just want an epidural NOW!!" I'm sure it was really funny...though it wasn't to me at the time. I met my doctor, and he told me that I was good to go for having a VBAC, and I would have the epidural in less than 15 minutes. He was right! Sharon & Jonathan coached me through contractions until they gave me the epidural, and then I felt so wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr. Story checked me, and said baby had turned! I was 100% effaced, and still at 7cm. He said he would return in 2 hours to check me, and see if I had dialated any more...this was at about 5:30. At 7:30pm, he returned, and said I was fully dialated!! Wow, isn't God good??? Jonathan was right by my side, and we had called My mom to come, and Jonathan's mom to come and bring Jason. They were all there, and I started pushing. It was so easy, I feel like I cheated (which I did...)! I pushed for 2 hours. I was able to feel Tyler's little head with my hands, and between each push, I reached down and felt him come into the world...slowly but surely. Jonathan held Jason, and Sharon and my mom Helped me sit up and push. It was amazing!
I birthed him into my own two hands, and after they unwrapped the cord from his neck, I brought him straight onto my chest, and kissed his little dark brown head over...and over...and over. It was a feeling I can't even explain, being able to finally deliver my baby...myself. I could comfort him, and hold him however long I wanted to. I tore a little, but I didn't care! I had my little 8lb, 10oz boy to hold and love on. Jonathan and Jason were right there, along with our mom's, and everyone kissed Tyler, and touched him. It was awesome! I couldn't imagine it turning out any better. I know God had it all planned out, and it was better than I could have ever planned myself.
I birthed him into my own two hands, and after they unwrapped the cord from his neck, I brought him straight onto my chest, and kissed his little dark brown head over...and over...and over. It was a feeling I can't even explain, being able to finally deliver my baby...myself. I could comfort him, and hold him however long I wanted to. I tore a little, but I didn't care! I had my little 8lb, 10oz boy to hold and love on. Jonathan and Jason were right there, along with our mom's, and everyone kissed Tyler, and touched him. It was awesome! I couldn't imagine it turning out any better. I know God had it all planned out, and it was better than I could have ever planned myself.
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