My labor actually began early in the morning of July 31, when I woke up to contractions around 2:30 AM. These grew stronger and closer together, but right before I called the doctor, they began to stall out. By breakfast I was having only the occasional, weak cramping. Determined to speed things along, Jonathan, Benji and I went to the park, where I walked three (slow, awkward, waddling) miles! This definitely kick-started things again and I was admitted to the hospital around 3:00 PM!
Benji was a breech baby, requiring a c-section, and my great hope was to have Baby #2 by VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). This procedure is supported by the hospital and my doctor, but there is a slight risk of uterine rupture, and thus I had to have the fetal monitor strapped to my abdomen at all times. I also had to be automatically hooked up to an IV. These two factors make it impossible to be as mobile as I would have liked to be...basically, I could be on the bed or on the birth ball next to the bed:
Though I was wary of getting an epidural, my inability to move around made it hard to manage the pain of contractions after several hours. Add to this dizziness and nausea (my body's typical pain response) and the doctor's recommendation to get an epidural, I decided that was the best choice I could make under the circumstances. An epidural is basically a modern miracle, in my opinion. There are reasons not to get one, and I think it's great when women don't, but wow, it makes the labor experience SO much more bearable! In the end I was glad I made this decision (with some caveats...see my "lessons learned" list below).
In my happy epidural-induced state, I was able to rest for the next several hours, even dozing off occasionally. Everything seemed to be going well except I was not dilating very quickly...by the early morning hours of Aug. 1, I was still shy of 5 cm dilated. And then the baby's heart rate started to rise. My doctor came in and said it was not an emergency yet, but to avert an emergency from happening, she wanted to do a c-section. I was absolutely crushed and I begged, in tears, to wait one more hour (as long as the baby was not in danger, my first priority of course).
What happened in the next hour was amazing, and divine intervention for sure: the baby's heart rate went down and I began to dilate up to 6.5 cm. The doctor said I could continue with the VBAC. By 9:00 AM it was time to push...the most intense workout of my life, and there were moments I wasn't sure I was going to make it. It felt like running a marathon without having properly slept or eaten for 30 hours! But at 9:49 AM, Daniel Frederick Newman entered the world, screaming at the top of his lungs!
We named him Daniel after my maternal grandfather and Frederick in honor of our good friend and neighbor from New Mexico, "Grandpa" Fred Witteveen. Baby Daniel weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 21 inches long.
Since I spiked a fever during labor, the doctors were afraid I might have had a uterine infection and wanted to rule out infection in Baby Daniel. So, they took him to the NICU for closer monitoring during the 48 hours we were in the hospital. It was hard not to be able to hold him and love him as much as we wanted to in those first days, but the NICU nurses were very nice and things got better after the first 24 hours when I could start breastfeeding him. Daniel took to nursing like a champ! We were all discharged on time from the hospital on August 3rd.
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| What to do when your baby's in the NICU? Play Dominion, of course! |
Benji was fascinated by the baby when we got home, but still doesn't seem to totally understand that this new little person is a permanent part of the family. He is very sweet with him, though, and loves to give him kisses. He has also been patient with Mommy (so far) when I have to feed or hold Baby Daniel. Looks like Benji is going to be an excellent big brother!
Daniel is doing well...he gained a pound in the last week alone, so he is definitely getting enough to eat! He is also a good sleeper, especially at night, when he will go four, five, and sometimes even six hours between feedings! He is a really sweet little guy and we love him so much already!
In conclusion, I learned three lessons from my VBAC experience:
1. Try to labor at home as long as you can, where you can be up walking, etc. because in the hospital the constant monitoring restricts your mobility a lot.
2. If you get an epidural, try to resist the urge to lay down flat, even though it is so nice to rest...I think this caused my dilation to stall, and once I was sitting up in the bed even that little bit of help from gravity got things going much faster.
3. It's very worth trying a VBAC if you can...Even though I was exhausted after a 30+ hour labor, I felt emotionally invigorated and--I have to admit--quite proud of myself for delivering this baby. And what a relief not to have to deal with another c-section recovery!
Welcome to the family, Baby Daniel! <3
