Zander's Birth Story Part 2

I know I had already caught everyone up to the morning my water broke but I do need to back up a little and add a few more things I did to prepare myself for the VBAC.

I started having a lot of hip pain and it was getting really difficult to sleep. I had read about people going to the chiropractor while pregnant and having much success. After talking it over with my doulas and dr I decided to give it a try. If you are going to see a chiropractor while pregnant make sure they specialize in the Webster technique. I started going at 35 weeks and they suggested going 2 times a week. With my schedule it was hard to get there twice a week and some weeks I did and some I didn't. I am not sure if it helped with my success of a VBAC but I know my body was aligned and it definitely helped my hip pain. I also added Red Raspberry Leaf tea. I was not consistent with this until about 36.5 weeks. I did like the taste but until I found I could mix it with Lemonade and drink it cold did I really start drinking it. Again I am not sure if this helped with my success but it is something I was doing. Of course before you do anything make sure you talk with your dr to make sure it is right for you.

Ok now lets finish where we left off. Since I woke everyone up after my water broke we started our day early! I wasn't feeling any real contractions or anything but decided I would call our doula and let them know my water broke as well as my dr's office. My midwife told me I could wait at home but they wanted to see me by 5:00pm at the hospital. Gosh I hoped we would be there before then, that was 12 hours away! We got up and moving and decided we would take Kinley to daycare and go walk around to see if we could get things moving.

We ate breakfast at Panera bread and started our walking through TJ Maxx, Michael's and Home Depot. By the time we got to Home Depot I was having consistent contractions but they were still about 30 mins apart. A few I had to stop to breath though, but nothing that wasn't manageable. I had no clue if I was dilated or if they were doing anything because at my last appointment, 37 weeks, I asked to not be checked. Since nothing was consistent when we got home I decided I would try to relax for a while and watch some TV. Matt worked on things outside and kept coming in to check on me. They slowly started to get closer together but nothing too crazy. At about 3:00pm they were still about 20 mins apart.

We had arranged for Matt's mom to pick up Kinley from daycare but since things weren't too exciting I decided I wanted to go get her to give her some last kisses before we headed out to the hospital for our 5:00pm deadline. Gosh I was hoping things would pick up. I was so nervous about being put on a clock once we got to the hospital since my water broke almost 12 hours ago. Matt's mom met us at the house to get Kinley and we packed up the car. I still really didn't want to go to the hospital just yet but I knew they said 5 and Matt wanted to be there when they said. We decided we would stop and get some food and make the 45 min drive. Contractions were about 10-12 mins apart at this point. They were intense and I would have to breath through them but it was ok things were getting real.

We were on the road for about 10 mins and my contractions really started to pick up. We were almost there but needed to get food still and my contractions were 4-5 mins apart. I definitely had to breath through the contractions and focus on them, then refocus before the next one. We got to the hospital at about 5:15pm and they put us in a room. The nurse told me they had a quite a few check in so they would be back shortly to get me checked in. Surprisingly I was pretty calm but my contractions were now on top of each other and very intense. The nurse came back about 15 mins later and started her paperwork then looked at me like I was crazy when I told Matt I was having a lot of pressure in my butt. I guess because I was so calm when we first walked in, who knows. She said, "Is this new pressure?" I said no I have had it for about an hour and it is just getting more and more intense. At this point she moved a little faster and said she better check me.

What do you know! I was 6.5-7cm dilated and his head was right there! It was almost go time. She told me I needed to contact my doula because it wouldn't be long before I was pushing! Matt text her and told her she should come now. She said she would be there in about 20 minutes. At this point the pain was getting pretty bad and I was having a lot of pressure. I didn't know if I could do this and breath though them anymore. I started yelling, I have to push, this hurts, I can't hold it anymore. The nurse told me to not push she needed to check to make sure I was a 10 and we could push. I couldn't do it anymore the pain was so intense I was having thoughts of doubt in my head. I was never against the epidural but wanted to make sure I didn't get it too early. Well guess what, it was too late! I asked for the epidural. "Honey you don't have time for the epidural, you are having this baby now." I can't even explain the thoughts that went through my head at that point. The contractions were on top of each other with not much break time and it was getting harder and harder to breath through them. I knew I had to refocus and believe in myself because I was doing this! I was going to have a baby vaginally. Thanks babe for the filling out the plan for the day!

I started pushing about 6:30pm, my doula wasn't even there yet. She came in while I was pushing and I was so happy to have someone help me with my breathing. I will be honest the pushing was a relief but like I said the contractions were back to back and there wasn't much rest time in between. Zander's heart rate declined and the nurse told me I couldn't push for two contractions because he needed a break. Oh my gosh I thought I was going to die. I was so thankful for my doula keeping my mind busy breathing through them with me and Matt holding my hand through it all.

The nurse asked me if I wanted a mirror so I could see how close we were. I was hesitant but agreed. I was glad I did; I could see Zander's and knew we were almost there. The ring of fire was intense and I knew I wanted to get him out. I was determined that one more contraction and he was coming out. I gave it my all and out came his head! It took a few to get his shoulder's out but at 7:21pm Zander Bowen Brooks was born via VBAC. I seriously couldn't believe I had done it. And I did it without any pain meds.

I love this picture. I was telling Matt I did it. I seriously couldn't believe I had done it. It was truly the most amazing experience I have ever experienced. I didn't think I could do it without any pain meds though that was my ultimate goal and I was able to do it! We were able to do skin to skin for about an hour and a half as well as breastfeeding while they stitched me up. I tore a little so my midwife said she wanted to put 2 stitches in since it was still bleeding. I didn't even feel the tear. It was seriously an out of body experience to give birth naturally. After our skin to skin time they did his measurements all in the room with me watching and we were transfered to our recovery room.

I truly believe if you set your mind on something you will achieve your goal. It wasn't an easy road but it was worth it all! I am still amazed we were able to get the birth we wanted and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Zander's Birth Story Part 1

Zander's birth story starts way back after Kinley was born. We had an unexpected c-section with Kinley that I was devastated about. There was nothing emergency about the section, in fact I pushed for 5 hours with her, she just didn't want to come. She was doing great and the dr said I could push another hour but mentally, emotionally and physically I couldn't do it anymore. We opted for a c-section before things did turn into an emergency. You can read more here and here.

After that experience I knew that if we were going to have another baby I was going to do everything in my power to have a vaginal birth. I did not want another c-section. I started researching everything I could find about a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). When Kinley was 19 months old we started talking about wanting to add another baby. I wanted them close in age, Matt could have waited longer. So we decided to start trying not knowing how long it would take to get pregnant. It didn't take long. The beginning of August we found out we were expecting baby brooks #2. We were so excited.

I knew the first thing I wanted to do was change providers. I was not 100% happy with the care I received at the practice I was at. Not only because I ended in a c section but the overall care throughout my pregnancy I was not thrilled with. So I didn't see any reason to stay with them for baby #2, even though they did do VBACs. Did you know not all practices will let you VBAC? That is crazy to me!

I probably called about 5 practices seeing if they would allow a VBAC. I finally decided on one and set up my first appointment. Their office was close and we would deliver at the same hospital we had Kinley at. Another bonus....it was across the street from our house. We went to our first appointment and were more than thrilled to find out we were due April 15, 2016. I was pretty certain my due date would have been due April 21, 2016 with the notes I hd taken while trying. My due date did get changed at a later ultrasound which I was very happy about. It was extremely important to me to have the correct due date because I knew I would not be able to go over 41 weeks so I wanted to have the date correct.

A lot more research happened by the time I had my next appointment. I became a part of local ICAN groups as well as Facebook VBAC groups. I had found out that Princess Anne had the highest c-section rate in the city. That was very concerning to me. I had also spoken to a few doulas who had suggested we look into delivering at DePaul and switching practices. We actually went back and forth with this decision because DePaul was about 45 minutes away. Ultimately we knew that a 45 minute drive was nothing for the birth experience we wanted, we weren't going to stay at a hospital because it was convenient. So again I switched practices and providers.

At this point we hired a doula to be a part of our birthing plan.  Something we didn't even consider with Kinley. Though again I wanted to have everything in place to have the most successful birth as possible. They were there for any questions I had throughout pregnancy and towards the end they were on call for me 24/7. They were a great support through out all of it and if we did it again I would most definitely use a doula again. You can not put a price on having the birthing experience you want. I really stress the you want part because it really is all about being an advocate for yourself and being in charge of the care you receive. I knew how I wanted things to turn out this time, I was going to do my best to make it happen.

We had an overall smooth pregnancy. We did have a scare after our 20 week ultrasound due to a possible heart defect but later found out he was as healthy as can be. I didn't have gestational diabetes this time so we didn't need any additional ultrasounds so we thought. We were told they wanted to do an ultrasound between 37 and 38 weeks to look at his size due to me wanting to VBAC. I wasn't thrilled about it since ultrasounds can be so off but I understood. Needless to say that ultrasound never happened because Zander wanted to enter this world early like his sister.

I had continued to do research throughout the pregnancy and read many successful VBAC stories. I never doubted myself and knew that I was able to give birth vaginally. I knew remaining positive and believing in myself was going to be key in the birth I wanted.

Fast forward to the morning of Wednesday April 6, 2016. I got up at 4:30am to pee for about the 10th time. I walk back to bed and before I get in, thankfully, a huge gush of water! It lasted for what seemed like forever but I am sure it was a few minutes. I told Matt I was pretty certain my water had just broke and I needed some towels. It was the craziest feeling ever! My water didn't break with Kinley so I was in shock. My midwife said we had to be to the hospital by 5pm so we went about our day to start to get contractions going. I knew this would be our last bump picture and our last picture as a family of 3. Our lives would forever be changed.

Stay tuned for part 2 :)

Kinley's Birth Story part 2

Proceed with caution.

The throwing up continued as I was wheeled into the OR. The drs were all reassuring me things would be fine and I would be holding my baby girl soon! I was able to finally calm down enough to catch my breath. They wouldn't let Matt come in right away which didn't make things any better. The anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time which really helped. He told me everything they were doing and before I knew it Matt was by my side holding my hand. I couldn't feel much besides a lot of tugging and pulling but no pain. The dr said "It's a girl she is here!" All I was waiting for was a cry, I wanted to hear that precious baby girl of mine cry. The best sound in the whole entire world! I heard it! Tears were now rolling down my face. She was here and healthy! I couldn't have been happier. I heard one big scream and then it was silent. My heart dropped. I thought I was going to die. Why wasn't she crying and screaming! I was starting to freak out! "Why isn't she crying what is wrong with my baby girl." I was now yelling this looking for an answer. What seemed like forever finally the dr said she was in the other room with Daddy to get her cleaned off so I could hold her. Oh my gosh!!! That few moments of my life were the worst ever!

They cleaned her up, wrapped her and brought her back to me with Daddy so I could hold her! I was so sad I wasn't the first one to hold her. I was so cold, shaking and still vomiting I didn't get to hold her for that long. 

I was so happy to snuggle my baby girl! I couldn't wait to breastfeed her and snuggle her not in the OR. They took her away and while they stitched me up they took her weight and measurements with Daddy. It sure seemed like forever before they were done and I was in recovery. It seemed even longer before Matt and Kinley were back in the room with me. They had to do her first bath, hearing test and ensure I was stable first. I had lost a LOT of blood so they were closely monitoring me. They had talked about a blood transfusion but wanted to see how I stabalized first. Finally she was back in my arms!

I was so happy to not be throwing up because of all the medicine. Kinley latched and breastfed like a champ. I was so in love it was unreal. A feeling I can't even explain, it was so amazing. I was in recovery for a few hours and then transferred to our room. Our home for the next few days and where we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family.

The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful thank goodness! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal that my inlaws brought us and soaked up many snuggles as a family of 3, well really 5 now. :) Our animals are our first kiddos!

Kinley got to meet her grandparents, her uncle and facetime with her new aunties all the way in Colorado. Everyone is so in love! I was able to get up and move the next day. They decided I was stable enough to not have to do a blood transfusion, thank goodness! I slowly started to walk around and feel better. Getting up and moving definitely helped me to feel human again. Sitting in a hospital bed for so long is not fun.  I never knew walking down the hall would be so hard and exert so much energy. I guess that's what having stomach surgery will do to you.

We stayed 3 nights and were on our way home as a family before we knew it. I was so excited to get home and see the animals. I missed them so much! They were so happy to see us, well Kodac was (chocolate lab), Loki (cat) not so much. He went flying upstairs as soon as he saw Kinley. He didn't come out for a few days! I think Kodac was in love!

I had to keep up with my weekly updates. Since I didn't make it to 40 weeks the 40 week photo included my little girl!

Kinley's Birth Story part 1

LONG POST and might be a little gross to some. Proceed with caution :)

Oh my..where to begin! Monday November 25 we had our 39 week check up. Everything was going fine and I had no signs of labor. I was dilated 3cm and 70% effaced. The Dr said the word I had been dreading through the whole pregnancy... INDUCTION. I did not want to be induced, I was so scared of all the horror stories about induction. She didn't want me to go past my due date because of the gestational diabetes and the chance of Kinley getting too big. She was an estimated 7lbs the previous week on ultrasound. Didn't seem to big too me! She was going to be perfect!

My Dr thought it would be best to schedule induction as soon as possible, like as in tomorrow. I was terrified! Are you kidding me tomorrow! Tomorrow I was going to be a mom and my whole would would be changed. We talked to the scheduler and signed the papers. Thank goodness with Thanksgiving on Thursday they didn't have anything tomorrow. Ok I could breath a little. We would met our baby girl on Monday December 2, 2013. I was so scared I didn't even speak the whole way home. We got home and I just started bawling. I didn't want to be induced I wanted Kinley to come on her own. I was so scared it would end in a c section. The LAST thing I wanted. My biggest fear!

I was suppose to work the rest of the week up until Thanksgiving. After talking crying it over with Matt we both decided it was best for me to take the rest of the week off and just relax. I wanted to try everything possible to have her come on her own and it started with Mexican stuffed shells for dinner. The spicier the better. I was pretty certain it wouldn't matter since I had been eating spicy things the entire pregnancy. I was so stressed I thought I was going to puke..stuffed shells had to help, right? After I thought I cried enough for the night I decided I was going to go to bed and just be ok with the induction and happy there was an end in sight!

Tuesday morning, officially 39 weeks, we woke up and I was happy to get to sleep in and have a me day. Matt had to go in early for some work things but that meant he would be off early and we would for once have an evening together. It was a gorgeous day outside so I thought I would take Kodac for a walk, a fast walk! He loves walking so I thought why not...anything to get labor started right! After getting back I thought cleaning the house would be a good idea since I did have the day off and being somewhat production made me feel better. At about 330 I started to lose lots of mucus. Oh my gosh were things getting close? I couldn't get so excited yet. You can lose mucus weeks before going into labor. I added in a little nipple stimulation to see if things were really getting real. How in the heck was I so stressed out less than 24 hours earlier about an induction and things were happening. Kinley must have known this mama was stressed to the max. I think I was starting to have contractions, well I really had no clue because I didn't know what to expect. Maybe they were just Braxton Hicks. I kept going to the bathroom in hopes I was making more progress. This time there was blood when I wiped! I was so excited! Had all that stressing last night helped LOL.

My contractions seemed to intensify. Contractions were about 10 minutes apart and getting more painful. I told myself I was not going to the hospital to get sent home again, if we were going to the hospital we were having a baby! It was now about 5:00pm and I was concerned about the blood loss so I called the Dr. They told me to continue timing my contractions and if they got 3 minutes apart go to the hospital. They were getting more intense and getting closer together. I text Matt and told him he might want to wrap things up at work because we might be having a baby! Eeekkk so exciting. My contractions were about 2 minutes apart and getting pretty intense. I told Matt to grab food if he wanted to eat, because it might be awhile before he got food again. He got home, looked at me and started rushing around. He later told me he knew it was baby time by the look on my face.

We got our things together, and headed to the hospital. It was only about a 5 minute drive so we weren't in a rush. He was stuffing his face with Wendy's trying to feed me french fries. I was just trying to breath through contractions. We got to the hospital and checked in. I could barely stand as contractions were intense and close together! They got us checked in and in a room. The nurse came in and checked me, I was 5cm, we were being admitted and having a baby! I did all that stressing about induction and I went into labor on my own! WOO HOO! We were transferred to Labor and Delivery and about an hour later I got my epidural. I was 6-7cm dilated. Things were progressing and I was so excited!

Labor had not been easy at this point, the medicine was making me vomit every so often which was so horrible since I had nothing in my system. Come on baby girl get out of your mama! I hate throwing up it is the worst! I do not do good with pain meds and not eating was making it worse. 2am and we were 10cm and ready to push! We are going to meet our baby soon! I pushed and pushed and pushed...I didn't feel I was making any progress. Well lets be honest I wasn't. The nurse and Dr said they could see her head and even Matt saw her head. She had some hair! Well needless to say 5 hours later and no baby I was exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. I just cried. 

The Dr came back in and checked me. She informed me Kinley was not coming down and we probably needed to explore other options at this point. My biggest fear was becoming reality. The Dr said ultimately it was our choice to have an elected c section at this point since Kinley was doing so well and was not in any danger. I was hysterical. I was so scared and had so many emotions going through my head, not to mention at this point we had been up over 24 hours and just spent 5 hours pushing and vomiting! I was a mess!! The Dr said we could try pushing for another hour but she was honest and thought it wouldn't make a difference. My pelvis was narrow and Kinley was nice and cozy. Matt and I both decided c section was best for both myself and Kinley at this point. I can't even tell you how upset I was. 

I felt defeated and I already failed as a mother and she wasn't even born yet. No one ever told you parenting was going to be this hard. I knew getting her here safely was the only thing I wanted at this point so we signed the paperwork and prepared to go to surgery :( . Matt suited up and they prepped me for surgery. I was so beyond hysterical I couldn't even breath. Hyperventilating and vomiting was not a good combination. My Dr was awesome and explained everything to me, attempting to calm me down. It didn't really work but I was thankful for the support. Ready or not here we go. 

Read part 2 here.