Here is Rebekah Grace's wonderful, crazy-fast, amazing birth-day story!
Monday night, (the 10th) I did not sleep well at all.. I had a weird back pain in my lower back. I thought I must've pulled something when I was cleaning that day, so I took little notice of it, and just tried to sleep. In the morning when I woke up, it was still there, but just as a dull ache. I figured it was just a pulled muscle, and tried to rest it. But then I discovered some bleeding (spotting) and called my doctor, being it was 32 weeks and I wanted to get it checked out. She managed to squeeze me in her VERY busy day around 11:30.
As I drove in, I was sure it was nothing, and had other lists of things to do in town. I left Leah with my mom at the last minute, deciding it would be better to let her nap at home, rather than in the car with me.
I talked with Dr.Human at my apt. and she thought the bleeding was odd, especially since there was no reason she could think of for it. She checked me out, and got very quiet. I asked her what was wrong, and she yanked off her glove and said "Well, my dear, you are dialated at 5 cm!"How on earth????? I thought to myself. Suddenly those back pains made so much sense! They were contractions! But how, and why? and why didn't I feel any other ones anywhere?
She sent me up right away to Labor/Delievery, and I was whisked into a room, given many shots (steroids, one to develop the baby's lungs) and IVs poked in, etc.. I only mananged to call Josh for a few minutes before my cell phone broke out.. what he heard was "Josh... come... hospital!" Poor guy!!!! I'm sure his heart was racing as he crazily drove there!!! But he arrived around 12, no problem, not as scared as I would have been!
Doctor Human came in again and checked me, and I was dialated to 8 cm!!!!!! She said there is no way we are stopping labor on this baby, and hurridly whisked us through the facts.
#1 - This baby is 7 1/2 weeks early, meaning a team from Fargo is coming to help with the baby and take it back to NICU there.
#2 - If I have a C-section (as planned) I can't go with the baby until the next day, due to recovery.
#3 - If I try for a VBAC, not only is the baby MUCH smaller than Leah, but it would greatly increase the chances of her to breathe better on her own later, (having her lungs get smooshed coming through the birth canal) Plus, If i did a VBAC I could leave 4 hours afterwards to go to Fargo.
There was just so much information Josh and I were processing.. I was so scared to try a VBAC after such a horrible experience with Leah, but finally swallowed my fear for the baby's sake and decided to try it. By now the contractions had finally appeared as normal ones I remember ( I hadn't felt anything"normal" before this!) I was breathing through them nicely, and then they got pretty peaky, so I got an intrathecal (sp?) and that really took the edge off, but didn't leave me totally numb like an epidural.
Dr Human started me on Pitocin (just a bit) to get me the last 2 cm dialated) It was now around 2:30 pm) The Fargo team had just arrived by helicopter and were getting set up for helping with the baby at delivery. Plus my mother in law, Susan just arrived from warroad! When Josh called her hours earlier, she took off and left that minute to get here to help drive us to Fargo, never thinking she'd make it for the birth!!
At 3:00, I was fully dialated, still feeling the contractions, but not the pain, and ready to push!The nurses and Dr Human and my MOL were great at coaching me through pushing, and it was soooo easy! It went beautifully, I got to feel her head come out, and then one more push laster and she was born!!! (at 4:00) I was so incredibly happy to have delivered vaginally and how great it felt, too! We heard a lusty loud cry, and there was Baby Rebekah on my lap, screaming her red chubby cheeks out!!! What a beautiful baby she was! Josh got to cut the cord, and then she was whisked away in the Nursery to be stabilized.
I was just wonderful after delivery, even eating dinner an hour afterwards... then going up to Fargo in the car with Josh and Susan. Feeling like in NO way had I given birth to a baby 4 hours previously!!! It was amazing!!! Praise God for a healthy delivery, baby and mom!
Monday night, (the 10th) I did not sleep well at all.. I had a weird back pain in my lower back. I thought I must've pulled something when I was cleaning that day, so I took little notice of it, and just tried to sleep. In the morning when I woke up, it was still there, but just as a dull ache. I figured it was just a pulled muscle, and tried to rest it. But then I discovered some bleeding (spotting) and called my doctor, being it was 32 weeks and I wanted to get it checked out. She managed to squeeze me in her VERY busy day around 11:30.
As I drove in, I was sure it was nothing, and had other lists of things to do in town. I left Leah with my mom at the last minute, deciding it would be better to let her nap at home, rather than in the car with me.
I talked with Dr.Human at my apt. and she thought the bleeding was odd, especially since there was no reason she could think of for it. She checked me out, and got very quiet. I asked her what was wrong, and she yanked off her glove and said "Well, my dear, you are dialated at 5 cm!"How on earth????? I thought to myself. Suddenly those back pains made so much sense! They were contractions! But how, and why? and why didn't I feel any other ones anywhere?
She sent me up right away to Labor/Delievery, and I was whisked into a room, given many shots (steroids, one to develop the baby's lungs) and IVs poked in, etc.. I only mananged to call Josh for a few minutes before my cell phone broke out.. what he heard was "Josh... come... hospital!" Poor guy!!!! I'm sure his heart was racing as he crazily drove there!!! But he arrived around 12, no problem, not as scared as I would have been!
Doctor Human came in again and checked me, and I was dialated to 8 cm!!!!!! She said there is no way we are stopping labor on this baby, and hurridly whisked us through the facts.
#1 - This baby is 7 1/2 weeks early, meaning a team from Fargo is coming to help with the baby and take it back to NICU there.
#2 - If I have a C-section (as planned) I can't go with the baby until the next day, due to recovery.
#3 - If I try for a VBAC, not only is the baby MUCH smaller than Leah, but it would greatly increase the chances of her to breathe better on her own later, (having her lungs get smooshed coming through the birth canal) Plus, If i did a VBAC I could leave 4 hours afterwards to go to Fargo.
There was just so much information Josh and I were processing.. I was so scared to try a VBAC after such a horrible experience with Leah, but finally swallowed my fear for the baby's sake and decided to try it. By now the contractions had finally appeared as normal ones I remember ( I hadn't felt anything"normal" before this!) I was breathing through them nicely, and then they got pretty peaky, so I got an intrathecal (sp?) and that really took the edge off, but didn't leave me totally numb like an epidural.
Dr Human started me on Pitocin (just a bit) to get me the last 2 cm dialated) It was now around 2:30 pm) The Fargo team had just arrived by helicopter and were getting set up for helping with the baby at delivery. Plus my mother in law, Susan just arrived from warroad! When Josh called her hours earlier, she took off and left that minute to get here to help drive us to Fargo, never thinking she'd make it for the birth!!
At 3:00, I was fully dialated, still feeling the contractions, but not the pain, and ready to push!The nurses and Dr Human and my MOL were great at coaching me through pushing, and it was soooo easy! It went beautifully, I got to feel her head come out, and then one more push laster and she was born!!! (at 4:00) I was so incredibly happy to have delivered vaginally and how great it felt, too! We heard a lusty loud cry, and there was Baby Rebekah on my lap, screaming her red chubby cheeks out!!! What a beautiful baby she was! Josh got to cut the cord, and then she was whisked away in the Nursery to be stabilized.
I was just wonderful after delivery, even eating dinner an hour afterwards... then going up to Fargo in the car with Josh and Susan. Feeling like in NO way had I given birth to a baby 4 hours previously!!! It was amazing!!! Praise God for a healthy delivery, baby and mom!
4 comments:
Once again, congratulations! God works in such wonderful ways.
I loved all the photos and updates and pray that Rebekah continues to nurse well and breathe well and come home soon so you can all be together as a family. What a sweet poster! How brave of you to have a VBAC under the circumstances but I hope there are more in store for you in the future too! Sounds like she wanted to be born fast and hardly gave you any warning!
One thing is for sure: If you can describe a vaginal birth as "it felt great," I'm going to have to get the drugs you got girlfriend! =)
Blessings to you guys and your daughter is BEAUTIFUL!
What an amazing birth story! Congratulations to you and your family! I love the pictures.
Oh thanks for sharing this! How wonderful. I'm glad you got to experience both ways of giving birth. I'm also glad she is doing so well! I just couldn't believe it when Shelby told me you had your baby! And your poor hubby with the cell phone cutting out! They are horrible and wonderful things aren't they?! :)
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