I was SET on delivering VBAC aka Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, many people don't really know much about this because many hospitals don't offer this delivery unless they are high risk big city hospitals, it's dangerous (lots of things are though) but can be very successful if the right precautions and a good attitude is kept.. Actually many doctors won't even accept you if this is your birth plan, lots of doctors are "old school" per say and would rather just get the job done and don't really care about others feelings when it comes to birth, but that's MY opinion. The success rate of a VBAC after one previous c section delivery is 60-80%! I knew I had to at least give it a shot, and believe me I wanted so badly to deliver vaginally and NATURALLY! I wanted a home water birth!
I firmly believe that women are created to be birthing machines (no offense), but honestly we are what makes the world go around, I love the feeling of knowing that I brought a child into this world, that they were created inside my body, that I nourished my body to nourish them, that without me they wouldn't be here. Yes, that may sound a little weird to others, but to me I feel special- I feel worthwhile! I feel I have a purpose, no it may not be a big time hot shot professional one, but I'd rather go through 100% of pain and 9 months of gaining weight to create the most beautiful blessing in the world, a baby.
Okay back on topic here, Mike and I found out a little late about expecting our 2nd child and we don't really ever see a professional doctor (some may know our beliefs on that, but we'll save that for another time) so we knew I was pregnant already from the numerous tests! How far is what our question was! So we made an appt for a doctor here in Price. He was a new doctor and was very nice..when we went we found out we were 8 weeks.
For many of you who don't know- We live in Price, UT which is about the size of Maryville, has a community college and has the only hospital within a 60 mile radius. I had asked around about the newborn unit at the hospital here, I didn't hear very many good things about the hospital in general. The hospital is called Castleview, but locals call it "Casket View". We've had a couple encounters there like when Chase had his RSV scare and it took them 5 nurses to get an IV on an 18 month old little boy, he had bruises all over the following days. They were not very friendly like back home either! So be lucky you have Maryville and Fairfax hospitals/friendly staff. It's rare to find a community like home.
Because I knew the hospital here;
- wasn't capable of doing a VBAC
- wasn't very friendly
- would automatically section me (no matter my birth plan)
- didn't have the high risk capabilities of dealing with my pregnancy
- in area 51 :D
I decided to wait to see another medical professional and decided my goal of a home water birth was out of the question because the safety of my baby and myself would be too risked due to the location. I researched for weeks on where I'd deliver my baby. I finally found it!
Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT! They were known for successful VBAC's and would do everything in there power to have a successful vbac as long as the safety of the baby and mother were not jeopardized. So we made an appointment and met my OBGYN doctor, Dr. Alison Desano. I was about 17 weeks now. We loved her she was very professional, friendly and knew what she was doing! She also knew I wanted a 100% natural medicine free birth, and had a very positive attitude about it. Because I was high risk she would see me when it got closer to my due date every week.
Well, she got to see me more often! Because I was 17 weeks already when I had first seen her I was too late for most of the normal screenings they offer to test for any genetic issues etc. No big deal though we hadn't planned on getting them anyway. We didn't need them- I mean what would they really do for us? Waste of money we thought. Most hospitals/doctors give 3 ultrasounds throughout your entire pregnancy, crazy to me because Burke gave me one every visit! I didn't get my first real ultrasound with this baby until I was about 20 weeks and the sex was undetermined still :(. So because Mike and I knew we only got one more ultrasound before birth, we would go get the 3d pictures. We wanted so badly to find out the sex at birth but deep down I couldn't do it, I wanted to know..and Mike said he would just find out and not tell me- heck no...not fair lol! So, we made an appt and found out it was a GIRL!
We were SOOOOOOOO excited! I started having problems soon after though, I had lack of movement almost my entire pregnancy, but just figured it was normal (different pregnancy, different babies). I had consulted my OBGYN and she had me do a stress test and kick counts. The stress test was fine, but she said because my issues with Chase's heart rate and low fluid I would need monitored more often. So I was now being seen every two weeks and hadn't even been in my last few months. So every two weeks I'd drive 2 hrs through the mountains to have a routine stress test and amniotic fluid test. Things were looking good, so we put it off for the once a month visit again, because gas prices etc were too high to keep this up if my baby was looking good.
Spoke too soon..grr! One day I woke up just not feeling right at all, my pregnancy with this baby felt weird the whole time, but I didn't know what was normal, I just had that gut feeling that something deep down wasn't right, I wasn't gaining weight like I had with Chase, the doctor assured me her growth was correct according to the height of my placenta and not to worry that if she thought it was off she'd let me know. That day in August I started feeling really shaky, hot, sweaty, blotching and faint. I didn't know what "real" contractions were because I hardly experienced labor with Chase. But, I felt pain in my belly and tightening, and had shooting pains in my back that dropped me to the floor. I called the doctor and she told me to relax and stay sitting and do kick counts, I did. I still felt the same symptoms sitting all day. Mike came home and I remember him noticing the redness of my body and face, we shook it off until my doctor visit which was coming that same week.
Because of my recent symptoms the doctor wanted to see me once a week again and monitor the baby, she noticed the fluid started to decrease but not to the point of worrying. We came home from that visit and about a week later (I think I was 32 weeks now) everything happened again but this time they told me to go to the local hospital, I refused so we went up north and got checked at my delivering hospital..they ran a bunch of tests and said I was in false labor and sent us home. On our way home our car was overheating to the extreme, Mike had to work the next morning and I wanted to get home to my little boy! Mike kept attempting to continue driving with our car and try to beat the darkness, if we could get it cooled down at a high speed that was our goal- but on the six lane interstate it was jam packed with traffic because construction work..so every time it cooled down enough we hit a red light, a slow car or a cop was passing by lol. We finally got right before entering into the mountain and the car was steaming hot, so we decided with me being pregnant and it being night time in the middle of no cell service we better play it safe- we got the car to drive back far enough to a hotel and stayed.
The next visit the doctor moved seeing me to 2x a week and 2 stress test/fluid checks as well! Everything was normal again fluid was decreasing, but that's normal towards the end as long as drastic changes didn't happen we were fine. I do remember one thing that still makes me wonder..every stress test/fluid check they had to buzz my belly to make the baby move, they said they had to see 3 movements within a certain period of time, after the buzz they had trouble lowering her heart rate- so I'd sit there for 30 mins to an hr.
At a routine doctor visit just in case she had me pick a section date..I remember crying and feeling crushed because I felt like she was counting me out. I hadn't been dilating I'd get to a one or 2 and than my cervix would close again, she couldn't explain why it was happening either. I scheduled my c section for the 27th the latest date she'd let me go (Mike's Birthday too). Just in case my body would go into labor on its own. I had high hopes!
I had the same exact symptoms one random day and knew something did not feel right..so Mike came home from work and watched Chase while I went to Castle View..they said I was in the first stage of labor and my contractions were 3 to 4 mins apart, but I was only 34 weeks. They needed to stop my labor or else I'd have a section at that hospital since they had already registered me as a patient and it'd be there responsibility. They gave my the labor stopping shot, it took hours to get my contractions under control, but secretly I prayed they'd stop I didn't want a section there! God must of heard me, they stopped soon after and I came home.
Because the shot I had been given to stop my labor my progress had completely gone backwards now, no cervix change no contractions- nothing! I bawled in the doctors office. She talked about trying a natural induction of sweeping the membranes, and the fulley bulb. She said before any of that I had to get to a two at least, so try everything in my power and next visit she'd strip my membranes if possible.
We tried everything from primrose oil, to a bouncy ball, to walking forever, steps, jumping up and down, spicy food, sex, running etc. I went back to doctors knowing my weeks were counting down to having my section :( My fluid/stress tests are done in a different office in the same hospital, but I usually see my doc after those are done, but scheduling this time was jam packed so I saw my doctor first for a cervix check, nothing changed. She said she'd see me Mon. unless my fluid level had changed than she'd talk to me about that. No stripping for me, I was disappointed!
So about thirty mins later we went in for my routine fluid check..it had changed drastically within 4 days (my last fluid check) It went from 11.5 to a 6.7 anything under ten is a cause for concern, and because they couldn't get a normal heart rate they knew it meant business. Two technicians double checked before alarming the doctor. We went back into the doctors office and she did a heart rate check again, it was back to normal (no section right off hand) but because the fluid was still dangerously low we'd have the baby within 24 hrs. That we'd go home and the hospital would call when they were ready to start my fully bulb induction the next morning sometime and we'd have to be there within an hr of the call. Um, hello we live 2 hrs away, have a 2yr old and a tight work schedule. She knew that we were stressing major because this, she could see it in our face and my tears. She said hold on I'll be right back. She came back within ten minutes and told us to stick around Murray, that they'd call tonight to start inducing me, no food- straight fluids only!
We stuck around and they called about 5:30 and told me to come in at 6pm that night September 15th.....
No comments:
Post a Comment