Complete Childbirth

“This one is smaller”

28 Jan 2011 6 Comments

by ericasteele in Uncategorized

My sweet friend Lindsay and her husband Scott were due with their second baby and very much ready to see him.

Their first baby had been a planned homebirth and because his little (actually BIG) noggin didn’t come down the right way, and after a  long labor and 4 hours of pushing, she ended up having a cesarean.

This time she was ready and educated about the possibilities of a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and ready to give this baby the same wonderful birth opportunity that she gave her first baby.

At 37 weeks, Lindsay began having pre-labor contractions off and on and would regularly call me with reports in about the state of her body.  As things go for women desperately wishing for an early labor and birth, the early labor just wouldn’t turn into active labor.  It would just peek in and say “hey guys” and head right out after getting everyone all excited.

Thursday January 20th, (38 weeeks along) Lindsay had a follow-up appointment with her OB. 

The appointment went wonderfully.  Dr. Beth Reid checked Lindsay and confirmed that her body was indeed doing something with all those pre-labor contractions and that she was approximately 1-2 centimeters.  During the exam Dr. Reid decided to help Lindsay along by stripping her membranes. 

Lindsay went home and waited some more.  She had just arrived at 38 weeks was really hoping that the pre-labor stuff would take a turn for the real deal.

Friday came and went without a peep from her body about when it would decide to begin its precious work.

At 6:20 a.m. Saturday the 22nd I got a text from Lindsay saying that she thought that this was really it this time.  She was having contractions every 7 – 9 minutes and they were lasting about a minute and she had started having some mild contractions around 5 that morning.

Yay!  Finally.  The. Day. Was. Here!

I had gotten up about 20 minutes later knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and that there was a lot to do before I left this morning.

I got up, got my daughter bathed, dressed and fed right about the time my boys came down crying that they were starving and needed food as well.   

After feeding the whole brood, I decided I probably had a little bit of time before Lindsay would call to have me come over, so I jumped on the treadmill and started walking. 

About 10 minutes into the walk, at 8:20, I got a call from Lindsay saying that the contractions were getting closer together and stronger and she thought she was ready for me to come over.

So I jumped off the treadmill, hit the shower and was out the door in 25 minutes, fully dressed with hair and face done and bags in tow.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

I was heading out the door when I realized that I was going to have to take Robin’s truck, which, had a 15 foot trailer attached to the back of it!  Hmmmm. 

We didn’t have a lock for the hitch so I had to take the trailer with me. 

Off I went with a 15 foot trailer attached to the back of the truck.  That is a first for me and hopefully a last!

I made it to Scott and Lindsay’s, but I wasn’t quite brave enough to pull the trailer into their very steep driveway.  Thankfully Scott came out and got the job done.  Scott and his dad took the trailer off of the truck and got it parked in their driveway.

I got there about 9:10 and she was definitely in early labor.  Scott was getting things together and ready to go.  Scott’s parents were there taking care of their son. 

You could feel the excitement in the air.  Everyone was ready to meet this new little boy!

They decided they wanted to wait just a little bit longer before heading to the hospital.

We listened to the baby’s heartbeat with the doppler and all sounded great, his heart was beating right along at a happy 144!

10 o’clock rolled around and Lindsay said she was ready to go to the hospital.

We loaded up and I followed them to the hospital. 

I always “strongly dislike” the drive to the hospital when I am not in the car with the woman in labor. 

I have a million thoughts going through my mind and they are all about her and how she is doing and if she needs my help and so on and so forth.

We got to the hospital and got settled into the room about 10:20 a.m.

Lindsay was in active labor and doing great.

They got her changed into her luxurious hospital gown with the specially designed full access back panel. 

After getting settled in the nurse checked her to see how far along Lindsay was. 

She had dilated to 3 – 4 centimeters by 10:30 a.m.

We were told that contrary to what Lindsay’s OB had told her, that she could not use the birthing tub because this was her first VBAC and they needed to monitor her more closely. 

(excuse me for a moment………GAG!) 

ok., I am back.

Lindsay was very disappointed to say the least, but she pulled up her boot straps and made a commitment to birth this baby regardless of what was available to her.

The doctor on call that day was Dr. Kunda.    We had been at the hospital laboring for about 45 minutes when Dr. Kunda walked in with a big sweet smile. 

As soon as Lindsay was ready he checked to see what kind of progress she was making.  She had dilated to 5 – 6 centimeters!! 

That was only 45 minutes later.

Dr. Kunda asked her about her previous cesarean and how big she thought this baby was.  She responded “oh, this one is smaller, we have pictures of me with my last baby and I was bigger”.    To which Dr. Kunda replied, “well, the mother knows best”.

Lindsay was already beginning to want to push, but she managed it great by deep breathing and making low noises through each contraction.

Lindsay did wonderfully at changing positions regularly.  She stood, sat in a chair, sat on a birth ball, got on her hands and knees and leaned on the birth ball and squatted.  I really believe that movement and changing positions like she did helped so much in getting her baby boy in the best position for being born.

11:30 came around and Lindsay needed to make a pit stop in the ladies room.  She liked making the “pit stop” so well, that we had a very hard time convincing her to come back into the room.

Around noon Lindsay was still feeling like pushing and asked Dr. Kunda to check her again.  Waa Laa….she was now at 8 – 9 centimeters. 

Then, Dr. Kunda said she had a swollen anterior lip on her cervix.  This is when the door to the baby’s home has a hinge on the door that is out of whack.  So, he suggested continuing to change positions like she had been doing to try to help that.

In my “homebirth” programmed brain, I started running through all of the things that I had heard midwives doing at home births to help with this scenario. 

Unfortunately, I don’t know that any of them would have been an option in a hospital.  To “un-medical” and all.

But after praying and changing positions, Dr. Kunda came back 30 minutes later and told Lindsay that he thought the anterior lip of her cervix could be pushed back and that she was fully dilated.

Lindsay started pushing at 12:30 p.m.

We cheered and coached and breathed and pushed with her. 

Lindsay’s mom arrived from Columbus at about 1 p.m.

She joined in with us just like she had been there the whole time.

At about the time Lindsay’s mother arrived Dr. Kunda told Lindsay that they only let VBAC moms push for an hour and then they would start considering a cesarean. 

I think that was one of the only times I wanted to open my mouth and protest!  I had pushed 3 hours with my first VBAC and I knew that others had too. 

But the truth of the matter is, when you choose a hospital, you choose to abide by their rules.  You can make requests, but ultimately it comes down to their rules that dictate how the game is played.  At home, you make your own rules because it is your home.  So, when you choose a hospital, be fully informed as to what they will and will not allow.

Lindsay pushed with all of her might and did a wonderful job. 

Their baby boy was making his entrance one push at a time.

At 1:32 he arrived in this world at a whopping 9 pounds 13 ounces, 20.5 inches long!

Exactly 1 hour and two minutes of pushing for a first time vaginal birth with a chunk of a baby!

By the way, her last baby boy was 9 pounds 5 ounces, so much for “this one is smaller” 

It was beautiful!

Scott was an amazing coach and support to Lindsay through the whole labor.

 

It was my pleasure as always to be there to welcome new life into this world.

 I am so happy for and proud of Lindsay for making this a beautifully successful VBAC.