VBAC #8. One of my top two experiences.
It was an induction because of my BP. First couple BP's in triage were 160-80's/90's. Most of the labor they stayed in the 140's/low 90's. My bloodwork was fine so no mag.
I am GBS+ so I hung out for a while getting two doses before AROM. AROM at 3:45PM at 3-4/60%. OB said get up and walk, sit on the ball etc....I walked and walked (with all the L&D nurses giving encouragement as I passed by them). Bounced, danced, squatted etc...nothing by mild contractions. Finally at 5 I wanted to get down to business so I sent dh to get some dinner, put in my ear buds, sat on the ball and started some nipple stimulation. It took about 5 minutes before a good contraction, I kept it up for about 15 more minutes-encouraging contractions every 3-4 minutes. I stopped and the contractions kept coming on their own. By the time dh came back from dinner around 5:30 I was in active labor. I got on the monitors every hour for about 15 minutes with my last time on the monitor being around 7, I wasn't on the monitors AT ALL from that time on, other than that I labored anywhere I wanted. My IV was capped when abx weren't running and I was drinking apple juice like it was going out of style. From 5:30-7:30 I was contracting every 2-3 minutes for about 45 seconds and stayed in that pattern until just before birth where it went to every two minutes for a minute. I spent most of my labor standing next to the bed, holding onto dh and kneeling on the bed and pacing and walking. Once I was active the birth ball became unbearable. Around 7:30 or so I was standing next to the bed and started grunting during a contraction. I looked at my nurse and told her to go get my doctor so she boogied out the door to get him. Next contraction I really started making those deep down from the gut pushing noises and in runs a nurse (very young) who just happened to be walking past my door, snapping on gloves. 
I told her it was ok, we had a few minutes, the doc was on the way, she still looked like a deer in headlights (later my nurse told me that she TOLD this young nurse that I knew my body, Dr. K was on the way, we had it under control and she needed to *calm down*). So now things are really getting intense and I'm vocalizing and starting the typical "I'm done, I want to be done, I don't want to do this anymore...." that I start just before the baby is born. Doc arrives, quick checks me and I'm 8-90%. They start setting up their stuff while I do my thing which at this point is kneeling on the bed pushing and holding on to my dh's shoulders. At one point I am on my left knee with right foot flat on the bed and I feel the baby coming down. In the midst of my "I'm done, it hurts, can I stop now..." comments I say "the baby is coming!". No one moves. My doc is just quietly standing next to the bed watching me, the nurses are standing my the warmer and monitor. Dh looks at the doc and says, "Dr. K, when she says THAT she means it." His response, "Really? OK."
He gestures to the nurses who pull the cover off the delivery table. Puts a finger in to the second knuckle and says "the baby is right there." removes his hand and goes back to watching. No bright spotlight, no drapes or towels, no mask or even gown on doc, no bed broken down, do footrests or strirrups. Just me laboring and pushing how *I* felt comfortable and quiet observation by my OB and nurses. Next contraction I kind of lie on my left hip with arms wrapped around dh's waist and puuuushhhh. Baby crowns, I feel a hand gently pushing my right knee back a little more, I push about 2-3 more times and head is out. Shoulder pops out with one more little push and "I'M DONE!!" and there was my sweet little boy COVERED in vernix on the bed between my legs. It was 7:46PM. I pulled him up to my chest (very long cord) and he stayed there for the next 45 minutes. OB waited to clamp and cut the cord for a good 25 minutes, even scolding young hyper nurse who wanted the baby to cry.."He's pink and breathing and his cord is still pulsing. He doesn't need to cry." Max nursed for a good 30+ minutes but I still started bleeding too much. No panic (except for young hyper nurse who got a bit bug eyed when a big clot and blood audibly splashed) they just hung the pit and watched the bleeding and my fundus carefully for the first couple hours. I ended up anemic and weak but not horribly so.
It really was a lovely VBAC. So low key. Young hyper nurse didn't change the vibe, she was actually a bit humorous since my primary nurses were SO cool and supportive. I've been used to being watched like my uterus would explode at any moment with past VBAC's. It was so nice to really be treated no differently than any other mom and by providers that truly had belief in the process.
PP was equally nice as this hospital practices mother-baby nursing and they were fine with co-sleeping and in general just left us be.
Two days after we got home, Max got sick with what turned out to be viral meningitis (caught from sibs) and we had to go back to the hospital and through the hell that is a full septic workup and 72 hours of abx and observation on a monitored unit. Memories of his lovel.y birth really helped get me through those three days. We are home now and healthy and ready to be a family of 11.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/MAX2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/MAX.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/7ggod.jpg
It was an induction because of my BP. First couple BP's in triage were 160-80's/90's. Most of the labor they stayed in the 140's/low 90's. My bloodwork was fine so no mag.
I am GBS+ so I hung out for a while getting two doses before AROM. AROM at 3:45PM at 3-4/60%. OB said get up and walk, sit on the ball etc....I walked and walked (with all the L&D nurses giving encouragement as I passed by them). Bounced, danced, squatted etc...nothing by mild contractions. Finally at 5 I wanted to get down to business so I sent dh to get some dinner, put in my ear buds, sat on the ball and started some nipple stimulation. It took about 5 minutes before a good contraction, I kept it up for about 15 more minutes-encouraging contractions every 3-4 minutes. I stopped and the contractions kept coming on their own. By the time dh came back from dinner around 5:30 I was in active labor. I got on the monitors every hour for about 15 minutes with my last time on the monitor being around 7, I wasn't on the monitors AT ALL from that time on, other than that I labored anywhere I wanted. My IV was capped when abx weren't running and I was drinking apple juice like it was going out of style. From 5:30-7:30 I was contracting every 2-3 minutes for about 45 seconds and stayed in that pattern until just before birth where it went to every two minutes for a minute. I spent most of my labor standing next to the bed, holding onto dh and kneeling on the bed and pacing and walking. Once I was active the birth ball became unbearable. Around 7:30 or so I was standing next to the bed and started grunting during a contraction. I looked at my nurse and told her to go get my doctor so she boogied out the door to get him. Next contraction I really started making those deep down from the gut pushing noises and in runs a nurse (very young) who just happened to be walking past my door, snapping on gloves. I told her it was ok, we had a few minutes, the doc was on the way, she still looked like a deer in headlights (later my nurse told me that she TOLD this young nurse that I knew my body, Dr. K was on the way, we had it under control and she needed to *calm down*). So now things are really getting intense and I'm vocalizing and starting the typical "I'm done, I want to be done, I don't want to do this anymore...." that I start just before the baby is born. Doc arrives, quick checks me and I'm 8-90%. They start setting up their stuff while I do my thing which at this point is kneeling on the bed pushing and holding on to my dh's shoulders. At one point I am on my left knee with right foot flat on the bed and I feel the baby coming down. In the midst of my "I'm done, it hurts, can I stop now..." comments I say "the baby is coming!". No one moves. My doc is just quietly standing next to the bed watching me, the nurses are standing my the warmer and monitor. Dh looks at the doc and says, "Dr. K, when she says THAT she means it." His response, "Really? OK."He gestures to the nurses who pull the cover off the delivery table. Puts a finger in to the second knuckle and says "the baby is right there." removes his hand and goes back to watching. No bright spotlight, no drapes or towels, no mask or even gown on doc, no bed broken down, do footrests or strirrups. Just me laboring and pushing how *I* felt comfortable and quiet observation by my OB and nurses. Next contraction I kind of lie on my left hip with arms wrapped around dh's waist and puuuushhhh. Baby crowns, I feel a hand gently pushing my right knee back a little more, I push about 2-3 more times and head is out. Shoulder pops out with one more little push and "I'M DONE!!" and there was my sweet little boy COVERED in vernix on the bed between my legs. It was 7:46PM. I pulled him up to my chest (very long cord) and he stayed there for the next 45 minutes. OB waited to clamp and cut the cord for a good 25 minutes, even scolding young hyper nurse who wanted the baby to cry.."He's pink and breathing and his cord is still pulsing. He doesn't need to cry." Max nursed for a good 30+ minutes but I still started bleeding too much. No panic (except for young hyper nurse who got a bit bug eyed when a big clot and blood audibly splashed) they just hung the pit and watched the bleeding and my fundus carefully for the first couple hours. I ended up anemic and weak but not horribly so.
It really was a lovely VBAC. So low key. Young hyper nurse didn't change the vibe, she was actually a bit humorous since my primary nurses were SO cool and supportive. I've been used to being watched like my uterus would explode at any moment with past VBAC's. It was so nice to really be treated no differently than any other mom and by providers that truly had belief in the process.
PP was equally nice as this hospital practices mother-baby nursing and they were fine with co-sleeping and in general just left us be.
Two days after we got home, Max got sick with what turned out to be viral meningitis (caught from sibs) and we had to go back to the hospital and through the hell that is a full septic workup and 72 hours of abx and observation on a monitored unit. Memories of his lovel.y birth really helped get me through those three days. We are home now and healthy and ready to be a family of 11.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/MAX2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/MAX.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/kmomto6/7ggod.jpg
I hope like you said, the amazing birth experience helps you overcome that! And I hope everyone is starting to recover from that experience. HUGS!
