I just wanted to post an update since I have found this board to be such a support leading up to my TOL and VBAC attempt.
My second child, Noa Gabrielle was born on Oct. 7th at 4:14am after a day and a half of labor. She weighed 9lbs. 2oz. and is 21 inches.
The short version of the story is that I went into labor 5 days overdue but the contractions were sporadic yet strong. After laboring at home for 11 hours and getting no sleep we went to the hospital where I was found to be 6cm. I spent the next 10 hours just getting to 7cm. I finally submitted to the doc rupturing my membranes and got to 8cm an hour later but was in so much pain and exhausted from 24 hours of labor and no sleep that I needed an epidural. I then spent 3 hours on the epi dilating to 10cm and was shocked to make it that far since I had stalled at 7 the first time. I pushed for two hours on the epi but didn't make much progress. She wouldn't descend. They let the epi wear out and I pushed for another 2.5 hours with no pain meds. Holy crap that hurt! She still wouldn't descend far enough to even use vacuum or forceps. We could see hair and molding though and the doctor came in to see if she could manipulate the head into a better position. She was slightly asynclitic and I felt terrible pain on the left side of my rectum as I pushed. Anyway, by that time I was screaming for it all to end and asked the doctor for a c-section--it had been 35 hours of pain and no sleep and I was ready for it to be over. I knew she had to be bigger than we had thought. Turns out she weighed only 7oz. less than my first. I'm recovering well from the c/s and my little girl was quite the champion herself. She came out crying nonstop and her apgars were 9 and 9 and she literally did the army crawl to my breast when they put her on my chest 30 min. after being born. It was the most positive experience it could have been given the circumstances. I stayed in control, made all the choices along the way that I thought necessary and had wonderful support from my husband and doula. I didn't think anything but a "successful" vbac could be healing or triumphant but I was wrong. My TOL was the perfect one for me.
You can read in more detail and see pics on my blog: http://vinesinthemountains.blogspot.com
Thanks everyone for all your wonderful, healing support!
My second child, Noa Gabrielle was born on Oct. 7th at 4:14am after a day and a half of labor. She weighed 9lbs. 2oz. and is 21 inches.
The short version of the story is that I went into labor 5 days overdue but the contractions were sporadic yet strong. After laboring at home for 11 hours and getting no sleep we went to the hospital where I was found to be 6cm. I spent the next 10 hours just getting to 7cm. I finally submitted to the doc rupturing my membranes and got to 8cm an hour later but was in so much pain and exhausted from 24 hours of labor and no sleep that I needed an epidural. I then spent 3 hours on the epi dilating to 10cm and was shocked to make it that far since I had stalled at 7 the first time. I pushed for two hours on the epi but didn't make much progress. She wouldn't descend. They let the epi wear out and I pushed for another 2.5 hours with no pain meds. Holy crap that hurt! She still wouldn't descend far enough to even use vacuum or forceps. We could see hair and molding though and the doctor came in to see if she could manipulate the head into a better position. She was slightly asynclitic and I felt terrible pain on the left side of my rectum as I pushed. Anyway, by that time I was screaming for it all to end and asked the doctor for a c-section--it had been 35 hours of pain and no sleep and I was ready for it to be over. I knew she had to be bigger than we had thought. Turns out she weighed only 7oz. less than my first. I'm recovering well from the c/s and my little girl was quite the champion herself. She came out crying nonstop and her apgars were 9 and 9 and she literally did the army crawl to my breast when they put her on my chest 30 min. after being born. It was the most positive experience it could have been given the circumstances. I stayed in control, made all the choices along the way that I thought necessary and had wonderful support from my husband and doula. I didn't think anything but a "successful" vbac could be healing or triumphant but I was wrong. My TOL was the perfect one for me.
You can read in more detail and see pics on my blog: http://vinesinthemountains.blogspot.com
Thanks everyone for all your wonderful, healing support!
and you are a strong Mama to have gone through all that labor.
Congratulations on your baby girl!
