FIRST. I am thrilled with how it all turned out. I did not have an HBAC.. but I did get the birth I was intended to have and so many beautiful lessons and moments that outweigh any idealization of a baby coming out of my vagina 
Water broke and started contractions right at 5 minutes apart lasting 30-45 seconds. 7 hours later they were 3:30-4m lasting 1+ minute.. so the midwife came.. I was 4cm.. labored a for a couple more hours... they wanted me to get rest so I tried to lay down and they kept coming with the same pattern.. didnt get much rest, but got some. Midwife wanted me to go for a walk, so I did.. my contractions completely went away. Tried to get them back with lunges, different positions, nipple stim.. yadda yadda. Since my water was verging on being broken for 14 hours at that point we decided to do some castor oil (ugh..) which made me throw up everything Id eaten or had to drink but brought back the contractions. I labored for another several hours and started having what felt like transition contractions, coming every 2 minutes lasting 75-120 seconds. THAT WAS effing INTENSE. Hard to believe anyone who says that they had an "orgasmic" birth. ;) I was sure I had to be atleast 7. Did those contractions for 2 hours before I said I needed her to check me. I was only 5- she could stretch me to 7. We took my temp and it was 100.4. 15 minutes later the baby's heartrate had increased to low 180s from a baseline of the 160s. I had been laboring for almost 24 hours at that point.. my water had been broken for atleast that amount of time and knew I was dehydrated and exhausted.. we pushed two bags of fluid and temp actually went up to 100.6 -- there had been a question on if my water had actually broken 24 hours earlier then when labor started and the clearly identifiable gushes happened.. DH and I were trying to get things going and Id had a small gush, like half a shot glass of fluid.. but couldnt make any more happen so we figured it was just mucus secretions...
I soaked through 6 depends.. I was guzzling so much water to keep myself hydrated.. but when she checked me that last time baby's head was still -2. So, I decided to transfer while we were stable.. If the head hadnt engaged with all that time, waters broken and serious contractions.. and I had a fever.. and baby's hr was starting to be effected.. it was time. I knew that when we made the call the only option was to walk in and be prepped for the OR.. and that was OK.
So, baby was born via c-section .. apgars of 8/9.. 7lbs 11oz.. 19.5" 
Since I had a fever of 100.4 so did she.. and she got antibiotics while we waited for the culture to come back because along with the fever she had a slight elevation in some of her lab numbers and I believe in being safe rather then sorry.. Ill have to tell that story later as it pisses me off right now. Basically their policy is that the baby has to stay in the nursery for 24 hours for observation if they are on antibiotics. Which meant me or hubby had to be there the whole time since it was not an option for me to just send her to the nursery alone. DH did the first 3 hours while I got feeling back in my legs and had them pull my cath.. then I did 4 hours.. then our babysitter had to leave for her job.. it got all effed up from a care perspective and DH had to go care for our 3 year old so I stayed with her for the rest of the 24 hours. The nurses were wenches and kept telling me to go back to my room.. made it difficult for me to get my meds in the nursery.. yadda yadda. I almost got into a physical altercation with one of them on our last night there when she removed the IV and did the PKU so roughly I literally had to scream at her to get away from my baby before I harmed her. I got 6 hours of sleep from Friday morning since labor started at 10pm Friday.. until Monday at 4AM... then they were remodeling the room next to mine and started hammering at 6am till 3pm. Ive never been so delirious. So I ran a lowgrade fever. in the 99s and a couple readings under 101... Baby's culture came back negative.. they surprisingly didnt do one on me.. just pumped me full of antibiotics.. but I came home on schedule and Im sooo glad to be here.
Baby is an angel. I adore her... Im satisfied with my birth experience.. I did many many hours of strong labor, listened to my body.. listened to my baby... partnered beautifully with my husband during the whole experience...and let go of all of the things that made me feel like I had failed last time, or wasnt strong enough or "womanly" enough.. or whatever.. I was fierce, Mamas. It just wasnt in the cards for my baby to come out of my vagina. And Im so okay with that. My baby was supposed to make me a mom, not a portal. I also feel good about making the call to go in myself and knowing that at each step of the way I didnt submit to anyone else's fears.. wants, desires.. but I surrendered to my own journey.
Edited by MamaChef - 5/23/11 at 5:07am
I'm sorry about the nursery-24 hour debacle, that sucks!! and the lack of sleep 
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