VBAC: A Survivor's Story

As all of you have heard by now, Joshua has arrived! I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be having another c-section on Monday July 7th. I had done all the things you could try to naturally induce myself before that date and had started and stopped contractions for days. So with the c-section date in such close proximity I told myself there was nothing more I could do and had come to terms with the inevitable. Well, Joshua apparently wasn't feeling the same way.

Heath, Caleb and I had gone to my aunts house for a fourth of July celebration. We left about 8pm for home figuring Caleb had a long day and was ready for bed (which he was, he fell asleep in the car on the way home). I was having some contractions but it was nothing out of the ordinary so I cleaned the house a bit and laid down for a rest. About 10pm I woke up from a contraction which had never happened before so I felt slightly encouraged. Still not ready to accept the fact that this might be true labor I went back to sleep. At 11pm I was woken up again by a contraction and thought that maybe this was it. When I felt some discomfort from the contraction I stood up to see if that would make it go away and as soon as I did I knew I was in real labor. My contraction intensified. I still wasn't quite ready to wake up Heath so I called our doula Jessica and told her she may want to start on her way (she was coming from Sag Harbor). About 12am I woke Heath, who then called the doctor and then the doula again to tell her to meet us straight at the hospital. We reached St. Charles hospital, (which I like to refer to as the Hilton, they are just the greatest there), and found out that I was four centimeters dilated. So this was it!

Our journey began at the hospital and 1am and continued on till 10:35am when Joshua David arrived on the scene. I did have an epidural which took most of the edge off but there was still some discomfort, that is until 10 centimeters when I could have sworn my epidural had been replaced with pitocin. Once it was time to push I was all business. They said that women average pushing a first baby out in about 3 hours and that just wasn't good enough for me. When I was allowed to push I did so with such gusto that I broke blood vessels all over my face and in both eyes, but an hour and a half later I was done. Joshua was out in a flash. Once they were able to see a quarter of his head it only took about 3 pushes more. I have to say that although I looked like I had been punched in the face and lost so much blood I needed a transfusion, the recovery is still better than if I had had a c-section.

Our doula Jess was invaluable in the labor process and our mid-wife Michele was a God sent. Anyone attempting a vbac should feel confident in their ability to do so. I was told by one doctor that I would never be able to deliver a baby bigger than 8 pounds 5 ounces, I was just too small. Well, to that doctor I would just like to say, I'd like to introduce you to my son Joshua David Terry: 8pounds 11ounces, 21 1/4 inches long!