I woke up with contractions on Sunday Dec 11 at 3am. I tried to get some rest because I knew it could be long and boy was I right, but I couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep through them. I laid in bed for awhile and eventually hopped in the shower to try and relax around 5:30am. They picked up a little throughout the day and I was losing my mucus plug (sorry if that’s TMI) but eventually spaced out and grew inconsistent. Sunday night they really picked up again and got to every 4-5 minutes apart but then started to space out here and there again. Sleep was pretty much impossible this whole time. I was feeling them all in my back and it was hard to find a comfortable position. Monday the trend continued and I was absolutely exhausted. The contractions were constant but the timing was not consistent which was really frustrating. Laying in bed made them way more uncomfortable and I found laying on the living room floor with some pillows was the only comfortable spot to get a little rest between surges. Through this time I alternated between curb walking, walking, the stairs and resting. The bath was also a great place for me to relax. I listened to a lot of pregnancy meditation affirmations by Bridget Teyler (Built to Birth). They helped me stay relaxed and continue to ride out this long labor. It was actually during these meditations that I knew in my heart this baby was a little girl. My amazing doula came over Monday and helped us with some movements and also helped me mentally. I was terrified baby was malpositioned which is what resulted in my C-section with Ollie. But this time I was more concerned she was posterior since I was feeling everything in my back. After she left we went to the chiropractor to get an adjustment to see if that would help too. It definitely helped me feel better physically but the contractions continued in my back. Monday evening we were hoping for some rest but instead things picked up again. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for another night of contractions that would eventually fizzle out. But instead things continued to picked up. At 1:18am Keaton texted our doula letting her know contractions were lasting about 60-90 seconds and were 4 minutes apart. She came over around 3am and helped us work through more. They were extremely intense but honestly I was so exhausted and in “labor land” I don’t even know how much time was passing. My doula decided it was time to leave for the hospital and we got there at 7am. When we got there I was 5cm and 80% effaced. The doctor also came in to check baby’s position with an ultrasound since it seemed to have an unstable lie. We were pleased to find baby was head down and low. I asked which position baby was in and he said LOA (the most optimal position)!!! All my hard work wasn’t for nothing! I helped baby get into the best position possible. Still not sure what was causing my back labor but I was so relieved to hear that. After getting settled in our room I got into the bath and it felt so good! We kept the lights off and during contractions Keaton poured water on my back. The nurse came in every 20 minutes to Doppler baby’s heart rate. After about an hour I was feeling a lot of pressure. This was around 10:30 I think (it’s all a blur and I didn’t keep track much). We decided that it would be a good time to get out and check where things were at. I wrapped up in a warm blanket and laid on the bed. She checked and I was 8-9cm with a bulging bag. I agreed to letting the doctor rupture my water since it was the only thing really holding baby back. When she did we found there was meconium. It was a little concerning but baby was going great so we just kept going. I was so tired that I just laid there and worked through contractions with Keaton or Connie squeezing my hips through them. Shortly after breaking my water I felt my body involuntarily pushing. When she checked I was at a 10 but I had a little cervical lip. Since my body was trying to push she said we could manually reduce it. To do that she would push the lip back while I pushed. She said it was going to hurt but honestly it felt really good. Pushing felt like I was doing something and it got the focus off my back labor. After doing this a few times she was able to get some of it back but not all of it. We decided to just try pushing around it using the tug-a-war method. She grabbed one end of a towel and I grabbed the other. I squatted/partially sat at the end of the bed and while pushing we both pulled during contractions. We did this about 3 times and I said I could feel the ring of fire. My doctor said we would do a couple more. After that I told her I was really feeling something. She said “okay lay back.” When I did, baby’s head was right there. She was not prepared (no gloves, or gown on)!! She said “get me gloves.” And with one push baby came flying out at 1:17pm (almost exactly 12 hours from when Keaton sent Connie my contractions). She held it up and I yelled “IT’S A GIRL!!” Keaton was supposed to announce it but I couldn’t help myself. She was immediately placed on my chest and so alert! She latched on right away and stayed awake for about 4 hours. We waited for the cord to stop pulsating and when it did the doctor let Keaton clamp and cut it. We were waiting for the placenta to come out when my doctor got pulled to an emergency. When she came back it had been a little over 30 minutes so she gently encouraged it and it came right out. I had a little tear and needed just a few stitches. They left baby on my chest during their exam. They eventually took her to get measured and she was 7lbs 5oz, 19 inches long and absolutely perfect in every way! I honestly felt so good afterwards. I was exhausted but could not sleep! I just wanted to stare at her. Poor Keaton didn’t get the rush of adrenaline from birth so he sat down and got a little sleep. I was up and walking right away and aside from being sore I felt amazing. It took us about a day to name our sweet girl but we decided to pick a name we had both loved for years, Reggie and her middle name Rose is after my late niece. This recovery was drastically different than recovery from my C-section. Not just physically but mentally! I can’t even begin to explain how empowering and healing this experience was for me. My trauma from Ollie’s birth is still there and always will be but this experience has healed some of the pain and doubts I had. I always knew I could do this! I knew my body was built for it but doubt and fear would creep in from time to time and I so badly wanted to prove to myself what I knew I could do! I had to advocate for myself a lot since VBACs come with some extra risks and are relatively new at this hospital. I also knew I had to find the best support team. I could not have done this without Keaton and/or Connie being there through every contraction over the 58 hours. I also had a very supportive provider and made sure to bring up my wishes frequently at appointments. I think she was a little unsure if we would get the experience we were hoping since baby had flipped but even then, she was agreeable to letting me go into labor on my own over scheduling a C-section. I brought my birth plan with me to the hospital and every single person honored my wishes. I could not have asked for a better team than the one I had. Every single birth story is beautiful! Babies are miracles no matter how or when they enter this world. Both of my births were so different but so beautiful in their own way. Although Ollie’s was traumatic there was still beauty in it and it resulted in the most perfect baby boy I could dream of. Reggie’s birth was so different. It was exhausting and long but so empowering and wonderful! Without Ollie’s I would not have had the experience I did with Reggie’s. So even though there are times I try to forget parts of my first birth, I am thankful for it. It is the birth that made me a mother and my second is the one that showed me just how truly strong I am.
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