My VBAC story (really long)

(I'm sorry in advance for how long it is lol)

Im also 2 weeks late posting it, I put it in the VBAC support thread and forgot about making my own thread lol.

Ok so I had posted a week or two ago about being in out out of L&D with "false labor" and how I was feeling so down. Anyway, on Wednesday June 2 I woke up having contractions about 8 mins apart, not very painful. They got slowly closer together and my husband and I had a few errands to run so I figured they would either go away or get worse..well they got worse and were about 4 mins apart for about 2 hours, so I decided to call L&D and go in. The hospital I delivered at is over an hour from our house so its hard for me to risk it.(btw at this point I was a "tight" 2cm dilated and 75% effaced) I got to the hospital and they got me all hooked up and my contractions were still 4 mins apart. They checked me and I was still at 2cm. I was almost in tears being that my due date was in 2 days and I'd have to schedual a c-section. They decided to keep me in triage for a little while to moniter me and the baby until my MW could check me. (also, because I was delivering at a military base they have 3drs and 2mws and you basicly get whoever is on duty, it just so happened that my MW had just gotten back from leave THAT DAY and was on duty!) About and hour or 2 later she came in and checked me and I was a stretchy 3cm and 90%! She decided to strip my membranes and said she would see me back that night lol.
Since she was so convinced that I'd be back we decided to stay at my dads for awhile since hes only about 20 mins from base. I soon as we left my contractions got stronger and closer together. (3mins) We got to my dad's house and decided to watch a movie to distract me from the pain. Around 6:45 I got up to go to the bath room and when I came back to sit on the couch I felt like I peed myself and then I tried to sit up and more gushed out. I looked at DH and said "I think my water broke?" Since I wasnt sure I put a towel under me and kept watching the movie. At around 7:45 I got up again to pee and the towel was pretty wet so we decided to go back in.
They checked and it was my water that had broke but only a little leak and I was at 4-5cm now and still having alot of pain. They admitted me at 9:20pm and I got my epidural as soon as I could lol. I got a "walking epi" so I could still move my legs and feel pain and pressure in my pelvis. This thing made me ich like a crake head, but it took the pain away so i was happy. The MW came in and checked me and broke the rest of my water which was like a waterfall!! I think around midnight my MW came in to check me and I was almost 6cm and they put internal moniters on me because they couldnt keep a good read on the baby. I tried to get some rest until the pressure and pain in my vagina and butt were so bad I couldnt handle it anymore. I called my nurse in and she checked me and said I was ready to push!! (This was at about 1:30am) She went to get my MW and my mom to come back in the room and I strted pushing at about 1:40am. It took me four HARD pushes and out poped her head!
Scarlett Marie Mcclendon was born at 2:00am, June 3, 2010. Weighing 6lbs 12ozs, 19.7 inches long! I only had a 1st degree tear and I think 4 or 5 stitches(I didnt really pay attention because they had Scarlett in the warmer) She latched on great when they gave her back to me and has been brest feeding great every since! She lost down in 6.4 before we left and on Monday we had to take her in the get her weight and Jaundace levels checked and she was back up to 6lbs 13ozs!
The recovery has been 1million times better/easier than with my c-section! I love being able to do everything my self and not be in so much pain. I have to hemriods and my tear is barely sore. I also feel like for 5 days PP my body looks a million times better.

Here are some pics of my little angel.

Fresh out!



about to go home

Congrats! Im glad you got your VBAC. Wish I could, but I really dont like my other option for the hospital, Im more comfortable with my own.

I'm so glad you got your VBAC! I know when we started talking you were pretty concerned about it!

OMG! I am SOOOO ready for my second one!
*crosses fingers for a BFP soon*

CONGRATS AGAIN! She's beautiful and it was a great labor story!

I love the base hospital here (the one you delivered at) because they ARE so natural-friendly! The C-section rate at the hospital is only 9% (as opposed to 33+% nationally!). They had SOOOO many reasons that they could have sectioned me with my son, but they let me do it my way and didn't pressure me to take meds I didn't want!

Which midwife did you have?
I don't even know if its the same ones as were here when I had my son last year, haha. They change out so often with it being a military hospital. I know my doc has gone on deployment, come home, and gone AGAIN since I had my son! Now he's got orders out of here when he comes home!

congrats! your daughter is beautiful!!you don't know how lucky you are that you had that vbac ..i had to have 2 c-sections since my son was breech..i wanted a vbac with my daughter but they don't do it around here since its a smaller hospital and the staff is limited and not educated if something went wrong. I really am sad that i will never know what it will feel like   i am happy though that my babies are here safe and alive   i just feel like it would been a better recovery and my stomach wouldn't look like crap if it weren't for those surgeries.

Quoting Anonymous Poster:“ I'm so glad you got your VBAC! I know when we started talking you were pretty concerned about it! OMG! ... [snip!] ... doc has gone on deployment, come home, and gone AGAIN since I had my son! Now he's got orders out of here when he comes home!”

Thank you!! Yeah, I was really worried it wasnt going to happen but I think I got lucky with what staff happened to be in when I went into labor. I had Underwood and my nurse was Evans. They were both soo supportive and honestly, I think if I would have had Dr. Ta (sp) or been at Desert Regional I would have had another c-section. I feel so blessed that everything went the way it did.
I agree about how "natural" they are. At the other hospital they made me supplement and now my daughter has had nothing but breastmilk and she was already 1 pound up from her birth weight at her 2 week check-up!
GL TTC!!! **baby dust**  

congrats on your VBAC. I've been looking for happy endings b/c I'm desperate for one myself. Countdown is on: have to go into labor by Sept 10 or else!

Was your recovery much easier with the vaginal birth???

Aww your labor story brought tears to my eyes, and it wasn't long at all...or maybe I was just so into it :-)

Also, your baby is beautiful