This post is in continuation to this post.

     Yes dear friends, my water had broke when I laid down which meant this baby was coming very soon. I was fully effaced and baby’s head was very low but I was only dilated to a 1. Several hours and many more contractions passed when the doctor came in to check me. Still only dilated to a 1! He said that if my cervix would just dilate that he felt the baby would just come flying out! However, he could not give me anything to help because this was a VBAC and chances of uterine rupture or tear would increase with pitocin. So we continued to wait. Several more hours and many contractions later he came back in to check me – this time I was dilated to a 3! I was so excited about the progress but in so much pain. The doctor said that I could go ahead and get an epidural if I wanted one. I said,  ”YES PLEASE!”    

     Another several hours passed and the intensity and frequency of the contractions completely died down. My thoughts were that the epidural caused things to stall. The doctor came in to check me and I was still only at a 3!  By this time it was around 5:30pm and I had labored for about 18 hours. (this is where it gets hard for me to finish telling my story) The doctor said he thought it was time for us to do a cesarean for failure to progress. I agreed but was so very disappointed. It seemed that after the word cesarean was mentioned that things went really fast! They almost didn’t wait for my husband to get back to the hospital from grabbing a bite to eat.

They wheeled me into surgery…

Husband and Mimi get their scrubs on,

and surgery begins.

      As I lay there struggling with why this is happening and asking myself what went wrong, and blaming myself for getting an epidural the doctor is busy at work. Then I hear him say, “Looks like there is a slight tear and the uterus was beginning to separate.” The anesthesiologist looked at me through all my tears and said, “It’s a good thing we did this!” I could do nothing more than thank God for answering all my questions and for keeping His hand on me! From start to finish He had His hand upon me! If my water had not broke they would have sent me home because I was only dilated to 1. It is now my opinion that God allowed labor to stall to keep me and the baby safe!

     Surgery lasted about an hour and then a beautiful new life was born…

our baby girl took her first breath. The sound of her cry sent tears jolting down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe she was finally here. Praise the Lord!

I thank you Lord for a happy, healthy family of four!

THE END to a wonderful new beginning.

Little Sister 8lbs 6oz. 20 inches long

      First let me apologize for the long hiatus from blogging, however, I think having a baby is good reason for such a break. Without further due let me walk you through the events leading up to the birth of sweet baby sister and as the story unfolds you will begin to see if I was able to have a VBAC or not.  

     Saturday, October 17th 2009 (baby’s due date) – I got up early that morning to go to a community yard sale and get some walking done (hoping to get labor going). I got home around 12:30 just in time for lunch and was feeling desperate, I really wanted “something” to happen so after talking with my husband we decided to take a SMALL dose of castor oil. I mixed 1 tablespoon castor oil with about 8oz. smoothie. I waited 3 hours and nothing happened so I took another tablespoon (2 tablespoons was my limit). Still nothing happened, so I went to bed feeling disheartened and like the baby would never come.

     Around 11:30pm I woke up with contractions! Yes, contractions!!! I got up to time them, they were very sporadic but the average time between contractions was 5 minutes or less. I woke my husband after timing  them for an hour, he sat up with me for another hour before we called family to make arrangements for big sister. The drive to the hospital seemed long, contractions were intensifying and I still couldn’t believe this was real. We finally made it but somehow we ended up parking near the back of the Labor and Delivery unit, so we walked through a maze of a hospital, stopping frequently (becuase contractions were so strong) trying to find Labor & Delivery.

     At last, we made it! I was checked in and admitted to a room around 4:30am. I changed into my hospital gown and lay down. The nurse began to “check me”  and the first thing she said was, “Girl, you are broke! Your water is BROKE!”

                                                                                                                                                                                    to be continued….

She LOVES craft  time! It doesn’t matter how big or small, how creative or not so creative, how educational or not so educational! She loves the interaction with mommy and the pride of making something all by herself.

37 Weeks Pregnant

     Good news and bad news! Good news first: WE MADE IT FULL TERM WITH NO SIGNS OF PREECLAMPSIA WHATSOEVER!!!! Thank you Jesus! Now for the bad news: My body is showing NO signs of labor! What is up? I’m not even having any Braxton Hicks contractions or anything! I know that God has this baby’s birthday hand picked, and that He is ultimately in control…and I’m okay with that (like I have a choice). But there is a c-section scheduled for the 22nd and I’m just praying that the Lord would send contractions and prepare my body to do what it needs to do so that I may experience a true delivery. Obviously, if a c-section is what God wants than there is a reason for it and it is probably in mine and baby’s best interest. Please just join me in prayer for His will in this. After checking me at this last appointment my doctor repeatedly said that as of right now it is not looking favorable (as in – my body has not progressed at all) which really broke me. She told me to get started with the “natural remedies” and so I am! Here is a list of what I’m doing so far:

• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (drinking two infusions a day): to help condition uterus for contractions.
• Evening Primrose Oil (applying 1500 mg to cervix): to help thin and soften cervix
• Walking (LOTS OF WALKING):to help baby get into position
• Intimacy: to help start contractions and soften cervix
• Perineal Massage: to help keep from tearing
• PRAYER!

     That is it for now. I have a few things to pull out as my due date (October 17th) draws near, but mostly I am trusting in God, I can do all this stuff and none of it matter if it’s not in His will for me to deliver naturally. So now… we just sit and wait.

     YOUR TURN: Did you try any “home remedies” to help get labor started?  If so, what and how did it work out for you? OR How close were you to your due date before labor/contractions started?

     I would love to say a HUGE thank you to Jen over at The Trendy Mom Blog Design and Catherine at 3 Kids and Us who helped get this awesome, cutesy, personable design up and running! Jen was great, I gave her just a few details, picked out a digital kit and she put the rest together with her own awesome creativity! Catherine was the lifesaver who installed the theme for me and made everything work and look just right! Thanks gals…you are both amazing! I highly recommend that if you are looking for a new BLOGGER design for your blog to head over to  The Trendy Mom Blog Design, she is creative and affordable. If you are a WORDPRESS user like me take a look at 3 Kids and Us who can also help spruce up your blog at just fractions of the cost most designers are currently charging.

     There is just something about pig tails that I love! They take me back to the days of innocence, when life was filled with singing and dancing, and not a care in the world. Oh how I miss my pig tail days of joy and laughter. The days when although the world may have been falling apart around me I didn’t notice, nor did I care, because I was too busy being me (a kid)! Oh, how I cherish those days…and I hope she does too.

    I was chatting with a good friend of mine the other day, we are both pregnant and two weeks apart which is so much fun. We began to share birth stories from our first time around, and how we would like to do things a little different this time. My wonderful friend shared how her natural birth went, and how after the baby was born he was immediatley placed in her arms. The thought of that maybe happening for me this time filled my heart with joy, and tears began to form. I understand now, if you had asked me before I wouldn’t have been able to tell you because I couldn’t find the words. Why do you want to have a VBAC? The answer is simple really. I want to hold my baby!

     The birth of my first child was amazing but after she was born the nurses held her up to my face just long enough for me to kiss her sweet head, and then I didn’t see her again for another 2 hours! My husband and I called the nursery every 30 minutes asking to see our baby – it was hard to wait that long before I was able to hold her, stare at her, be amazed by her. BUT…thankfully I was eventually able to do all of those things, thanks to having a cesarean. I do praise God for c-section’s, if it weren’t for having one the first time it is very possible that my daughter and I may not be here today.

    Your turn. What is your story? For those of you who have had c-sections did it take as long for you to be able to hold your baby?

                                   WOOHOO!     HOORAY!      YES!      HURRAH!    YIPPEE!

Today was my 35th week (pregnancy) Dr.’s visit and…. I MADE IT!!!! Blood pressure was normal, protein was right where it needs to be, no swelling - all of this equals NO PREECLAMPSIA!!!!

Next visit is at 37 weeks and by then I will be considered FULL TERM! Hooray! I am TOTALLY doing the HAPPY DANCE!