born July 1, 2011 at Hellen Ellis Hospital, story
told by Kylie
Our Little Vbac
baby
Before I talk about
the birth of Nola Jene, I should first mention the
birth of my angel love Luca Grace. After all, her
birth is why I was a Vbac patient. We were going
to have her at the Breath of Life Birthing Center,
in the water, with no drugs. It was going to be
amazing and we were eagerly looking forward to the
experience. This was our plan anyway up until 39
weeks. At my appointment we discovered Luca had
turned. She was in a frank breech position and was
going to have to be delivered c-section. I was crushed.
I felt like my birthing experience had been taken
from me. It took a long time to recover from the
emotional distress the c-section caused me. I was
determined to learn all that I could about Vbacs
so that I wouldn't have the same birth with my next
baby.
When we found out we
were expecting again, we couldn't have been happier.
Due to our previous c-section, we were limited on
our birthing options but it didn't discourage us.
We were determined to have the birthing experience
I had wanted all along. With the help of Chris Hilderbrandt
and ICAN we decided to go with Dr. Dinsmore in Trinity.
It was a far drive from St. Pete but in the end
it was all worth it. My due date was June
30th. On Monday June 27th I started losing my mucus
plug. I couldn't believe the day I'd been waiting
for could actually be around the corner. Tuesday
we picked my mother up from the airport and headed
to my dr.'s appointment. I was 95% effaced and a
half centimeter dilated. That night we went walking.
We were trying to get things started. I had no idea
what to expect and was fascinated by the sensations
that I was beginning
to feel. This must be it. This went on all day Wednesday
too. We kept busy, walking, cleaning and playing
with Luca. My due date was finally here. My doula,
Kasie Carlson suggested taking Luca out for her
last days as an only child. My mom and I took her
to the Florida Aquarium. I'm so glad we did. Luca
had a great time and it kept
my mind off not being in labor. We got home at around
4:00pm and Ed went to dinner with his parents. I
decided to stay home. I really felt like this might
be it and I didn't want to be at dinner when”it”
started to happen. It's amazing how you just know.
My contractions were
still mild and very inconsistent. By 8:00pm my water
started to leak. I took a shower and gathered my
things. I knew we'd have to be on our way to the
hospital soon. I was feeling surprisingly relaxed
and ready for the hard work ahead. When Ed got home,
I filled him in on the news and he started gathering
his things for the hospital too. We put Luca to
bed, ate a quick meal and headed out the door with
our yoga ball in hand.
We were beside ourselves
with excitement. We'd been waiting for this experience
since before Luca was born. I couldn't believe everything
I prepared for was finally here. It brings tears
to my eyes just writing it now. Helen Ellis Hospital
was an hour away. So we spent the car ride talking
and enjoying each others company. My water would
gush and then I would experience a mild contraction.
We called the doula and she was going to meet us
at the hospital in the morning.
At Midnight the nurse checked me and I was 1 centimeter
dilated. I was a little disappointed but not discouraged.
I knew it could and would happen when it was supposed
to. We tried to sleep but the excitement was unbearable.
We were going to meet our baby soon. The next few
events may not have gone exactly like this but at
some point during the early morning Dr. Dinsmore
checked me and I was 3 centimeters dilated. This
was great news. I was progressing all on my own.
By the time the sun came up, Ed and I still hadn't
slept. This was going to be a long day. Kasie came
bright and early with bagels and coffee. My contractions
were still mild and not consistent. I was between
3 and 4 centimeters. Dr. Dinsmore decided to give
me a tiny bit of pitocin. Normally I would be against
the idea but after talking it through with Kasie
we decided it would help things along. I'm glad
we did because deep down inside I knew that I was
on a clock because my water broke the night before.
I was 4 centimeters
dilated and I felt pretty great actually. We spent
the better part of the day talking, laughing, and
surprisingly eating between my contractions. Although
I was on constant monitoring, I was able to move
around quite comfortably. I was determined to move
that baby down. Soon my contractions were getting
stronger and closer together. I found myself concentrating
more during each contraction. I focused on breathing
through each sensation. I was amazed at how calm
and at ease I still felt. This continued till about
9:00pm. By this time, I was so tired and the contractions
were very intense. The sensation of each contraction
took my breath away to say the least. I didn't give
up though. I was determined to do it naturally.
Kasie and Ed supported me through each contraction.
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For whatever reason
I was a little nervous about the pushing phase.
I was exhausted and couldn't imagine that pushing
could feel better than this. Kasie reassured
me that it would be ok and just what my body
needed to do. Soon my contractions slowed slightly
and I was able to fall asleep between them.
It was just the break I needed. Shortly after
that, I felt an amazing release. I wanted to
push. I had to push. I went deep within myself
and gathered all the strength I had left. I
focused and productively moved my baby down.
With each contraction we were getting closer
and closer to meeting Nola. After an hour of
pushing. She was finally here. Nola Jene was
born at 10:46pm and placed directly on my chest.
I was so tired I needed help holding her. She
stared at me and I stared back. It was love
at first sight. It truly was the most amazingly,
satisfying experience our family could have
had and we give thanks to all that made our
vbac possible.
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