Warning...some of these pictures may be a little much for some of you. I promise there's nothing "indecent", but they were taken in the delivery room, so be warned.
The first pictures are after the birth with all the people in my life last Thursday who worked so hard to help me deliver a healthy baby via VBAC. I couldn't have done it without them, and the Lord was as always more gracious than I could ever deserve with the blessings he poured out on us 5 days ago!
Here's our story...contractions came Wednesday morning and never really let up all day, so I started warning and preparing those labor would effect. It just felt like it was "it" and not the on and off labor I'd had the preceding 7 weeks. I had some things I wanted to get done, and they weren't unbearable, so I worked through the contractions. We went on to church Wednesday night, and I thought I wasn't going to make it for a while, but then they seemed to let up a little. Around 4 am Thursday I awoke to the contractions and never could get comfortable enough to go back to sleep--it was actually about the same time of morning I started timing contractions with Emma's labor. I woke Ben and told him and then called my mom at 5 so she could call her sub. I called Julie, our doula, probably a little after 6 and then got in the bathtub. We labored at home a while, and after Emma had been up and eaten a little, we called Momma to come get her. Ben ran to work to give out checks and get the guys started while Momma was here getting "instructions" for Emma. Julie hung out with us while we labored here, she sent us on a walk around the neighborhood to see if the contractions got any worse...they were about 2-5 minutes apart the whole time. It was a nice day but rainy, and I was still craving pizza and coke. She encouraged us to order some, and we did (all I could think was how badly I wanted my leftover pizza while in labor with Emma, and I never got it!). The three of us went upstairs to eat and watch tv. The contractions were still mostly 2 minutes apart. I did skip out on coke and took it "easy" with cheese pizza while using the floor and exercise ball to try to ease up the pain in between bites. After a few pieces, I started to feel a little worse and got a little leary of eating more...not long after, my water broke at noon. It took me off guard big time, and then the contractions started coming pretty quickly and painfully. We packed up, called and headed on over to the hospital. We had a couple of different nurses who checked us in, both of which I was soooo grateful weren't there for the long haul. One had NO personality, the other was so "overly helpful", without my inquiring I might add, that I thought I just might say some ugly things to her...especially when she twisted the hep-lock into my hand and spewed my blood all over the sheets and me in the midst of a contraction. Anyway, our nurse Vicki arrived on the scene soon and was so wonderful and helpful! She had natural births and was excited to help me on my way. With the help of Ben, Julie and Vicki, I survived hours of contractions. At some point, after a second check still at 8 cm, I really started struggling mentally and emotionally since 8 was where I "stopped" with Emma. Thankfully, this time the Lord blessed me with an amazing team who helped and encouraged me through. The nurse suggested a half dose of nubane to help me relax. It was just what I needed; it gave me a break in between contractions that had been coming without breaks, and I was able to rest and relax in between. Not too long after, they allowed me to start pushing, and praise the Lord, after about 45 minutes, we met our precious baby boy! They let me touch his head as he crowned and then finish delivering him myself once his shoulders came through. It was so humbling and joyful to be blessed with the experience of this miraculous event! I cannot thank my God or my faithful prayer partners enough for the joy, peace and elation we experienced last Thursday. I actually thought, "I would absolutely love to do this again" right after he was born...of course, I need a few years to heal and recover, but nothing in me thought there is no way I want to feel that pain again.
