Elliott's Birth Story

Retro Dated ****

My due date for Baby #3 was July 3rd. That day came and went (no surprise). Because of my previous c-section with Xavier I had higher risks of uterine rupture if I were to be induced. And my plan was to attempt another VBAC since I was successful in doing that with Wesley. So we waited...and waited. It was the most anxiety filled time of my life as I prayed for labor to begin.

 - On Wed, July 6th I had a non stress test that showed everything was fine.
 - On Mon, July 11th I had another non stress test that showed everything was fine. I also had an ultrasound that showed plenty of fluid pockets still surrounding the baby. My doctor said he would induce me if I wanted. He said because I'd previously had a successful VBAC he was not as worried about doing an induction. I chose to wait because the baby was ok and I was still holding out hope of going into labor on my own.
 - On Thurs, July 14th I had another non stress test that showed everything was fine. I was also dilated almost 5 cm, which is crazy thinking that I really hadn't had any contractions at all yet. At this point I was 11 days overdue. I knew my doctor didn't want me going past 14 days. I agreed that I would be ok with an induction at this point. My doctor was actually out of town that day. The nurse practitioner was going to talk with him and they'd call me the next day. That morning I also went to a chiropractor for acupuncture treatment in hopes of stimulating labor (I don't think it did anything, but I guess I can't say for sure)
- Fri, July 15th I didn't end up hearing from my doctor until after 5pm (long story -- mix up between staff ). He said the hospital was so busy that they were not taking inductions that day. He said to wait to hear from him and that I could probably be induced Saturday or Sunday.

Friday night at 10pm I started having contractions. We had just finished watching a movie and were getting ready to go to bed. I went to sleep for a little bit since the contractions were mild. Things picked up throughout the night and by about 5am my contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting over a minute. They were very painful, but not "OMG I'm going to die" kind of pain. I called my doctor and he said to come to the hospital. He made a joke that I guess I decided to do my own induction and force them to take me. YEP!! I called my mom to come over to stay with the boys. While it's not ideal to go into labor at night when you are tired from the day, it was nice to have the boys asleep while I was dealing with contractions. I was also throwing up in between contractions. This made things seem 10x worse. I had not experienced any vomiting with either of my previous labors. I took a shower and we headed for the hospital around 6:15am.

By 7am I was checked in and they said I was 6-7 cm. I declined an epidural at that point. With both previous labors I stalled at 7cm. I really wanted to get past 7cm before getting an epidural, or maybe even try to do a natural birth. The contractions continued, stronger and longer, and I kept throwing up. By 10 am I was pretty tired (having not really slept but 30 minutes that night) and the combination of contractions and vomiting were taking it's toll. I was at 8cm and my water had not broken. After Walter and I discussed it, I decided I wanted the epidural. I knew though, that it would probably lengthen the labor. And I was right.

The epidural was wonderful. It was just enough to take away the pain, but I could still move my legs. The vomiting stopped and I was able to get some sleep off and on. But, as I suspected it would, the epidural made my contractions almost completely flat line. It took another 6 hours and a pitocin drip to get me to dilate the last 2 cm.

At 4pm I was 10cm and they had me "labor down" (which is basically just waiting around doing nothing) to allow the baby to move down. I started pushing at about 5pm. The staff pediatrician was notified to be on standby since Wesley's shoulders had gotten stuck during birth. This baby was still a little high so I wasn't one of those lucky people that only have to push twice with subsequent children. I did ask that the epidural be turned off at this point. That helped me be able to feel the contractions (but still not much pain) to help with pushing. Not surprising, the baby's shoulders got stuck again this time, only worse (lucky me!) The door flew open and more people came in for me and the baby. Walter was asked to move back so a nurse could practically lay on top of my stomach (again, lucky me!) to help push the baby out.

After delivering one shoulder at a time, Elliott Levi was born (13 days past due) on July 16th, 2011 at 5:57pm. He was 9lbs 3oz and 22 1/2 inches long. He didn't cry at first and had a low apgar, which freaked me out, but after giving him a little oxygen under the warmer he perked up and was fine. They never even had to take him out of the room. I was really surprised when Walter told me it was another boy. I had secretly gotten myself thinking it was going to be a girl. But once I looked at Elliott it just seemed right that we had another sweet little boy in our family.

Elliott's birth took a serious toll on my body. I'll stop there with the details for everyone's benefit, but let's just say that getting the epidural was a really good idea in light of Elliott's birth weight and my small frame :) Within an hour I was resting "comfortably", so to speak, and was able to breastfeed him for the first time. He did great right off the bat. Then the nurse came in to give him a bath and I got to finally eat some dinner. Walter and I called our parents to tell them the news, I sent out a text to friends, and we spent a little time staring at our newest little boy.

Despite the anxiety, the waiting, and the complications, I'm thrilled to have had another VBAC. And we were thrilled to have our third little boy.

Elliott Levi, we love you!!!