The Labor Details

Some of you might be wondering the details of Lucy's birth, and then some of you don't care. I always am curious of the labor details, so for those of you who want to know here is how it went. I had a C-section scheduled for April 2nd. I had gone back and forth with the idea of a VBAC, but had gone ahead and scheduled a C-section with my doctor. I really thought that this baby would be born around 37 weeks like James. I even told everyone that she would probably be born at the end of March. At 36 weeks with James my doctor told me I was dialated to a 1 and was 90% effaced. I was expecting the same at my 36 week appointment with Lucy. When my doctor told me that I had 0 on both I literally cried very hard the minute she left the room. I had been feeling very ill and was looking forward to a timely relief. I suddenly felt that the baby was going to be born much closer to her due date then I had expected. My mother came out 2 weeks before the baby was born to help me. She was my lifesaver. I don't know how I could have endured the end of my pregnancy without her. Not to mention all the help I got from my mother-in-law during my pregnancy when I lived with Stephen's parents. And the help I got from both our moms post-partum. They are amazing. It's a little scary to think that if I had been born a hundred years ago I probably would not have survived childbirth. Either me or my child or both. We had a very small get together for Easter dinner Sunday on March 31st. After dinner and dessert we were sitting around talking when I noticed I started having contractions. They were so mild that I didn't pay any attention to them. Then I noticed they were very frequent, so I started timing them, and for almost 2 hours they were 3 mintues apart, which some of you are thinking that if it was my second child I should have known I was in labor, but I wasn't sure. When I was in labor with James I had almost instantly the most unbearable contractions. I couldn't breath, talk, walk, and I had them for about 29 hours before they gave me an epidural and rushed me in for an emergency C-section. Because my body doesn't dialate they didn't believe that I was in labor. The most I ever dialated with James was about a 3-4. I later realized after I had Lucy the difference is back labor. Shoot if it weren't for back labor I can see how some people could maybe do birth without an epidural. So, after 2 hours I called the hospital and they told me to go ahead in, they hooked me up, and sure enough I was in labor, but I was so confused as to why it wasn't that bad. The doctor that was on call asked me if I wanted to just try for a VBAC. I am such an indecisive and fickle person that I suddenly flip-flopped again and decided to try. They decided to moniter closely my progression and if I didn't progress we would have to do a C-section. I went to the hospital dialated at a 2, about 4-6 hours later I was a 3. So we waited another 4-6 hours to see if I'd progress more. Then the back labor started and I realized that was what made my labor with James so painful and unbearable. A half hour after my backlabor started I asked for the epidural. I had already done the back labor thing. I did not need to do it again. The next time they checked me I was still at a 3, not progressing anymore they decided I needed a C-section after all and put me in line. I kept getting bumped back in line because mine wasn't an emergency this time. About 14 hours after being in the hospital, 17 hours after my contractions started Lucy Amelia Taylor was born. During the whole operation I was shaking like crazy, which didn't happen the first time. Here are some pictures from the hospital.