Lucas' birth story - 1st HBA2C

The process behind Lucas' birth began a long time ago at Logan's birth in 2009 (my account shortly after the birth). In short, my doctor induced me at 38.5 weeks when I was at 0 and 0. Then insisted I have an epidural at 3cm "just in case." After 12 hours of this I was only a 4 and he said it was time for a c-section. What we didn't know then was that I had kidney stones which is what was causing all the pain. He also told me that I would never have a vaginal birth bigger than 7 lbs because I was way too small for Logan to come out (he was 7 lbs 1 oz). Recovery was horrible. I vividly remember calling my friend Tricia one day to come over to help with baby and I fell on the bathroom floor crying from the pain of my scar, from the pain of the kidney stones (which we still hadn't discovered), and the exhaustion of not sleeping even a little the entire first week of Logan's life. Over the months I developed Post-partum depression. I struggled with breastfeeding (no one at the hospital had helped and I didn't know who to ask at home), I gained a lot of weight, I didn't connect well with my baby, and I felt broken. At about 9 months old I started researching about VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean). I had always thought if I had one I had to have all my babies that way. I slowly starting becoming empowered by the evidence I found in support of VBACs. When I got pregnant with Eliza in June 2010 I knew the first thing I was going to do was NEVER go back to that hospital or OB. I hired a doula (a pregnancy and labor coach) and picked a midwifery office that delivered at a small hospital in Orem, Utah. I read natural birth method books and continued to obsess over getting my VBAC. In February 2011 I had Eliza after a pitocin induced INTENSE labor (see HERE). It was liberating but also difficult recovery after having so much pitocin and pushing before I felt the urge. It was leaps and bounds better than my c-section and we both learned a lot. We loved the birth and recovery so much that when The Lord prompted us it was time to have another baby it wasn't as scary (AS scary, considering Eliza was only 5 months old so we were still scared!).
Jennalyn's pregnancy started out very scary (read HERE). We hadn't done a lot of prep for the VBAC this time because we assumed we had already fought that fight. At 28 weeks we moved from Utah to Arizona. That began a HUGE search for VBAC friendly doctors and hospitals and doulas. I spent weeks looking and we had one interview with a doula I already felt was the right one. After we met her we fell in love and our choices for hospital and midwives were so easy. Things went fantastic until my 40 week appointment when Jenna flipped double footling breech. You can read the rest of her story HERE. After her c-section I decided to listen to my midwives and rest. I didn't get out of bed for the first week, then kept it very easy until 6 week. My recovery went a thousand times better. As time went on I knew that the reason she had a prolapsed cord was because they broke my water when she was still high. During the ECV they had ultrasound on the entire time to make sure something like the cord wrapping around her head wouldn't happen. And it hadn't wrapped. They even had the binder on me to hold her in place. So sadly I didn't get another VBAC and I felt that I had slacked on preparations.
In September 2013 I got pregnant with Lucas. I knew my sections were not due to my health but I made sure before Lucas that I was in the best possible condition. I lost 55 pounds, gave up soda, and took care of myself like I hadn't done as well after my other babies. We planned to go right back to my midwives with Jennalyn because they had promised I'd be able to VBA2C (vaginal birth after 2 cesearans). What many do not know is that some hospitals, and even states, have banned VBACs. But my midwives were no longer accepting my insurance. That was so stressful. So I found another provider 45 minutes away and started seeing them. I LOVED the midwife Tiffany. She was honest, to the point, and I knew she would be my advocate and not someone who would fight against me. In January I saw on her Facebook that she had left this office and moved to one who also didn't accept my insurance. She let me know that she had given notice for after my due date but the OB opted to have her leave right away. Again I was left confused and saddened. I wouldn't be able to enroll in a new insurance plan until 36 weeks. As I started making plans to keep going to her old office and wait to switch, my heart was telling me this wasn't the right choice. At the time Trent didn't have a job (and hadn't for 4 months). I had made contact with a home birth midwife at the beginning of my pregnancy but stopped that idea when Trent lost his job (home birth would cost us more money than insurance). Shortly after Tiffany's unexpected change Trent was offered a position and we decided to meet with the home birth midwife.
There are three different types of midwives. CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives) who have hospital privileges and mostly attend births in hospitals under the watch of OBs. LMs (Licensed Midwives) and CPMs (Certified Professional Midwives) who attend births at home. Then there are NMDs (Nathropathic Medical Doctor). In Arizona, LMs and CPMs were not legally allowed to attend VBACs at home (also known as HBACs-homebirth after cesarean). (Starting July 1st 2014 this law changed and they are now allowed to deliver after 1 cesarean. yay!). In order to have a home birth I had to find an NMD. There were two in the valley that would allow me to HBA2C. My heart kept leaning me toward one in Mesa so we arranged to meet with her. Halfway through the interview Trent wrote on my interview questions paper that he was 99% sure he wanted her to deliver our baby at home. This came from a man who swore we would never have a home birth. I called my doula after the interview and we chatted about the choice and she supported whichever way we went. Trent and I prayed about it for a few days and decided that home birth was the safest choice for Lucas to arrive. My doula told me that even after the first interview she could tell I felt at peace with my decision like she hadn't heard before.
Anne Marie had a student midwife who was working on becoming a CPM, she was already at the stage of being the primary midwife under Anne Marie's care. Her name was Noelia and we love her! I started she a webster's technique trained chiropractor who also happened to have a prior csection and she soon became pregnant and was going to her HBAC with Anne Marie and Noelia as well. We had the perfect team- Doula Dianne, Anne Marie (NMD/CPM), Noelia (Student Midwife), Trent, Me, and Lucas. We started making preparations at home and we kept our decision fairly private. We knew The Lord had given us peace with our decision and it was right for us. Our old Midwife Tiffany agreed to be our backup and she checked in with me throughout the end of the pregnancy and cheered us on. How amazing is that?! What a great relationship our team had with her.
As I prepared for this birth I knew I had to let go of feelings that I felt about my other births. I had had a VBAC previously but I had obsessed over it and put all my eggs in one basket. When a C-section was necessary with Jennalyn it was extremely emotional. I was so afraid of having a 3rd csection. I knew finding a provider who would "let" me vba3c would be next to impossible in Arizona and that each subsequent c-section would be dangerous for the baby and me but I wanted more children and didn't want c-sections to limit that. It became a fear that consumed me. I began to let go of fears. I knew that those fears would not be healthy for our situation. I put my trust in The Lord knowing He had given us peace and led us down the path of home birth for this baby. I had plans if we needed to make a change and I began to put faith in His plan. I learned to trust my body. 40 weeks came and went but I felt fantastic! All the chiropractic adjustments kept me aligned and comfortable. Labor was confusing to pinpoint. I would start having contractions that would come to 5 minutes apart for hours. and this happened for 2 weeks. I had an ultrasound done to check on baby and me at 41 weeks and everything passed with flying colors. We were doing amazing! It was challenging receiving so many comments about going over my due date. Most of them were just curious why my doctor wouldn't induce. I didn't want to explain my choice to home birth to people. And I knew what induction was like. Baby would come when he was ready and we were doing everything to make sure he was healthy and safe. Some of the comments were in fear for our safety, which I could understand, but also were hard to emotionally deal with when you are post-40 weeks and feel your choices as a mother are being judged. I would talk them out with my birth team and move right on.
After a membrane sweep on Monday at 41 weeks 3 days my labor kicked into gear. I had still been contacting for a few days inconsistently in early labor phase. around 4 pm the contractions became harder and closer (5 minutes apart). My doula came over that night and we put the kids to bed hoping they'd wake up to a brand new baby! I continued with contractions every 8-10 minutes through the night but handled them on my own. The next morning we decided to have Kathy Kent take our kids so we could focus on labor. It was so nice to know our kids were just around the corner. At 1pm Noelia (student midwife) came over and checked to see where I was at (4cm!). Alright, things were happening but clearly it would be a slow process. Anne Marie came over a few hours later and we tried some herbs to get things moving at a quicker pace. I felt great but they were concerned my body would become exhausted quickly since it had been laboring so long. By 8:30pm Tuesday night I was 6cm. Contractions were strong but I could feel they weren't strong enough. We walked and walked and walked. At 10:30pm we decided to have a castor oil milkshake. I had said that castor oil would be a last resort but I trusted my birth team and decided to try just a little bit in a shake. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought! I was also taking Mother's Cordial to help make the contractions stronger. It was so gross tasting so after I drank it I would stick a sour watermelon in my mouth to hide the taste. We called it my chaser ;-). After another night of contractions, still handling by myself, I was checked at 5:30am and 7-8cm, 75% effaced, but baby was still at -1. I told them that with each contraction I could feel him move down then bounce back up when it was over. We continued the Mother's Cordial and another milkshake and by 2:15pm Wednesday Lucas was low enough to break my water. Because of the prolapsed cord with Jenna we really wanted to avoid AROM (artificial rupture of the membranes) but my gut was telling me I had so much fluid that his head was bouncing off the bulging bag. With each kid when they broke the water there was so much there the whole room was surprised. I knew this and warned Anne Marie about it. After a painful thorough check for the cord and baby's position she poked a tiny hole, held her finger on it, and slowly let the fluid out. That was one of two most painful and difficult parts of labor and delivery. The next contraction was much harder and I gave a big thumbs up! The contractions we had been waiting for! YAY! We had filled up the birth tub in our room and I got right in. Oh heaven! I could feel the baby moving down now. At about 5pm without anyone coaching me I began to bear down; my body knew exactly what to do and it was so natural. Soon the whole birth team was in the room. Trent held a cloth with peppermint to my face because I was feeling very nauseous. But the nausea was welcomed and I was excited knowing transition was upon us. Before I was even actively pushing they said they could see his head! I wasn't in any pain and no one had checked me or told me it was time to push. My body was doing it all on its own. At about 5:45pm my toe got a cramp. The WORST cramp ever. Let me tell you, that threw me completely off my grove and I started to panic because it hurt so bad. We all were chuckling a bit that a toe cramp was more painful that the transition and bearing down stage I was in at the same time!! After it finally went away Trent was back behind me and we held each other as I began to push. His head came out with no tearing at all. Then his shoulder got stuck. At the point Noelia was there to catch baby and Anne Marie was videotaping. She calmly told Noelia that whenever she was needed let her know and a few seconds later Noelia told her to come over. Then Anne Marie started pushing on my abdomen and told me now was the time to push. And out he came! They put him right to my chest. He had hair! and was so gorgeous and a little heavy. They all started commenting on his rolls and how big he looked. But I was just enjoying my little newborn and soaking up the skin to skin. Part of my was a little overwhelmed with that few seconds his shoulders got stuck. They let me hold him while they checked him out and we waited for the cord to stop pulsing before Trent cut it. Then it was time to get out of the birth tub. There was a lot of blood and because of the water they couldn't tell quite how much. As I got to the bed they stuck me with pitocin in case of hemorrhage and started accessing. He was so big! But everything looked great and I only had a 1st degree tear from the shoulders.
Then Trent's phone started ringing. Then mine. Well that's weird, why would Kathy be calling? So Trent answered. Jenna had fallen on a step ladder and gashed her chin! They needed to take her to the ER. Trent ran down the street, without a shirt on, to give Kathy our insurance info so they could take her to the hospital. It was a little challenging trying to focus on my newborn time when my 22 month old was taking the first trip of any of our kids to the ER. But she was in good hands and got glued up and was such a trooper--no tears!
We were all so curious about Lucas' weight so we decided to measure him earlier than usual. Guesses were being through out around 10 lbs. He even had a pretty large bowel movement right after arrival so Anne Marie said he lost at least 2 oz. Trent held up the weight and announced 11 lbs 3 oz! Are you sure?! There is a picture to prove it. His head was a whopping 15cm! What's more is his shoulders were bigger than his head at 15.5cm. No wonder they got a little stuck. Length 21.5in. The high in that room was huge. A HBA2C of an 11 lb 3 oz baby after 4 pushes. Wow! Anne Marie and Doula Dianne had only had 3 HBA2C's each up to that point. This baby passed all their records for weights and was over 4 lbs bigger than the baby my first doctor said I was too small for.
Soon social media had seen them post about his birth. The ICAN of Phoenix (International Cesarean Awareness Network) website flooded with congratulations and applause. This baby quickly became famous in the birthing community.
The days that followed were awesome. Recovery was great and I got lots of snuggling time with my baby; without ever having to leave a hospital. This process taught me so much about myself and about my relationship with Trent and my Heavenly Father. I don't know if we will choose a home birth for all our future babies but we knew this was the right choice for Lucas. It was an amazing journey to a healing birth. I am so grateful to my birth team for helping me make informed decisions and trust my body. I'm thankful to my rock Trent, who was the most important person I needed to get through the pregnancy, birth, and recovery.

Photo courtesy: Dianne Hamre

Photo courtesy: Dianne Hamre

Anne Marie Palzer, Doula Dianne Hamre, Noelia Waldo

Photo courtesy: Lucinda Fish

Anne Marie Palzer (NMD/CPM) & Noelia Waldo (Student Midwife)

Jennalyn's birth story (2nd Cesarean section)

Written in August 2012: 

Jennalyn Cheri 

The week of my due date I'd been having lots of contractions, they seemed to get regular and stronger but then slow down before I could decide if I thought "this is it"! Then sometime between Friday and Saturday they completely stopped. During church on Sunday I felt like something was kicking at my cervix (scary thought!). On Tuesday morning (40 w 4 d) I went to my midwife appointment and everything went as normal until she checked my baby's position. She gave a funny looking face when Trent jokingly asked is baby was still head down (the week before she had dropped quite low and had been head down since 24 weeks). She said we would just double check to be sure so I was sent to wait for an ultrasound. The tech in ultrasound kept the monitor moving fairly quickly while she told me a few things that looked good on the scan and then I waited for my midwife to come tell me the news. I waited, and waited a very long time. I felt in that moment that something was definitely wrong and my feelings on Sunday had been signs of something bad. When she finally came back she had another midwife with her (there are three and one happened to be out of town). They explained that baby had turned double footling breech and her feet would be coming out first if I were to deliver but they talked with the on call OB for Wednesday and she had agreed to attempt an external cephalic  version to flip the baby. They both consoled me as I cried and sat in shock at this unexpected turn of events. Chances were a good 50/50 that it would work and with her being so big it would be difficult, plus the fact that I was vbac made the whole ordeal more sensitive and controversial. I tried everything that day to get baby to flip on her own. I tried laying on a board off the couch upside down, doing flips in a pool, and many other stretches I had found advice on the Internet for. The next morning I headed into the hospital, got my epidural (required for my ECV and proven more successful since my uterus would be relaxed), and was wheeled off to the OR. This experience was unlike any other I've been through. I told them she had been moving some in the last day mostly to my left side but they decided to try to push her to the right since, at the time, it was less distance to move. Two OBs massaged vigorously on my belly to get the baby to move. One had her hands on the bum and one on the head. They got her transverse but she wouldn't budge any further. So then they tried to flip her the other direction (270 degrees ), the direction I suggested. It hurt, even with an epidural. I cannot even describe what I felt in those minutes. I tried to relax and kept encouraging her telling her I knew she could turn. Then there was excruciating pain that happened very quickly and I screamed, she's doing it! She's turning! Then a pop feeling happened and they said she was in the pelvis! Hooray! I cried tears of joy and thanked the OBs over and over again. My vbac was back on track and I was thrilled. They put a very tight binder on me to keep her from attempting to flip and we discussed the next step. My midwives had said they thought it was the best choice to induce if it was successful and I felt the same. I knew if I went home I'd be anxious that she would turn back and I wouldn't be able to sleep or do much of anything else. So into a labor room I went. They removed my epidural but left the catheter in, just in case. I wanted my natural birth and as close to no interventions as possible (already resigning to the fact I'd need pitocin again). At 5pm they finally started the pitocin after we knew all the epidural was gone and at 9pm my water was broken. I got into a great groove with contractions and before we knew it I was 7cm at 5am. I had the binder removed (finally! It was difficult in contractions to get comfortable). It was incredible how i could feel how to breathe with each contraction so the baby would move down and not come back up. I actually loved contractions! Around 10am my midwife came in (a different one from the day before since shifts change at 7am) and decided to change things up since I seemed to be stalling a bit. She allowed me to take off all the monitors and pitocin and get in the shower....amazing!! We decided after to have internal monitors put in so I could move more and get the baby to move down and not worrying about her. She had  been moving a lot away from the external monitors so I couldn't move a lot of directions. They got both monitors inserted (ps, I hate cervix checks, worse than labor and  delivery itself). Then they couldn't get the baby's monitor plugged in. Turns out they had new monitors but not compatible cords and of course they find this out on me! So out comes the monitor and insert old monitor. I kept having to move sides because she was having heart decels. The new on call ob comes in to check on me and she discovers I'm 8cm and there is the cord on top of baby's head. I cried, and screamed no no no! She tried all she could to move the cord but it would not budge.   I had stayed so calm through my whole labor. My midwife said she had never seen a mom labor so peacefully before, especially on pitocin. If she didn't know I was at a 7 she would have guessed I was at a 2. But this news was difficult to take after all we had been through. As I shed some strong tears they quickly stopped the pitocin, put in my epidural again (thank goodness we left the catheter in!), and left us alone for a minute. My mom had been there since about 630am and she held my hand as Trent gave me a blessing. My doula was fantastic helping me cope with the news. Before a they started I looked the OB into the eyes and told her she better sew me up so I can have plenty of other children. She assured me that even with 2 c/s they'd still let me vbac the next time. What scared me so much about c/s was the three hours after Logan's birth that I don't remember. The anesthesiologist wanted to put me under but I kept telling her no. She was ridiculous but I'm glad the OB kept telling her off. She had an interesting view on things. Jennalyn Cheri was born at 12:36pm and brought right to my face. I was so thrilled to get to see her right away and hold her against my cheek. She looked so big! Trent was off with baby and they let my doula scrub in and be with me the rest of surgery. I remember everything! They wheeled me to recovery and in came baby. She was sucking at her hand like crazy and latched right on when I began nursing her only minutes after coming in and half hour after her arrival. 8lbs 11 oz and 21.5 inches! She was my biggest baby! Recovery has been better than Logan's but it still difficult with two young kids and a c/s. I hate not being able to do much at all but living with my parents has been great. Mom has helped a ton with the kids as Trent had to go back to work Monday. We left the hospital in record time for c/s, after exactly 48 hrs. Jennalyn sleeps so well and the kids are loving her :). Her name comes from my mom (GayeLyn) and Trent's mom (Sheri).

Jenna's pregnancy complications

Life is crazy, but I do have to say that ours hasn't felt even close to dull in the last 5 months. I'm just in aw sometimes at the things we've been through and continue to go through. I know we don't have it the worst, and not even close. So I try to keep positive and know that everything happens for a reason. But I'll give you a little tidbit on our happenings.

6 months ago Trent and I had the feeling we should start applying to jobs in Arizona. Neither of us were sure why, other than having family close, especially since I always said I never wanted to live in Arizona permanently (WAY too hot). But he'd been applying to things off and on that we felt were worth leaving both our jobs and moving for. At my 20 week ultrasound we found out some very difficult news. On top of having thyroid issues of which I'd have to see an endocrinologist we also found out that I have a short cervix AND my placenta was growing on my c-section scar. My OB informed me that there is a condition they think I have called placenta accreta. It's a very rare condition where the placenta implants too deeply into the uterus. Since it is growing on my c=section scar my uterus is weaker there and the risk for this condition was increased. What this means is that when I deliver the baby and the placenta is supposed to be delivered after, it's implanted too deeply and will not detach from the uterus. This can cause severe problems. My hospital isn't even allowed to take me and I'd have to go to the U of U because that's the only hospital around that carries enough blood if I hemorrhage. What most doctors recommend in this case (more than recommend really, it's not argued at all) is that the baby be taken c-section (she'll be totally fine) and they do a full hysterectomy because the risks of my dying or having severe problems are too high. Typically I'd be put on bedrest and given steroids to develop the babies lungs so they could deliver between 34-36 weeks, unless the bleeding begins sooner (bleeding is the typical sign). It was an overwhelming appointment to say the least. There is no way to know at this point 100% if I have it or not. I meet with the High Risk Perinatologist at U of U on Thursday and she will check my cervix and the placenta. For the first week or two it was hard to even talk about. As much as I talk about loving pregnancy and having children it was really difficult for me to feel like that would all be taken away permanently at the age of 24. But I'm feeling more at peace with whatever happens is supposed to happen, though I really don't want it to go that direction of course, I'm at the point I can talk about it and not sob uncontrollably. But with all this we felt like being closer to family would be better for us which is why we thought we were getting the urge to apply for things before we found out all this.
Fast forward to last Wednesday. We had decided to stop actively applying for jobs down there come April 30 because we felt I'd be too far along and we'd just wait until after the baby was born. So Wednesday at 3:45 (Trent is off at 4) they brought everyone in and told them that the company who contracted to them was moving the project completely to the Philippines. Six people were let go that day...THAT DAY. 4 (the team lead, assistant, Trent and one other guy) were given until April 30th. Wow. Lots of difficult decisions had to be made in a short amount of time. We couldn't have him out a job very long. We gave it a lot of prayer and made pro-con lists (Trent wanted these, not me for once! I must be rubbing off on him..haha). Thursday night we felt the confirmation that this was our sign to go ahead and move. Friday he was sent two preliminary assessments from two jobs. Both contacted him later than day to get phone interviews. Saturday he had his first phone interview and they have already scheduled him for a face to face the morning he will be in Arizona. The other he had an interview with today and he's passed the recruiter and is being sent to the branch manager for further interviews. Wow. Within just a couple days of our decision. Yes there have already been quite a few hiccups with stuff, but nothing will be perfect.
It's been an up and down battle with myself about it. At first I was excited but nervous about telling my students, parents, and Nichole. Then when I announced I felt more sadness from people that I was anticipating. I had no idea I had an impact on people the way they seemed to have said. I left church yesterday sobbing. Yes people, I'm hormonal, deal ;-). Today I've felt fine and excited again. I'm about to leave to tell more students I'm leaving though so that may change. It's going to be rough for a little while but I'm excited for the long run of all this decision. Keep Trent in your prayers that he'll find a job soon! We'd LOVE for him to get the one he interviewed for today.
See all you Arizonians soon!!

Eliza's birth story (1st VBAC)

Written in February 2011:

Eliza Kate DeVore

Our little girl is finally here! 

Eliza Kate DeVore:

February 16 6:50am 

8 pounds 8 ounces

21 inches long

I know it is about time I get this story out there before I forget too many of the precious details I want to remember later on. I had been having many contractions but nothing regular until the morning of February 4th. They were coming 7-10 minutes apart from starting at 8am when I began to time them. After 4 hours of this I figured I should let my boss know I would not be coming in. Trent went to school anyway but came home a bit early around 3 because the contractions had gotten stronger and I wasn't able to take care of Logan and cope through them. About 5pm we called my doula to get on her way because since Trent had gotten home they were not only stronger but increased to 5 minutes apart. She was there just after 6 and we began our comfort techniques. By the time Logan went down for bed the contractions were strong enough that I had to focus and not talk through them. By 10:30-11 we were feeling like this was it! We got ready to go and headed for the hospital. I still was managing the contractions fine but since we had a 30-minute drive I didn't want to chance anything. All the signs pointed to me being in labor. Once we got there the nurse informed me that it was "protocol" for every VBAC attempt to get an epidural once admitted. I had NOT been informed of this previously and was very upset. Then she decided to check me and by then my contractions had slowed back down and I was only 2cm. I told the nurse I wasn't staying to be monitored and the midwife allowed me to go. The contractions continued Saturday at 7-10 minutes apart and Trent and I spent the day alone trying to keep busy and be with each other. The midwife called in the afternoon to let us know that she had spoken with the doctor (since I was VBAC the doctor had to approve many of our choices) and she would allow me to go without an epidural. PHEW! We were so relieved. Shortly after this the contractions started to pick up again (fancy that eh?) By 4am Sunday I was ready to have my doula back for help. We labored all Sunday and by 3am Monday morning the contractions had stopped. The midwife was sure I would have the baby that weekend after talking with us multiple times over the few days. I went in to the office Monday after the regular contractions stopped and found to be 3cm and 70% effaced. Well, at least I got somewhere! The week continued and I made it to my Thursday (39-week) appointment. To our surprise the doctor showed up in our room. She let us know she would be leaving out of town the following Thursday and we had some choices to make. Either we could schedule a c-section, break my water, or take a chance with another doctor on call who wouldn't be so VBAC friendly. We had until Monday (due date) to make the decision. Yikes. They were obviously very concerned that my body had been in labor and stopped (they all agreed it was definitely the early stages). They stripped my membranes to see if that would help over the following days before the d-day. To be honest, I tried not to think about making that decision. I made it to my Monday appointment still pregnant and sat on the table and still hadn't decided what I wanted to do. After the midwife's check she was extremely excited about where my body was and that it was prepared for labor all we needed were regular contractions. She informed us that we could schedule to come in for induction Tuesday or Wednesday so that our on-call doctor would be there instead of someone we didn't know. The process she said we would go through was different than what the doctor had come across so we decided to schedule Wednesday morning and if we didn't feel right about it we would cancel. I was hoping labor would come before that anyways. Tuesday comes and my contractions pick up again but stay at about 7-10 minutes apart. At 3:15 the midwife called to say the doctor had surgery the next day and needed us to be at the hospital at 8pm that night! WOW! I called Trent at work and we both sat in shock. I tried to nap but couldn't relax with the list of things I needed to do going through my mind. We had a lovely dinner, gave Logan our hugs, and went on our way. My mom had been there all week helping with Logan since the Weekend of Labor (as I call it now). Trent and I both felt right about the decision to go forward with the induction. We also realized that they never allow inductions for VBAC's (they had been adamant about this in our early appointments). They must have felt extra confident after my last appointment that my body would be able to do it. The nurse checked me at 9:45 and said I was a 2. We started the oxytocin at 10 and the midwife came in to break my water at 10:30. By then I had already dilated to 4cm! Since I had already been having some regular contractions that day it seemed the labor just eased it's way in normally. at 11:15 they checked again and I had hit 5cm! The magic number :-) I started to cry when the nurse told me. I hadn't gotten that far with Logan and it was the number I had a goal to reach for and feel relief after hitting. At 3am I hit 7cm and was definitely feeling it. The contractions weren't stopping. They would come and go and the next one would start again before I had a chance to breathe. I could see the nurse and doula cheering me on and saying this was the hardest part to get through. They finally decreased my oxytocin because the contractions were just too close and I was able to get some rest in between them. Just before 6am the doctor came in to check me (she had surgery scheduled at 8 so we were pushing it!). I was so tired I didn't pay attention to the number she said. Trent had to repeat a couple times "Natalie, did you hear her? You can start pushing!" I got up to go to the bathroom and sat there for probably ten minutes trying to relax and find the energy I needed to push. The nurse finally came in frantic saying "you need to get off that; we don't want to have a toilet baby!) I got back to the bed and began pushing. After a few releases of my bowels (oh yay!) the midwife said I was pushing great! This part was not nearly as difficult at the transition stage from 7-10 cm. It was amazing feeling the top of her head as she was coming down. I felt like I only pushed for 10 minutes but after 50 minutes of pushing and a second degree tear our Eliza had arrived! They put her right on my chest and Trent cut the cord. It was miraculous to have my sweet baby in my arms first and be able to remember everything that happened. Within half an hour I was breastfeeding her and by 10:30 Logan was able to meet his little sister. We left the hospital on Thursday and had to make a two-hour stop at Utah Valley hospital for an echocardiogram. The pediatrician had found a heart murmur that morning and we were sent to meet with a specialist. Eliza has a ventricular septal defect which is a hole in the wall between the ventricles of her heart. It is common (1 in 250 babies have it) but it usually will heal on it's own. We have to continue to meet with a pediatric cardiologist to keep an eye on it but we feel confident everything will be just fine.

Logan is adoring his little sis. He was apprehensive at first but now is so protective over her. He loves to wake up and run to where she is and lay next to her. He will randomly stop what he is doing during the day and run to her then give her a very gentle kiss. Any time he hears her crying from the other room he runs to her and says "Liza, Liza." It melts my heart how he has warmed up to her and treats her so well. I'm recovering fantastically. Sore and tired but this recovery is so much easier than my c-section. We love being our family of four and have enjoyed every second so far. I'm still amazed at how big Liza is. We both don't feel like she looks like a newborn at all..haha. Thank you all for your support! I will get up more pictures in the next post :-)

Logan's birth story (1st Cesarean)

Written in April 2009:

Well, HE IS HERE!!! After nine months of telling him to NOT come between the 22nd and the 25th of April, he decided to show mommy and daddy who was boss. On Wednesday I was studying for one last final and finishing up a huge project. I had planned to take it in the afternoon. Every hour of my Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday was completely planned out. I started feeling awful pain in my back (on the opposite side of my hydronephrosis). I had been having contractions but this was nothing like it. I tried walking around, laying down, getting in the tub; nothing seemed to work. Around 11 is just got too painful to bare and I texted Trent at work telling him I needed to go to the hospital. I had no idea what to do at this point because he didn't get off until 2:30 and I did not want to bug a friend in the middle of finals to come drive me over. By some miracle Trent called me and said he was on his way home. They had sent him home only minutes before my text because it was a slow day. HOW LUCKY! He rushed home and tried some massaging and hot pads but I was still in so much pain so we drove over to the hospital. Now, since the baby was still two weeks away and I was in the middle of finishing up school, we hadn't gotten our hospital bag together quite yet but we figured that baby wouldn't be coming yet (I was only 1 cm and not effaced at my appointment on Monday). We got to the hospital and they took us in a room to check if I was in labor. For what seemed like hours, we waited for a nurse to come check on me. Sadly, they couldn't figure out what was going on and they had to wait for my doctor in order to give me anything for the pain. So we waited some more time before they finally came in and said they needed to monitor me for a bit longer and gave me some kind of narcotic to ease the pain. The sad part was I had been throwing up so much that I was extremely dehydrated so they couldn't find a good vein. They poked me about 7 different times until they finally put it in the worst place to put an IV: my arm. Since we were just in a small check up room, it was a long afternoon for Trent sitting on a no-back doctor's swivel chair. I was taken down to ultrasound to see what they could find because the doctor and nurses were thinking I had a kidney stone. Apparently I was quite the hoot on drugs saying the oddest things (Trent still wont let me live them down). Because the baby was so big, they couldn't see much to deduce anything. Around 10 or 11pm they moved us to a labor and delivery room to wait longer. The nurse said it would probably be Thursday late morning that I would go home. YAY! I can still make it to graduation in plenty of time. I was determined to go, even if I was in pain and on tons of morphine and perkaset. The next morning the doctor came in around 7am to check up on me. He talked to us about how silly it would be to send me home only to come back the next day because I was in pain again. Then he made a comment about "how do you feel about leaving the hospital not pregnant anymore?" WHAT?! Trent and I both thought he was joking (our doctor has a bit of a dry sense of humor). But no, he was serious. I think we both sat there kind of shocked because it was the last thing we ever thought was going to happen. But it seemed to be the best option so they put me on a pit drip and labor began. My parents had left at 5am that morning to drive up for my graduation. So I called them at about 8am and told them to forget graduation; they were going to be grandparents today! My mom says that was the longest drive she has ever been on. Happily, compared to my kidney pain, labor was a breeze. I think thats why they believed I had a stone because that was the only pain they could think of that was worse than labor. I wasn't in much pain from labor but the anesthesiologist thought it was best to give me an epidural around 1. The worse part of labor, for me, was only being allowed ice chips. Because I had been throwing up for the last day, I hadn't eaten nor had I had anything to drink. All I wanted was some water and I could not wait for it to be over to get a giant glass. The nurses all liked to joke with me about it. Since we hadn't brought ANYTHING to the hospital, Tricia and Ryan were nice enough to come pick up our house key and get some things for us. They were so wonderful both times I was in the hospital and ran around doing things for us. My parents and rachel (my sister-in-law) came straight to the hospital after driving 11 hours. It was nice to have some people there to distract me from my thirst. Around 10pm the doctor came in to tell me that from 4pm to that current time I had stayed at 4cm and was no longer progressing but the baby was trying to push his way out and it was putting too much pressure on his head. He suggested we do a C-section but left it up to us to decide. I had felt pretty prepared for labor after reading up on everything I could before it came but the one thing I didn't research much on was C-Sections. I never had surgery before nor had complications with anything really until this pregnancy so I figured I wouldn't have to worry about it. Trent and I both agreed that it was best for little Logan so they started the preparations. I wanted a blessing from my dad before I went in and we weren't quite sure how to tell all the people to leave the room. The funny thing was that when the anesthesiologist found out we didn't have oil he said "oh, we have some here at the hospital just for this!" and ran and got it. I guess you know you are in Utah when the hospital staff asks you if you'd like to have a blessing before surgery and has a supply of oil there for you. They wheeled me into a BRIGHTLY lit room and starting strapping me down to the table. Even though they had me on tons of drugs, I could still feel a lot of the pulling and pushing. It was extremely painful! But the moment I heard his first cry, it all seemed to disappear and all I could think about was getting to hold him. As soon as they took him, Trent had to leave with him and they must have poured drugs into my IV because I do not remember anything much in the surgery room after that. They told me I just kept asking about Logan and if he was okay; thankfully motherhood instincts had kicked in! After surgery I had to wait an hour before I got to see him even though Trent and my parents got to see him. They let my dad carry him into see me for the first time. It was such an amazing moment to finally get to see him. I just kept thinking, they gave me the wrong baby; this baby is way too good looking to be mine. It was so amazing; definately love at first sight. He had arrived at 10:49pm on April 23rd weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz and 19.5 inches long. Friday Ryan and Tricia, Devin Curry, both my grandmas, Trent's parents and two brothers, and my cousin Melissa all came to visit. It was a busy busy day but was so enjoyable to show off our little guy to everyone. We stayed in the hospital until Sunday evening and finally went home. We had to take him back the next day for some extra testing but he is doing lots better. Its been a tough recovery for me. I never realized how much I use my core muscles until I haven't been able to use them. I cannot sit up, get out of bed, stand up, or do much without someone's help. Today has been much better and hopefully it is on the up hill. The hardest thing has been trying to take care of him but not being able to do all I want to. I keep pushing too far and end up hurting myself. But hopefully I will heal soon and be able to hold him for longer than a few minutes. Yesterday I had to take the final I missed last Wednesday. It was rough having to go to campus and sit and take a 159 question final. My professor was really impressed that I was so set on finishing and didn't want to accept her option to take an incomplete in the class. I had stayed up all night, with the help of my wonderful mom, completing my huge assignment. The professor thought I would barely get a C- in the class but I pulled out a B+!!! That was my lowest grade this semester. I cannot believe how well I did in school; I hope that means Logan will be a smarty pants. I am really sad I missed graduation but Logan is completely worth it. It has been incredible and I love every minute of being a mother; yes even those late night feedings. I just remember everything I've gone through for him and all I will continue to go through and I know he is worth it all and more. It truly is amazing how much love I feel for this precious little gem. He is amazing and I could not have asked for a more beautiful and wonderful son.



Mommy and Logan's first moments together




Daddy and Logan




Our adorable little boy